scholarly journals Testimony method to ameliorate post-traumatic stress symptoms

2004 ◽  
Vol 184 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Igreja ◽  
Wim C. Kleijn ◽  
Bas J. N. Schreuder ◽  
Janie A. Van Dijk ◽  
Margot Verschuur
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Case Group ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Positive Intervention

BackgroundThe effectiveness of the testimony method has not been established in rural communities with survivors of prolonged civil war.AimsTo examine the effectiveness and feasibility of a testimony method to ameliorate post-traumatic stress symptoms.MethodParticipants (n=206) belonged to former war zones in Mozambique. They were divided into a case (n= 137) and a non-case group (n=69). The case group was randomly divided into an intervention (n=66) and a control group (n=71). Symptoms were measured during baseline assessment, post-intervention and at an 11-month follow-up.ResultsPost-intervention measurements demonstrated significant symptom reduction in both the intervention and the control group. No significant differences were found between the intervention and the control group. Follow-up measurements showed sustained lower levels of symptoms in both groups, and some indications of a positive intervention effect in women.ConclusionsA remarkable drop in symptoms could not be linked directly to the intervention. Feasibility of the intervention was good, but controlling the intervention in a small rural community appeared to be a difficult task to accomplish.

scholarly journals Condensed Internet-delivered prolonged exposure provided soon after trauma: a randomised trial

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Maria Bragesjö ◽  
Filip K. Arnberg ◽  
Klara Olofsdotter Lauri ◽  
Kristina Aspvall ◽  
Josefin Särnholm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Randomised Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic

Abstract Background Exposure to trauma is common and can have a profoundly negative impact on mental health. Interventions based on trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy have shown promising results to facilitate recovery. The current trial evaluated whether a novel, scalable and digital early version of the intervention, Condensed Internet-Delivered Prolonged Exposure (CIPE), is effective in reducing post-traumatic stress symptoms. Method A single-site randomised controlled trial with self-referred adults (N = 102) exposed to trauma within the last 2 months. The participants were randomised to 3 weeks of CIPE or a waiting list (WL) for 7 weeks. Assessments were conducted at baseline, week 1–3 (primary endpoint), week 4–7 (secondary endpoint) and at 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome measure was PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Results The main analysis according to the intention-to-treat principle indicated statistically significant reductions in symptoms of post-traumatic stress in the CIPE group as compared to the WL group. The between-group effect size was moderate at week 3 (bootstrapped d = 0.70; 95% CI 0.33–1.06) and large at week 7 (bootstrapped d = 0.83; 95% CI 0.46–1.19). Results in the intervention group were maintained at the 6-month follow-up. No severe adverse events were found. Conclusions CIPE is a scalable intervention that may confer early benefits on post-traumatic stress symptoms in survivors of trauma. The next step is to compare this intervention to an active control group and also investigate its effects when implemented in regular care.

Short-term follow-up of post-traumatic stress symptoms in motor vehicle accident victims

1995 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 369-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward B. Blanchard ◽  
Edward J. Hickling ◽  
Alisa J. Vollmer ◽  
Warren R. Loos ◽  
Todd C. Buckley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Motor Vehicle Accident ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Vehicle Accident ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic

scholarly journals Evaluation of secondary post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in the spouses of chemical warfare victims 20 years after the Iran–Iraq war

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 168-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khodabakhsh Ahmadi ◽  
Mahmood Reshadatjoo ◽  
GholamReza Karami ◽  
Nariman Sepehrvand ◽  
Pegah Ahmadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Chemical Warfare ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Case Group ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Post Traumatic

Aims and methodPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been reported in 90% of chemical warfare victims in previous studies. An individual's traumatic experience(s) may affect the lives of other family members as well. This cross-sectional case–control study compared the prevalence of PTSD symptoms in the husbands, the secondary PTSD symptoms in the wives and also aimed to identify if there was an association between the PTSD symptoms of the couples in the case group. Cases were 150 husband–wife couples where husbands were civilians exposed to chemical warfare; the controls were 156 husband–wife couples where there was no such exposure. Both cases and controls were recruited from Sardasht in Iran; this Kurdish city was attacked by four 250 kg sulphur mustard warheads in June 1987.ResultsAcross three sets of cut-off points for the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD symptomotology (<120 and ⩾121; <106 and ⩾107; and <65, 65–130 and > 130) wives in the case group demonstrated higher rates of PTSD symptoms than did those in the control group; the difference was statistically significant. Furthermore, husbands in the case group had a significantly higher overall mean score (123.0 (s.d. = 17.2)) than the husbands in the control group (112.3 (s.d. = 21.7); P<0.001, t = 4.80). There was no statistically significant association between the overall PTSD score of the husbands in the case group with that of their wives (P = 0.274, correlation coefficient 0.092).Clinical implicationsHusbands who were exposed to the chemical agents reported higher PTSD symptoms and there were higher rates of PTSD symptoms among the wives of individuals who were exposed to chemical warfare. Study results suggest the need for coordinated treatments, policy efforts and interventions to improve the wellbeing of chemical warfare victims and their caregiver wives.

scholarly journals Hospital workers mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: methods of data collection and characteristics of study sample in a university hospital in Milan (Italy)

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Fattori ◽  
F Cantù ◽  
A Comotti ◽  
V Tombola ◽  
E Colombo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Hospital Workers ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Psychological Impairment

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic is currently a severe challenge for healthcare workers, with a considerable impact on their mental health. In order to focus preventive and rehabilitation measures it’s fundamental to identify risk factors of such psychological impairment. We designed an observational longitudinal study to systematically examine the psychological wellbeing of all employees in a large University Hospital in Italy, using validated psychometric scales in the context of the occupational physician’s health surveillance, in collaboration with Psychiatric Unit. Methods The study started after ethical approval in August 2020. For each worker, the psychological wellbeing is screened in two steps. The first level questionnaire collects sociodemographic characteristics, personal and occupational COVID-19 exposure, worries and concerns about COVID-19, general psychological discomfort (GHQ-12), post-traumatic stress symptoms (IES-R) and anxiety (GAD-7). Workers who score above the cut-off in at least one scale are further investigated by the second level questionnaire composed by PHQ-9, DES-II and SCL-90. If second level shows psychological impairments, we offer individual specialist treatment (third level). We plan to follow-up all subjects to monitor symptoms and possible chronicization; we aim to investigate potential risk factors through univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regressions. Results Preliminary results refer to a sample of 550 workers who completed the multi-step evaluation from August to December 2020, before vaccination campaign started. The participation rate was 90%. At first level screening, 39% of the subjects expressed general psychological discomfort (GHQ-12), 22% post-traumatic stress symptoms (IES-R), and 21% symptoms of anxiety (GAD-7). Women, nurses, younger workers, subjects with COVID-19 working exposure and with an infected family member showed significantly higher psychological impairment compared to colleagues. After the second level screening, 12% and 7% of all workers showed, respectively, depressive and dissociative symptoms; scorings were significantly associated with gender and occupational role. We are currently extending sample size and evaluating subjects over a period of further 12 months. Conclusions The possibility to perform a systematic follow-up of psychological wellbeing of all hospital workers, directly or indirectly exposed to pandemic consequences, constitutes a unique condition to detect individual, occupational, and non-occupational risk factors for psychological impairment in situations of prolonged stress, as well as variables associated with symptoms chronicization.

scholarly journals Attentional bias and its temporal dynamics among war veterans suffering from chronic pain: investigating the contribution of post-traumatic stress symptoms

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazidi ◽  
Kelsey Vig ◽  
Mohammad-Reza Ebrahimi ◽  
Seyran Ranjbar ◽  
Ali Khatibi
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic

Background: Cognitive models propose that attentional dysregulation, including an attentional bias towards threat, is one potential mechanism underlying the association between chronic pain and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). We assessed the attentional bias for painful facial expressions and its relationship with PTSS, using both traditional and variability-based attentional bias measures, among veterans with chronic pain and PTSS and controls.Method: Fifty-four veterans with chronic pain and 30 age/education-matched controls participated in this investigation. Participants completed a self-report measure of PTSS and a dot-probe task with painful/happy/neutral facial expressions. Attention was assessed using both traditional and variability-based reaction time measures of attentional bias.Results: Veterans directed attention away from painful facial expressions (i.e., avoidance) relative to both the control group (between-subject effect) and relative to zero. Veterans showed significantly elevated attentional bias variability for happy and painful expressions compared to controls. Veteran’s attentional bias variability for happy expressions was correlated with PTSS and symptoms of depression.Conclusion: Veterans with chronic pain and PTSS avoided pain-related stimuli and displayed an overall attentional dysfunction for emotional facial expressions. Avoidance of pain cues may be a coping strategy that these individuals develop under stressful conditions. Implications, limitations, and directions for future are discussed.

scholarly journals Prevalence and predictors of post-traumatic stress symptoms in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors: a 1-year follow-up study

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 1798-1806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minyoung Kwak ◽  
Brad J. Zebrack ◽  
Kathleen A. Meeske ◽  
Leanne Embry ◽  
Christine Aguilar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Adolescent And Young Adult ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Young Adult Cancer Survivors ◽  
Follow Up Study ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Adult Cancer Survivors ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Young Adult Cancer

Unexpected effects of expressive writing on post-disaster distress in the Hurricane Harvey Study: a randomized controlled trial in perinatal women

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Vincent Paquin ◽  
Johanna Bick ◽  
Rebecca Lipschutz ◽  
Guillaume Elgbeili ◽  
David P. Laplante ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Expressive Writing ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Event Scale ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Secondary Outcomes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Perinatal Women

Abstract Background Expressive writing requires journaling stressor-related thoughts and feelings over four daily sessions of 15 min. Thirty years of research have popularized expressive writing as a brief intervention for fostering trauma-related resilience; however, its ability to surpass placebo remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of expressive writing for improving post-traumatic stress symptoms in perinatal women who were living in the Houston area during major flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey. Methods A total of 1090 women were randomly allocated (1:1:1) to expressive writing, neutral writing or no writing. Interventions were internet-based. Online questionnaires were completed before randomization and at 2 months post-intervention. The primary outcome was post-traumatic stress symptoms, measured with the Impact of Event Scale-Revised; secondary outcomes were affective symptoms, measured with the 40-item Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Scales. Feelings throughout the intervention were reported daily using tailored questionnaires. Results In intention-to-treat analyses, no post-treatment between-group differences were found on the primary and secondary outcomes. Per-protocol analyses yielded similar results. A number of putative moderators were tested, but none interacted with expressive writing. Expressive writing produced greater feelings of anxiety and sadness during the intervention compared to neutral writing; further, overall experiences from the intervention mediated associations between expressive writing and greater post-traumatic stress at 2 months post-intervention. Conclusions Among disaster-stricken perinatal women, expressive writing was ineffective in reducing levels of post-traumatic stress, and may have exacerbated these symptoms in some.

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