scholarly journals POSTTRAUMATIC DISSOCIATION AS A MEDIATOR OF THE EFFECTS OF TRAUMA ON DISTRESSFUL INTROSPECTIVENESS

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 671-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eli Somer

This paper focuses on the stable personality trait of introspectiveness, exploring the relationship between introspectiveness and childhood trauma, dissociation and emotional distress. Ninety Israeli women were recruited from emergency counseling services and from academic and office employment settings. Pearson correlations between traumatic experiences and various dimensions of introspectiveness revealed significant links. Negative emotional and sexual experiences were the trauma variables that contributed most to this relationship, whereas a tendency to be aware of feelings toward family and about mortality were the dimensions of introspection that added most to this association. Prior trauma history, dissociation, introspectiveness, and emotional distress were significantly interrelated. The data from a path analysis performed suggest that introspectiveness may be better explained by the independent effect of dissociation rather than directly by trauma or by emotional distress. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 205510291984450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Luisa Martino ◽  
Anna Gargiulo ◽  
Daniela Lemmo ◽  
Pasquale Dolce ◽  
Daniela Barberio ◽  
...  

Breast cancer is a potential traumatic event associated with psychological symptoms, but few studies have analysed its impact in under-50 women. Emotional processing is a successful function in integrating traumatic experiences. This work analysed the relationship between emotional processing and psychological symptoms during three phases of treatment (before hospitalization, counselling after surgery and adjuvant therapy) in 50 women under the age of 50 with breast cancer. Mixed-effects models tested statistical differences among phases. There were significant differences in symptoms during the treatments: the levels of anxiety decrease from T1 to T3 (0.046), while those of hostility increase (<0.001). Emotional processing is a strong predictor of all symptoms. Clinical implications are discussed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Benfer ◽  
Joseph R. Bardeen ◽  
Thomas A. Fergus

Emotional distress intolerance (EDI) has been identified as a risk factor for mood and anxiety disorders. One factor that may influence the association between EDI and psychopathology is attention to emotions (AE). Recent evidence suggests that AE may encompass two dissociable components: voluntary and involuntary AE. This study aimed to examine the moderating role of both voluntary and involuntary AE in the association between EDI and psychological symptoms (i.e., anxiety, depression) in a sample of 955 community adults. We hypothesized that voluntary AE would buffer, and involuntary AE would enhance, the association between EDI and psychological symptoms. In partial support of our hypotheses, involuntary, but not voluntary, AE moderated the relationship between EDI and both symptom outcomes such that the positive associations between EDI and psychological symptoms were significantly stronger at higher, versus lower, levels of involuntary AE. Thus, individuals with relatively higher EDI and involuntary AE may be at particularly high risk for experiencing anxiety and depression. Clinical implications are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (03) ◽  
pp. 497-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynsay Ayer ◽  
Charles Engel ◽  
Andrew Parker ◽  
Rachana Seelam ◽  
Rajeev Ramchand

ABSTRACTObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to examine the associations between oil spill exposure, trauma history, and behavioral health 6 years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DHOS). We hypothesized that prior trauma would exacerbate the relationship between oil spill exposure and behavioral health problems.MethodsThe sample included 2,520 randomly selected adults in coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico. Participants reported their level of oil spill exposure, trauma history, depression, anxiety/worry, illness anxiety, and alcohol use.ResultsIndividuals with more traumatic experiences had a significantly higher risk for all measured behavioral health problems after controlling for demographic factors and DHOS exposure. Those with higher levels of DHOS exposure were not at greater risk for behavioral health problems after controlling for prior trauma, with the exception of illness anxiety. There was no evidence that trauma history moderated the association between DHOS exposure and behavioral health.ConclusionsFindings suggest that trauma exposure may be a better indicator of long-term behavioral health risk than DHOS exposure among disaster-prone Gulf Coast residents. DHOS exposure may be a risk factor for illness anxiety but not more general behavioral health concerns. Trauma history did not appear to exacerbate risk for behavioral health problems among Gulf residents exposed to the DHOS. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:497-503)


2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan M. Cook ◽  
Patricia A. Areán ◽  
Paula P. Schnurr ◽  
Javaid I. Sheikh

Objective: The current study explored the relationship between past traumatic experiences and current depression in a sample of depressed older adult primary care patients. Method: Sixty-six patients were referred from primary care to a psychogeriatric clinic that specialized in the treatment of unipolar depressive disorders. All patients received an extensive psychological assessment. Results: Twenty-one percent had a history of trauma reported in their medical charts. Despite no differences found on a clinician-rated measure of depression, those with a trauma history had more depressive symptoms on a self-report measure. Conclusions: Although older patients with a history of trauma may not appear more depressed than a non-trauma comparison group, they may be in more psychological distress. The clinical implications of these findings and recommendations for mental health professionals are discussed.


Author(s):  
Omer Van den Bergh ◽  
Nadia Zacharioudakis ◽  
Sibylle Petersen

Medical practice and the disease model importantly rely on the accuracy assumption of symptom perception: patients’ symptom reports are a direct and accurate reflection of physiological dysfunction. This implies that symptoms can be used as a read-out of dysfunction and that remedying the dysfunction removes the symptoms. While this assumption is viable in many instances of disease, the relationship between symptoms and physiological dysfunction is highly variable and, in a substantial number of cases, completely absent. This chapter considers symptom perception as a form of unconscious inferential somatic decision-making that compellingly produces consciously experienced symptoms. At a mechanistic level, this perspective removes the categorical distinction between symptoms that are closely associated with physiological dysfunction and those that are not. In addition, it brings symptom perception in accordance with general theories of perception. Some clinical implications to understand and treat symptoms poorly related to physiological dysfunction are discussed.


Author(s):  
Thomas V Merluzzi ◽  
Errol J Philip ◽  
Brenna Gomer ◽  
Carolyn A Heitzmann Ruhf ◽  
Dahyeon Kim

Abstract Background Comorbid disease in cancer patients can substantially impact medical care, emotional distress, and mortality. However, there is a paucity of research on how coping may affect the relationship between comorbidity and emotional distress. Purpose The current study investigated whether the relations between comorbidity and emotional distress and between functional impairment and emotional distress were mediated by three types of coping: action planning (AP), support/advice seeking (SAS), and disengagement (DD). Methods Four hundred and eighty-three persons with cancer completed a measure of functional impairment (Sickness Impact Profile), the Checklist of Comorbid Conditions, the Brief COPE, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Quality of Life Assessment for Cancer Survivors (Negative Feelings Scale), and the Distress Screening Schedule (Emotional Distress Scale). The latter three measures were used to form a latent construct representing the outcome, emotional distress. Results Model comparison analysis indicated that the model with DD as a mediator had a better fit than models containing AP and SAS. DD mediated the relationship between functional impairment and emotional distress, so that engaging in DD was associated with greater distress. In addition, comorbidity and functional impairment were directly and positively related to emotional distress, but the relation between comorbidity and distress was not mediated by coping type. Conclusions Both comorbidity and functional impairment may be associated with distress, but disengagement coping only mediated the relation involving functional impairment and was positively associated with distress. Future studies can investigate whether teaching active coping or adaptive coping (e.g., through mindfulness exercises) can decrease distress in cancer patients, despite functional impairments.


2006 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 339-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Getz ◽  
Yeshayahu Hutzler ◽  
Adri Vermeer

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between motor performance in the aquatic setting as measured by the Aquatic Independence Measure (AIM) to motor performance on land as measured by the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). Fourty- nine children with neuro-motor impairments ages 3 to 7 participated in the study. Pearson correlations were applied to determine the relationships between the AIM and the GMFM, PEDI, and Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). Significant correlations were found between the total AIM and GMFM scores (r = 69, p < .01) and PEDI self-care sub-scale (r = .79, p < .01) as well as the PEDI mobility sub-scale scores (r = .35, p < .05). The water adjustment sub-scale as measured by the AIM showed the strongest relationship to motor performance on land as measured by the GMFM and PEDI in our sample of 49 children.


Author(s):  
Ryan A. Mace ◽  
James Doorley ◽  
Jafar Bakhshaie ◽  
Joshua E. Cohen ◽  
Ana-Maria Vranceanu

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