The Psychological Sequelae of Miscarriage: A Critical Review of the Literature

1996 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Frost ◽  
John T. Condon
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Personal Identity ◽  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Pregnancy Loss ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
The Self ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Psychological Sequelae ◽  
In Pregnancy

Miscarriage, although a common event in pregnancy, has been frequently overlooked in psychological research. This paper reviews the literature on the psychological sequelae of miscarriage, including the shortcomings of that literature. Best understood against the background of psychological changes in early pregnancy, the literature reveals aspects of grief specific to miscarriage. Important components of this grief comprise high levels of guilt, the loss of part of the self and a large impact upon personal identity. The psychological sequelae impact upon other family members, including partners and surviving children. Psychiatric consequences include depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. Given the potentially serious nature of these sequelae, it behoves the psychiatrist to enquire routinely about pregnancy loss in all female patients.

A Diathesis-Stress Model of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Ecological, Biological, and Residual Stress Pathways

2003 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria M. McKeever ◽  
Maureen E. Huff
Keyword(s):  
Residual Stress ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Stress Model ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Causal Pathways ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Diathesis Stress Model

The symptoms captured within the contemporary diagnostic definition of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been studied for more than 100 years. Yet, even with increasingly advanced discoveries regarding the etiology of PTSD, a comprehensive and up-to-date etiological model that incorporates both medical and psychological research has not been described and systematically studied. The diathesis-stress model proposed here consolidates existing medical and psychological research data on etiological factors associated with PTSD into 3 causal pathways: residual stress, ecological, and biological. In combination, these pathways illuminate how PTSD might develop and who might be at higher risk for developing the disorder. Research and treatment implications related to the diathesis-stress model are discussed.

scholarly journals Compartmentalization of self-representations in female survivors of sexual abuse and assault, with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 956-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina Clifford ◽  
Caitlin Hitchcock ◽  
Tim Dalgleish
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Sorting Task ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Card Sorting ◽  
Negative Attributes

AbstractBackgroundThis study examined the structure of the self-concept in a sample of sexual trauma survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to healthy controls using a self-descriptive card-sorting task. We explored whether individuals with PTSD possess a highly affectively-compartmentalized self-structure, whereby positive and negative self-attributes are sectioned off into separate components of self-concept (e.g. self as an employee, lover, mother). We also examined redundancy (i.e. overlap) of positive and negative self-attributes across the different components of self-concept.MethodParticipants generated a set of self-aspects that reflected their own life (e.g. ‘self at work’). They were then asked to describe their self-aspects using list of positive or negative attributes.ResultsResults revealed that, relative to the control group, the PTSD group used a greater proportion of negative attributes and had a more compartmentalized self-structure. However, there were no significant differences between the PTSD and control groups in positive or negative redundancy. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that the key findings were not accounted for by comorbid diagnosis of depression.ConclusionFindings indicated that the self-structure is organized differently in those with PTSD, relative to those with depression or good mental health.

Attachment Orientations Moderate the Self-Amplifying Cycle of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Negative Cognitions—A Seven-Year Longitudinal Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 522-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yafit Levin ◽  
Mario Mikulincer ◽  
Zahava Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
The Self ◽  
Negative Cognitions ◽  
Anxious Attachment ◽  
Yom Kippur War ◽  
Attachment Orientations ◽  
Ptsd Severity

Introduction: We examined whether attachment orientations moderated the self-amplifying cycle of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and negative cognitions, decades after the trauma ended. Method: We sampled Israeli veterans from the 1973 Yom Kippur War and assessed PTSD severity and cognitions about the self and the world, twice—35 (T1) and 42 (T2) years after the war. At T1, we assessed participants’ attachment orientations (anxiety, avoidance). Results: Findings provided support for a self-amplifying cycle of PTSD severity and negative cognitions about others’ benevolence during the seven-year study period. Findings also indicated that this self-amplifying cycle was significant only among veterans who scored relatively high on attachment anxiety but not among those who had less anxious attachment. Attachment avoidance also moderated the prospective contribution of negative cognitions about the self and others to PTSD severity seven years later. Discussion: The psychological mechanisms underlying the observed effects of attachment orientations were discussed.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick J. Stoddard Jr ◽  
David M. Benedek ◽  
Mohammed R. Milad ◽  
Robert J. Ursano
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Women Soldiers ◽  
Statistical Manual ◽  
Diagnostic And Statistical Manual ◽  
Medical Trauma ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Psychological Models

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects people of all ages and backgrounds and causes persistent suffering and impaired function, but its diagnosis offers the opportunity for early intervention. It is the subject of intensive developmental, epidemiological, genetic/genomic, translational, neurobiological, neuropsychological, and psychological research, and emerging computational methods with “big data,” statistical modeling, and machine learning are likely to accelerate this research. The findings from research on PTSD are changing education and the ways clinicians practice, offering the hope for improved care of those experiencing traumatic stress. Those at particular risk for PTSD include children and adolescents, women, soldiers, refugees and survivors of genocide, sexual orientation minorities, racial and ethnic minorities, patients with burns, injuries and medical trauma, and victims of rape, violence, accidents, and disasters. This chapter provides an overview of PTSD, covering Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fifth edition) diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, neurochemistry and neurobiology, biological and psychological models, assessment, and treatment.

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