Reported exposure to trauma among adult patients referred for psychological services at the Free State Psychiatric Complex, Bloemfontein

Background: Information regarding lifetime exposure to potentially traumatic events is critical in the management of various psychiatric disorders. Recent South African research suggests high levels of trauma exposure in the general population, however, the prevalence and type of potentially traumatic events among tertiary psychiatric patients are unknown.Objective: The study aimed to explore and describe the extent and nature of reported potentially traumatic events and associated variables in adult patients referred for psychological services at the Free State Psychiatric Complex (FSPC), Bloemfontein.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, demographic information, diagnostic morbidity and co-morbidity, and presence and type of reported trauma exposure reported by patients during the initial assessment were obtained from files of adult patients seen during a one-year period (2010) at the out-patient unit and the in-patient affective ward at the FSPC. Data were captured on data record forms by the researchers and analysed by means of descriptive statistics, univariate analysis and logistic regression (SAS version 9.1).Results: Of the 192 adults (71.9% White and 67.2% female) referred for psychological services,75.5% were diagnosed with mood disorders, 17.2% with anxiety disorders, 22.4% with substance-related disorders and 20.9% with cluster B personality disorders or traits. A total of 145 (75.5%) reported past trauma exposure. The most frequently reported types of trauma exposure were traumatic death/injury of a loved one (37.0%), physical assault (24.5%), witnessed/threatened violence (19.3%), and sexual assault (17.7%). Women were more likely to have been exposed to trauma than men (OR 4.02, 95% CI 1.87–8.62), in particular to traumatic death of a loved one (OR 3.13), physical assault (OR 4.08), or sexual assault (OR 5.43).Conclusions: The findings of this study contribute to current data regarding the prevalence of exposure to trauma and its possible association with mental illness. The importance of comprehensive trauma exposure screening in routine psychiatric interviewing practices is highlighted.

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Reported exposure to trauma among adult patients referred for psychological services at the Free State Psychiatric Complex, Bloemfontein

Health SA Gesondheid ◽

10.1016/j.hsag.2017.01.001 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 22 ◽

pp. 235-240

Author(s):

Laurisa van Zyl ◽

Carla Nel ◽

Martie du Toit ◽

Gina Joubert

Keyword(s):

Psychological Services ◽

Adult Patients ◽

Free State ◽

State Psychiatric ◽

Exposure To Trauma

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Organizations and Exposure to Trauma at a Collective Level

Impact of Organizational Trauma on Workplace Behavior and Performance - Advances in Human Resources Management and Organizational Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-2021-4.ch002 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 18-56

Author(s):

Idil Isik

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Psychological Consequences ◽

Organizational Settings ◽

Potentially Traumatic Events ◽

Adverse Experiences ◽

Business Cases ◽

Social Environmental ◽

Organizational Trauma ◽

Exposure To Trauma

Organizational trauma is a contemporary construct that highlights long-lasting negative psychological consequences of various internal and external events that overwhelm the capacity of people in organizational settings. This chapter proposes that a typology of “potentially traumatic events” (PTEs) and the taxonomy of these events' attributes can be developed by conducting a comprehensive literature review. The search of databases for the period of 1995-2016 revealed 81 articles on which inductive qualitative content analysis was conducted. Analysis brought three PTEs: “events resulting from organizational processes”; “adverse experiences in trauma-prone occupations/sectors”, and “catastrophic events caused by economic/social/environmental conditions”. These events' attributes appeared distinctive under three themes: “features of traumatic events”;“human behaviours”;“internal and external organizational environment”. As the final step, the proposed taxonomy was applied to real traumatic business cases happened in 2015 and early 2016 so that the taxonomic model was tested.

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Inconsistency in reporting potentially traumatic events

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.104.008102 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 188 (3) ◽

pp. 278-283 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

Urs Hepp ◽

Alex Gamma ◽

Gabriella Milos ◽

Dominique Eich ◽

Vladeta Ajdacic-Gross ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stress Disorder ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Diagnostic Interview ◽

Community Based ◽

Potentially Traumatic Events ◽

Self Reports ◽

Structured Diagnostic Interview ◽

High Level ◽

First Time ◽

Exposure To Trauma

BackgroundResearch on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relies mainly on self-reports of exposure to trauma and its consequences.AimsTo analyse the consistency of the reporting of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) over time.MethodA community-based cohort, representative of the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, was interviewed at the ages of 34–35 years (in 1993) and 40–41 years (in 1999). A semi-structured diagnostic interview, including a section on PTSD, was administered.ResultsOf the 342 participants who attended both interviews, 169 reported some PTE (1993, n=110; 1999, n=120). In 1999, 56 participants (33.1%) reported for the first time PTEs that actually occurred before 1993, but which had not been reported in the 1993 interview. In total, 68 participants (40.2%) who had reported a PTE in 1993 did not report it in 1999. The overall frequency of inconsistent reporting was 63.9%.ConclusionsThe high level of inconsistency in the reporting of PTEs has implications for therapy as well as for research.

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The Role of Trauma Type and Age in the Relation Between Trauma Exposure and Intelligence

Child Maltreatment ◽

10.1177/1077559519860596 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 192-202 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Austen McGuire ◽

Yo Jackson

Keyword(s):

Sexual Abuse ◽

Foster Care ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Trauma Exposure ◽

Potentially Traumatic Events ◽

Iq Scores ◽

Trauma Type ◽

Youth In Foster Care

Experiencing potentially traumatic events (PTEs) is associated with deficits in cognitive functioning for youth. Previous research has demonstrated that PTE type may influence the association between PTE experiences and intelligence, such that IQ scores may differ by the type of PTE experienced. Additionally, mixed findings in the literature suggest that these associations might differ by age. The current study examined the association between PTE type and IQ and how age may moderate this association. In a sample of youth in foster care ( N = 328, Mage = 13.25), physical, psychological, and sexual abuse and family PTEs were directly associated with verbal and nonverbal IQ. Age significantly moderated the association between IQ and neglect and academic PTEs. Results suggest that broad PTE grouping methods or failing to account for both maltreatment and general PTEs in samples of youth in foster care may conceal differences in how PTEs relate to intellectual functioning.

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Eating for numbing: a community-based study of trauma exposure, emotion dysregulation, dissociation, body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.11899 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e11899

Author(s):

Lilac Lev-ari ◽

Ada H. Zohar ◽

Rachel Bachner-Melman

Keyword(s):

Eating Disorder ◽

Body Dissatisfaction ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Community Sample ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Trauma Exposure ◽

Emotional Dysregulation ◽

Physical Assault ◽

Eating Disorders Examination ◽

The Relationship

Objective The current study tests the relationship between eating disorder (ED) symptoms and trauma exposure. The mechanisms via which trauma is related to ED symptoms have not been sufficiently examined. This study examines the complex role of dissociation and emotional dysregulation in the context of trauma, BMI, ED symptoms and body dissatisfaction (BD). We hypothesized that dissociation and emotional dysregulation would mediate the relationship between trauma exposure and ED symptoms/BD. We further hypothesized that BMI would play a moderating role in this association. Method A community sample of 229 (16.2% male) participants, with a mean age of 29.08 ± 10.68 reported online on traumatic events (Life Events Checklist), dissociation (Dissociative Experiences Scale-II), emotional dysregulation (Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale), ED symptoms (Eating Disorders Examination-Questionnaire) and BD (Figure Rating Scale). Results Participants reported experiencing a mean of 2.87 ± 2.27 traumatic events, with a relatively high percentage (~86%) reporting at least one. The most commonly reported traumatic events were transportation accidents and physical assault. Although frequency of traumatic events did not directly predict ED symptoms, BMI, dissociation, emotional dysregulation and BD did. An SEM model showed that traumatic events predicted ED symptoms indirectly through dissociation, emotional dysregulation and BMI. Dissociation and emotional dysregulation predicted ED symptoms directly. BMI also moderated the association between traumatic events and both ED symptoms and BD. Conclusions Therapists treating patients with high BMI or obesity should be aware of these relationships and investigate the possibility that trauma and/or PTSD may underlie the presenting disordered eating or eating disorder.

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Measuring Trauma Exposure: Count Versus Variety of Potentially Traumatic Events in a Binational Sample

Journal of Traumatic Stress ◽

10.1002/jts.22563 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (6) ◽

pp. 973-983

Author(s):

Andrew Rasmussen ◽

Sara Romero ◽

Michelle Leon ◽

Jay Verkuilen ◽

Priscilla Morales ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Events ◽

Trauma Exposure ◽

Potentially Traumatic Events

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Supporting Young Children Exposed to Potentially Traumatic Events: Implications for Early Care and Education Policy

Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1177/23727322211033880 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 119-126

Author(s):

Caroline P. Martin ◽

Jaclyn Russo ◽

Hayley Goldenthal ◽

Carmen Holley ◽

Karen R. Gouze ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Young Children ◽

Childhood Trauma ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Trauma Exposure ◽

Well Being ◽

Early Care And Education ◽

Early Care ◽

Potentially Traumatic Events ◽

Early Childhood Trauma

Every year in the United States, millions of young children under the age of 5 are exposed to potentially traumatic events that threaten their safety, security, and well-being. Decades of scientific research clearly demonstrate the pervasive negative consequences of trauma exposure on young children’s neurocognitive, psychosocial, and physical development, with adverse effects extending into adulthood. In addition, early childhood trauma is now widely recognized as a significant public health concern warranting comprehensive intervention. Federal, state, and private early care and education (ECE) programs serve a large number of the 0 to 5 population and can mitigate the harmful consequences of trauma exposure for children’s health and well-being. The literature on early childhood trauma should guide the creation of policies that strengthen ECE, enabling the delivery of high-quality, equitable, trauma-informed care to young children prior to formal school entry.

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