ptsd symptomatology
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2022 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanne M. Stellman ◽  
Steven D. Stellman ◽  
Avron Spiro ◽  
Anica Pless Kaiser ◽  
Brian N. Smith

Many Vietnam War veterans who experienced military trauma still exhibit PTSD symptomatology. Little is known about how new stressful situations, like the COVID-19 pandemic, affect previously traumatized people or whether they will react differently to them. We explore whether military combat experiences in Vietnam affect veterans' perceived abilities to cope with COVID-19 and whether current PTSD symptoms and later-adulthood reengagement with trauma memories are related to coping. We examine the extent that current PTSD symptoms and trauma reengagement relate to preventive practices. Participants were part of a randomly sampled cohort of American Legionnaires who responded to two previous surveys (1984, 1998), were born 1945-1953 and deployed to Vietnam 1963-1973, thus representing an aging veteran population. A survey supplement assessed coping with the pandemic and adherence to public health guidelines. The response rate was 74% (N = 507); 422 (61.6%) completed the COVID-19 supplement. Military experiences were found to affect coping with 41.4% reporting they affected ability to cope with COVID-19. Medium- and high-combat veterans were more likely to report that military experience affected coping than low-combat (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.51–3.96; 2.6, 95% CI 1.41–4.61, respectively). Those with high PTSD scores had 7.7-fold (95% CI 4.3–13.17) increased likelihood of reporting that their coping was affected, compared to low-PTSD scorers. Few adopted social distancing (4%), staying at home (17%), or ceasing usual activities (32%); high-combat veterans were least likely to stay home. Veterans who practiced handwashing, sanitizer use, mask-wearing, and surface disinfection had significantly higher PTSD scores than those who did not. Veterans with higher scores on the LOSS-SF scale associated more reengagement with trauma memories and were more likely to engage in personal preventive strategies. Analysis of open-ended responses supported these findings. We conclude that fifty years after returning from Vietnam, PTSD scores were high for high-combat veterans, suggestive of PTSD diagnosis. Military experiences affected coping with COVID both positively and negatively, and may have helped instill useful personal health behaviors. Veterans, especially those with PTSD symptomatology, may have special needs during stressful times, like the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting compliance with recommended practices, as well as their overall health and well-being.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Von Lewinski ◽  
D Enko ◽  
H P Rotenhaeusler ◽  
O Amouzadeh-Ghadikolai ◽  
H Harpf ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Acute myocardial infarction is not only a somatic disease but potentially triggers psychological effects, too. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common stress-related disorder. It is characterized by numerous symptoms, such as flashbacks, intrusions, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable, intense and disturbing thoughts and feelings related to the traumatic experience. However, with regard to the development of PTSD, individual stress perception might be crucial since not every serious traumatic experience leads to PTSD. To date, almost no biological correlates of an individual's perception of stress have been identified as being associated with the long-term development of PTSD. Objective The aim of the study was to determine whether blood levels of TMAO vary immediately after AMI (1) in patients with or without depression, and (2) in patients with AMI induced PTSD symptomatology (subsyndromal PTSD and full PTSD). Furthermore, we investigated whether TMAO is a potential biomarker that might be useful in the prediction of PTSD symptomatology in the long term. Method A total of 114 AMI patients were assessed with standardized clinical psychiatric interviews based on the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17) after admission to the hospital and 6 months later. In addition, the CAPS-5 was used to explore PTSD symptoms (subsyndromal PTSD and full PTSD) 6 months after AMI. To assess patients' TMAO status, serum samples were collected at hospitalization and 6 months after AMI. Results Study participants with post-myocardial infarction PTSD symptomatology (subsyndromal PTSD and full PTSD) had significantly higher TMAO levels immediately after AMI than patients without PTSD symptoms (ANCOVA: TMAO (PTSD x time), F = 4.544, df = 1, p=0.035). In contrast, depressive symptomatology 6 months after AMI had no influence on TMAO levels (TMAO (depression x time), F = 0.083, df = 1, p=0.774). With the inclusion of additional clinical predictors in a hierarchical logistic regression model, TMAO becomes a significant predictor of PTSD symptomatology. Conclusions An elevated TMAO level immediately after AMI might reflect severe stress in PTSD-vulnerable patients, which might also lead to a short-term increased gut permeability to trimethylamine (TMA), the precursor of TMAO. Thus, elevated TMAO might be a biological correlate for stress that is associated with vulnerability to PTSD and might help to identify patients at increased risk. FUNDunding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susann Steudte-Schmiedgen ◽  
Lisa Stieler ◽  
Yesim Erim ◽  
Eva Morawa ◽  
Franziska Geiser ◽  
...  

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to ongoing challenges for healthcare systems across the world. Previous research has provided evidence for an increased prevalence of depression and anxiety as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In Germany, however, only scarce data on correlates and predictors for PTSD symptomatology in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers (HCW) are available.Methods: This research is part of a large prospective web-based survey (egePan-VOICE study) among HCW in Germany. The current sample (N = 4,724) consisted of physicians (n = 1,575), nurses (n = 1,277), medical technical assistants (MTA, n = 1,662), and psychologists (n = 210). PTSD symptomatology was measured using the abbreviated version of the Impact of Event Scale (IES-6). In addition, sociodemographic, occupational, COVID-19-related, psychological (e.g., depressive symptoms and generalized anxiety), as well as work-related variables were assessed.Results: Our findings revealed significant higher PTSD symptoms with medium effect sizes among HCW reporting an increased self-report burden during the pandemic, increased fear of becoming infected or infecting relatives with the virus, sleep problems, feeling physically or mentally exhausted, as well as increased levels of depressiveness and generalized anxiety. According to multiple linear regression analysis, the most relevant predictors for higher IES-6 scores were increased level of generalized anxiety and depressiveness, increased fear of infecting relatives, as well as medical profession (MTA compared to physicians).Conclusion: Despite the cross-sectional design of our study, the here identified associations with PTSD symptomatology may provide a basis for future preventive interventions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Xu ◽  
Xinqi Zhou ◽  
Guojuan Jiao ◽  
Yixu Zeng ◽  
Weihua Zhao ◽  
...  

Exaggerated arousal and dysregulated emotion-memory interactions are key pathological dysregulations that accompany the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Current treatments for PTSD are of moderate efficacy and preventing the dysregulations already during exposure to threatening events may attenuate the development of PTSD-symptomatology. The present proof-of-concept study examined the potential of a single dose of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) antagonist losartan (LT) to attenuate the mnemonic advantage of threatening stimuli and the underlying neural mechanism. In a preregistered double-blind, between-subject, placebo-controlled pharmaco-fMRI study we combined an emotional subsequent memory paradigm with LT (n=29) or placebo treatment (n=30) and a surprise memory test after 24h washout. LT generally improved memory performance and abolished emotional memory enhancement for negative yet not positive material while emotional experience during encoding remained intact. LT further suppressed the hippocampus activity during encoding of subsequently remembered negative stimuli and abolished the positive association between higher activity in this region and subsequent better memory for negative material observed under placebo. On the network level LT reduced coupling between the hippocampus and the basolateral amygdala during successful encoding of negative stimuli. Overall, our findings suggest that LT has the potential to selectively attenuate memory formation for negative yet not positive information by decreasing hippocampus activity and its functional coupling strength with the left amygdala. These findings suggest a promising potential of LT to prevent preferential encoding and remembering of negative events, a mechanism that could prevent the emotion-memory dysregulations underlying the development of PTSD-symptomatology.


Author(s):  
Jeanette Bonde Pollmann ◽  
Anni B. S. Nielsen ◽  
Søren Bo Andersen ◽  
Karen-Inge Karstoft

Abstract Purpose Previous research has identified social support to be associated with risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among military personnel. While the lack of social support influences PTSD symptomatology, it is unknown how changes in perceived social support affect the PTSD symptom level in the aftermath of deployment. Furthermore, the influence of specific sources of social support from pre- to post-deployment on level of PTSD symptoms is unknown. We aim to examine how changes in perceived social support (overall and from specific sources) from pre- to 2.5 year post-deployment are associated with the level of post-deployment PTSD symptoms. Methods Danish army military personnel deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and 2013 completed questionnaires at pre-deployment and at 2.5 year post-deployment measuring perceived social support and PTSD symptomatology and sample characteristics of the two cohorts. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate nominal logistic regression. Results Negative changes in perceived social support from pre- to post-deployment were associated with both moderate (OR 1.99, CI 1.51–2.57) and high levels (OR 2.71, CI 1.94–3.78) of PTSD symptoms 2.5 year post-deployment (adjusted analysis). Broadly, the same direction was found for specific sources of social support and level of PTSD symptoms. In the adjusted analyses, pre-deployment perceived social support and military rank moderated the associations. Conclusions Deterioration in perceived social support (overall and specific sources) from pre- to 2.5 year post-deployment increases the risk of an elevated level of PTSD symptoms 2.5 year post-deployment.


Author(s):  
Michelle L. Miller ◽  
Natalie R. Stevens ◽  
Gina S. Lowell ◽  
Stevan E. Hobfoll
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