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Family Environment And Attachment In Relation To Complex Trauma And C-Ptsd, Susan Elizabeth Ocean

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Childhood traumatic experiences occurring during critical developmental stages are strongly linked to poor mental health outcomes during adulthood, including PTSD. Yet, individuals who have experienced multiple traumas (and across developmental stages) report a profile of symptoms that is not well-represented by traditional PTSD diagnostic criteria. Recent research suggests that resulting post-traumatic stress after the experience of complex trauma should be considered a separate, yet related, disorder from the well-established PTSD. Since traumatic experiences are commonplace and often detrimental, establishing which factors contribute to risk and resilience is of great importance. Having secure attachment to a primary caregiver and family cohesion …

Personality And Mental Health Support Effects On Occupational Trauma And Posttraumatic Growth In Police Officers, Jennifer Leigh Wills

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate relationships between occupational trauma exposure, work environment stress, personality traits, posttraumatic stress, and posttraumatic growth in police officers.

Scope of the study: A cross sectional mixed method research study design with longitudinal component was utilized. The sample consisted of 109 police officers in approximately 13 police agencies from multiple communities ranging from small rural departments to major city and statewide agencies.

Instruments used: The California Psychological Inventory 434 (CPI-434); the Police Stress Questionnaire-Operational; the Police Stress Questionnaire-Organizational; the Critical Incident History Questionnaire; the Posttraumatic Checklist for the DSM-5; the Centrality of …

Exploring Research-Based Yoga Interventions Targeting Underserved Women And Sexual Trauma: A Descriptive Study, Shannon Steele

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

BACKGROUND

Racial/ethnic, minority women of low socioeconomic status are disproportionately affected by sexual assault and are more likely to develop PTSD. Women’s social, economic and environmental circumstance may contribute to this disadvantage. Yoga has shown to reduce symptoms of PTSD in underserved women. However, it is unknown whether yoga interventions for underserved women who have experienced sexual trauma in the research literature are theory-based and whether constructs are consistent across interventions. Furthermore, it is unknown whether existing trauma-based yoga training programs incorporate similar constructs found in yoga interventions for underserved women who have experienced sexual trauma.

METHODS

A descriptive research …

Chronic Trauma Effects On Personality Trait Trajectory In Police Officers, Jennifer Leigh Wills

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The impact of chronic trauma exposure on personality trajectories over time was examined in a sample of urban police officers. Scores from a personality measure taken in pre-hire psychological evaluations were compared with follow up scores administered for this study five to ten years later. An urban police agency of approximately 1000 commissioned police officers agreed to allow its officers to be recruited as participants. The consulting psychologist who performed the agency’s pre-hire psychological evaluations during the applicable period supplied historical data with participant consent and agency approval. Personality change between the two times was analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis, …

Measuring Trauma: A Pilot Application For Children And Adolescents, Molly Kathleen Mcdonald

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The current definition of a ‘traumatic event’ in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition—Text Revision (DSM—IV TR; APA, 2000) may be too narrow to describe the myriad of difficult experiences that many youth undergo. Furthermore, youth may develop a distinct pattern of symptoms in relation to complex trauma, that is, when multiple stressful experiences occur or when an experience occurs chronically. It is argued that these children are likely to develop the proposed “developmental trauma disorder” (DTD; van der Kolk, 2005). The present study examined a new measure of childhood trauma exposure through a two-fold process. …

Shame, Guilt, Anger, And Seeking Psychological Treatment Among A Trauma Exposed Population, Katrina L. Bratton

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between guilt-proneness, shameproneness, trait anger, PTSD symptoms, and willingness to seek treatment. A sample of 202 introductory psychology students completed questionnaire measures of each of these variables. Based on a self-report measure of PTSD symptoms, the sample was divided into 3 groups: trauma-PTSD group (n = 29); trauma-no PTSD group (n = 72); and a no trauma group (n = 101). Group comparisons revealed a trend that the PTSD group and the no trauma group reported higher levels of shame than the trauma-no PTSD group. The PTSD group also reported …

Examining The Role Of Grief In The Etiology Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd) Symptoms In American Indian Adolescents, Aaron Morsette

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is reported to be comparatively high in child and adolescent populations (Reinherz, Gaiconia, Leftkowitz, Pakiz, & Frost,1993). However, recent research has suggested that there may be differing etiological factors, specifically, Child Traumatic Grief (CTG), that contributes to the development of PTSD symptoms in American Indian adolescents (Morsette, at al., 2007). First this study demonstrated that CTG symptoms predicted PTSD symptoms above and beyond that which was predicted by violence exposure. Second, it was found that CTG predicted depression above and that which was predicted by PTSD symptoms. Third, it found that grief was …

Mindfulness As A Predictor Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptomatology In An Experiential Avoidance Model, Brian Lantz Thompson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of measures of mindfulness to predict the variance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) avoidance symptom severity above and beyond measures of experiential avoidance. A sample of 378 introductory psychology students completed questionnaire packets in individuals rooms to insure confidentiality of sensitive material. Based on a pencil-and-paper self-report measure of PTSD symptoms, the sample was divided into 3 groups: PTSD group (n = 44); trauma-no PTSD (n = 147); and a control (no trauma) group (n = 123). A fourth traumatized group was subsequently created consisting of individuals who endorsed a …