Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In The Associations Between Minority Stressors And Self-Reported Suicide Likelihood In Lgbtq+ Adults., Ines Cano-Gonzalez, Ruby Charak, Roman Ronzon-Tirado, Jorge I. Cantu

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer individuals (LGBTQ+) report higher rates of suicide-related behaviors when compared to heterosexual cisgender individuals. The minority stress theory proposes that the suicide risk disparities among LGBTQ+ individuals may be explained by the additional exposure to stressors unique to their minority sexual orientation and gender identity. However, less is known about the mechanism of minority stressors and suicide risk among trauma-exposed LGBTQ+ individuals. The present study aimed to explore the role of the International Classification of Diseases, version-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (disturbances in self-organization [DSO] + PTSD) in the associations between …

An Investigation Into Posttraumatic Growth And Resilience After Trauma In African American Women, Britney A. Mitchell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among posttraumatic growth, resilience, and trauma in African American women. Posttraumatic Growth Theory was used as the theoretical foundation for the study. A correlational survey design was used to investigate the relationships among the variables of posttraumatic growth, resilience, and trauma among African American women. Four instruments were used in this study, including a demographic survey developed by the researcher, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC-10), and the Life Event Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5). This study will investigate how spirituality is used as a coping skill …

Impact Of Childhood Maltreatment And Endocannabinoid Function On Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms In Traumatically-Injured Adults, Elizabeth Parisi

Theses and Dissertations

The ECSS plays a crucial role in regulation of the stress response, is modulated by exposure to acute and chronic stressors, and shows potential as a biomarker for PTSD. Changes in ECSS function are apparent in adults with a history of childhood maltreatment. Further, childhood maltreatment is a well-established pre-trauma risk factor for development of PTSD following a traumatic event in adulthood. No study to date has examined the contribution of ECSS function to the relationship between childhood maltreatment and PTSD following a subsequent trauma in adulthood. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between exposure to threat and …

The Psychological Impact Of Disaster Relief Work On Disaster Relief Volunteers In North America, Zachary Daniel Richard Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigated the psychological effects that disaster relief work has on disaster relief volunteers in North America. It provided the necessary framework for research that was conducted to examine if disaster relief volunteers are more vulnerable to developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after they volunteer in disaster relief or if they become more resilient and develop posttraumatic growth (PTG) instead. This quantitative study also provided research questions and hypotheses and is a road map for future research. Disaster relief volunteers provide many irreplaceable services to the field of disaster relief. Understanding how disaster relief volunteers are impacted by the …

Examining Genetically-Informed Etiologic Models Of Co-Occurring Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Recreational Cannabis Use Among College Students, Terrell A. Hicks

Theses and Dissertations

The college years encompass a period of increased risk recreational cannabis use (RCU), as well as a time of increased risk for trauma exposure and developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Given the high co-occurrence between RCU and PTSD, and the potentially negative consequences of the two (e.g., worse academic outcomes), there is a need to understand the etiologic mechanisms of these commonly co-occurring conditions. Two primary phenotypic models exist: self-medication model (i.e., PTSD to RCU) and the high-risk model (i.e., RCU to PTSD). To date, there are two existing studies longitudinally examining the etiologic models proposed to explain co-occurring RCU …

Implicit Trauma Identity Associations In Treatment-Seeking U.S. Military Personnel Do Not Predict Or Change In Response To Cognitive Processing Therapy For Ptsd, Kristen P. Lindgren, Anna E. Jaffe, Debra Kaysen, Bethany A. Teachman, Stacey Young-Mccaughan, Alan L. Peterson, Patricia A. Resick, Jennifer Schuster Wachen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: This study evaluated implicit associations (i.e., associations in memory that are automatically activated and difficult to control consciously) related to trauma and one’s self in the context of a clinical trial for active duty service members seeking treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous studies with nontreatment-seeking community samples found that implicit trauma identity associations were associated with PTSD symptoms even after controlling for amount of trauma exposure and self-reported negative cognitions about the self. This study extended prior work by evaluating whether trauma-related implicit associations were associated with PTSD and depressive symptoms in a clinical sample seeking …

Development Of Stresscheck: A Telehealth Motivational Enhancement Therapy To Improve Voluntary Engagement For Ptsd Treatment Among Active-Duty Service Members, Debra Kaysen, Thomas O. Walton, Issac C. Rhew, Anna E. Jaffe, Adam R. Pierce, Denise D. Walker

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background: Rates of PTSD in active-duty military are high relative to the general population. Although efficacious treatments exist, they are underutilized. Many service members with PTSD do not present for treatment and, of those who do, many do not receive sufficient doses of the interventions to receive full benefits. Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) “check-ups”, are brief interventions designed to elicit treatment engagement for those who are not treatment-seeking.

Methods: StressCheck is an MET for nontreatment seeking Army and Air Force personnel. StressCheck aims to improve PTSD and increase treatment engagement, especially around evidence-based interventions, as well as to …

Heart Rate Variability Following Treatment For Ptsd: Testing The Polyvagal Theory, Brittany F. Goodman

Dissertations

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been linked to lower heart rate variability (HRV), including measures of vagal tone. Treatments targeting the autonomic nervous system (ANS) have demonstrated efficacy in improving vagal tone, but it is less clear whether similar effects can also be achieved with cognitive therapies. The polyvagal theory has suggested that symptoms of social dysfunction are linked to vagal tone through a phylogenetically organized response to stress. HRV was collected during rest, reactivity (exposure to personalized trauma scripts), and recovery using a scripted imagery paradigm in female PTSD positive physical and sexual assault survivors (N = 41) …

Investigating Implicit Cognitive Bias Toward Guilt And Shame Among Individuals With Histories Of Childhood Emotional Abuse, Sarah B. Hill

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Exposure to negative events in childhood has been well-established as a risk factor for negative health outcomes in adulthood. Childhood emotional abuse, while frequently co-occurring with other types of abuse, is often neglected in the trauma literature, but has been found to be an important independent predictor of adult psychopathology. Shame and guilt are negative emotions often experienced by those suffering with depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may have implications for the development and maintenance of these psychological disorders. Further, generalized guilt and shame were found to be significantly higher in individuals with PTSD and depression and associated …

The Use Of An Evidenced Based Mobile App For Ptsd Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Stair Coach, Jason Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many individuals experience traumatic events within their lifetime and between 7 and 9% will be diagnosed with PTSD (Kilpatrick et al., 2013; National Center for PTSD, 2018); however, many will not receive treatment due to a variety of barriers, including stigma, limited mental health literacy, high cost, lack of transportation, and other factors (Blais et al., 2014; Chikovani et al., 2015; Hom et al., 2017; Gavrilovic Kantor et al., 2017; Kulesza et al., 2015). Mobile apps may offer a way to overcome some these barriers (Kantor et al., 2017). Prior research demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of mobile apps for …

Relation Of Emotion Regulation Difficulties, Self-Compassion, And Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Emily Anne Kalantar

Dissertations and Theses

Exposure to potentially traumatic events is associated with high emotion regulation difficulties, development of posttraumatic stress disorder, and elevated healthcare expenditures. Emotion regulation difficulties are related to worse clinical and sub-clinical posttraumatic stress symptomology relative to use of effective emotion regulation strategies. Yet, significant variance in posttraumatic stress symptom severity remains unexplained after accounting for emotion regulation difficulties, suggesting identification of additional explanatory variables is warranted. Considerable research suggests high (vs. low) self-compassion, which entails extending kindness to oneself, is related to more effective emotion regulation and low posttraumatic stress symptom severity. As such, self-compassion may be one variable that …

A Preliminary Evaluation Of The Unified Protocol Among Trauma-Exposed Adults With And Without Ptsd, Caitlyn O. Hood, Matthew W. Southward, Christian Bugher, Shannon Sauer-Zavala

Psychology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Unified Protocol (UP)—a mechanistically transdiagnostic psychological treatment—provides benefit to individuals with a range of trauma histories, psychological difficulties, and diagnostic comorbidity. Using data from a sequential multiple-assignment randomized trial (SMART), this exploratory analysis included a sample of 69 community-recruited adults seeking outpatient mental health treatment. We examined reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms and changes in aversive and avoidant reactions to intense emotions—the UP’s putative mechanism—first by comparing individuals with and without trauma histories and then specifically among participants with PTSD. Findings suggest that the UP may lead to similar …

“Rage Defends Against Overwhelming Loss”: A Literature Review On Women, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, And Anger, Sarah Maeder

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

A literature review examining the difference in anger as a symptom of PTSD based on gender. The focus was on how gender roles and stereotypes impact women’s, as well as providers’, interpretation, expression, acknowledgement, and suppression of anger. By researching civilian survivors of non-combat trauma, the review examined PTSD and symptom discrepancies along a gender divide. Emphasis was placed on the creation of gender as a social construct. Significant nuance was discovered when defining anger, its means of expression, and measurement tools, particularly when interacting with gender. The history of art therapy as a treatment modality for PTSD and anger …

Self-Reported Ptsd Symptoms And Social Support In U.S. Military Service Members And Veterans: A Meta-Analysis, Rebecca K. Blais, Vanessa Tirone, Daria Orlowska, Ashton Lofgreen, Brian Klassen, Philip Held, Natalie Stevens, Alyson K. Zalta

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Background: The mental health burden of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is high in U.S. military samples. Social support is one of the most robust protective factors against PTSD and a recent meta-analysis indicates that this relationship is even stronger in military samples compared to civilian samples. Yet no meta-analyses have explored factors impacting this association in veterans and military service members (VSMs).

Objective: The current meta-analysis examined demographic, social support, and military characteristics that may moderate the relationship of PTSD severity and social support among U.S. VSMs.

Method: A search identified 37 cross-sectional studies, representing 38 unique samples with a …

Examining Moderators Of The Relationship Between Social Support And Self-Reported Ptsd Symptoms: A Meta-Analysis, Alyson K. Zalta, Vanessa Tirone, Daria Orlowska, Rebecca K. Blais, Ashton Lofgreen, Brian Klassen, Philip Held, Natalie R. Stevens, Elizabeth Adkins, Amy L. Dent

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Social support is one of the most robust predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, little is known about factors that moderate the relationship between social support and PTSD symptom severity. This meta-analysis estimated the overall effect size of the relationship between self-reported social support and PTSD severity and tested meaningful demographic, social support, and trauma characteristics that may moderate this association using both cross-sectional and longitudinal effect sizes. A comprehensive search identified 139 studies with 145 independent cross-sectional effect sizes representing 62,803 individuals, and 37 studies with 38 independent longitudinal effect sizes representing 25,792 individuals. Study samples had to …

Impact Of Ptsd On Hcv/Hiv Risk-Reduction Interventions Among Incarcerated Drug-Using Women In Rural Appalachia, Caitlyn Hood

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Justice-involved women in rural Appalachian Kentucky are a particularly vulnerable group in need of targeted risk-reduction interventions for hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Compared to women in the general U.S. population, justice-involved women in rural Appalachia report dramatically higher rates of HCV/HIV risk behaviors (e.g., injection drug use and risky sex), interpersonal violence (IV; e.g., physical, sexual, or emotional abuse), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). IV and PTSD may exacerbate rural Appalachian women’s risk for contracting and transmitting HIV/HCV, indicating a need to approach HCV/HIV risk-reduction interventions from a trauma-informed perspective.

Brief motivational interviewing and psychoeducation …

Assessing A Cognitive Model Of Trauma-Related Sleep Disturbance, Rebecca Chesher

Dissertations

Sleep disturbance is a symptom of many mental health disorders that may negatively affect cognition and mood. Trauma-related sleep disturbance is a core reaction of traumatic stress and PTSD, similar to symptoms experienced by individuals with insomnia or other sleep-wake disorders. Although the cause and symptom progression of trauma-related sleep disturbance may be very different, research and clinical practice assess and treat it with measures and interventions designed for general insomnia. Using a cognitive model of insomnia modified for trauma-related sleep disturbance, the current study assessed the relations between select trauma and sleep variables within the proposed constructs of: 1) …

Sexual Violence, Traumatic Memory, And Speculative Fiction As Action, Kate Rose

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Starhawk’s speculative novel City of Refuge (2015) depicts rape trauma and its consequences in a dystopian society that is the logical conclusion of patriarchy. French psychiatrist Muriel Salmona’s research on how traumatic memory contributes to inequality and how reconstructing narrative can heal survivors places her similarly at the intersection of story and activism. City of Refuge is a literary experiment focused on survivors of institutionalized sexual assault, while Salmona’s work maps consequences of traumatic memory linked to childhood sexual violence. The basic tenet of narrative medicine that life experience affects mental and physical health coincides with Salmona’s critique of how …

Feasibility And Effectiveness Of A Telehealth Service Delivery Model For Treating Childhood Posttraumatic Stress: A Community-Based, Open Pilot Trial Of Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Regan W. Stewart, Rosaura Orengo-Aguayo, John Young, Megan M. Wallace, Judith A. Cohen, Anthony P. Mannarino, Michael A. De Arellano

Faculty and Student Publications

© 2020 American Psychological Association. Telepsychotherapy (also referred to as telehealth or telemental health), the use of videoconferencing to deliver psychotherapy services, offers an innovative way to address significant gaps in access to care and is being used to deliver a variety of treatments for youth. Although recent research has supported the effectiveness of telehealth delivery of a variety of interventions for children, the literature has focused very little on childhood posttraumatic stress disorder. This pilot study examined the feasibility and potential effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive- behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) delivered via telepsychotherapy in community-based locations of either schools or patient …

Examining The Factor Structures Of The A-Des And Ptci To Identify Unique Predictors Of Ptsd Symptom Clusters In Maltreated Youth, Amanda Howard

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research on childhood posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has increased over the past decade. Youth who experience maltreatment are more likely to exhibit symptoms of PTSD. At present, the literature largely focuses on youth who have experienced general trauma or PTSD symptoms, while maltreated youth are understudied. To date, no studies have examined the psychometric properties of the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES) or the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI) in a sample of maltreated youth. Predictors of childhood PTSD for maltreated youth remain unknown. The present study was the first research study to date to examine the factor structures of the …

The Vulnerability Of Chronic Stress: Implications For Feeling Like Giving Up, Miranda Jany

Theses

The feeling of learned helplessness has been associated with prolonged stress and trauma. Additionally, many previous studies have examined the relationship between stress and decreased feelings of control, such as self-efficacy and locus of control. However, these forms of control have been primarily self-reported. The present study aimed to investigate the relationships among learned helplessness, chronic stressors, and self-agency using a computer-based task. We also measured heart rate variability (HRV) during the self-agency task to assess psychophysiological correlates of these variables. Seventy-four participants completed a series of questionnaires that were used to assess lifelong stressors (e.g., exposure to natural disasters, …

Service Members With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Who Face Employment Challenges Postdeployment, Donna Scurlark Sargent

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe Iraq War was the longest war in the history of the United States, involving over 2 million service members. Service members who served in Iraq or Afghanistan experienced a high rate of mental health disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and substance abuse as they returned from deployment. Research is lacking in regard to how Army reservists and National Guardsmen function at home, school, work, and in the community upon their return from service. The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of service members with PTSD who experienced challenges with work …

Undercover Law Enforcement Operatives’ Perceptions Of Post Critical Incident Mental Health Services, David B. Spinella

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Undercover officers experience unique job-related stressors due to the covert nature and sometimes long duration of their tasks. Undercover officers adopt false identities that involve taking on a personality and lifestyle that the officer might find personally objectionable. If this identity is ever compromised, they and family members are in great danger. Officers are faced with the daily possibility of encountering abrupt and unforeseen traumatic events, such as gang retaliation, terrorism, and other events rarely experienced by civilians. Such events that exceed the range of normal experience are critical incidents, and they may be so overwhelming that they are beyond …

Understanding The Relationships Between Combat-Related Ptsd Symptoms And Drinking Motives On Military Parental Satisfaction, Melissa C. Hinely

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As of 2017, over 1.3 million Americans are enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces (Department of Defense, 2017). Military personnel, particularly those exposed to combat, are significantly more likely to experience Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD; Xue et al., 2015). Furthermore, persons with PTSD are more likely to misuse alcohol, particularly when motivated to drink as a means to cope with negative emotions related to their PTSD symptoms (Simpson et al., 2014). Both PTSD and alcohol misuse have been found to contribute negatively to parental satisfaction and distress (Chesmore et al., 2018; McGraw et al., 2018). Veterans/service members who were parents …

Advancing The Measurement Of Trauma-Related Shame Among Women With Histories Of Interpersonal Violence, Alyssa Jones

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Shame is a predominant emotion for some trauma-exposed individuals—particularly survivors of interpersonal violence (IPV)—that is associated with more severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; see Saraiya & Lopez-Castro, 2016). Despite growing evidence of shame’s importance in recovery from trauma and PTSD, measurement challenges have played a large role in difficulties understanding and comparing the impact of shame across studies. These challenges include: 1) the use of measures that assess trait shame as opposed to trauma-related shame, 2) inconsistent use of established shame measures across studies, and 3) failure to acknowledge the co-occurrence of shame and guilt. These limitations are …

Examining Military Population And Trauma Type As Moderators Of Treatment Outcome For First-Line Psychotherapies For Ptsd: A Meta-Analysis, C. L. Straud, Jedidiah Siev, S. Messer, A. K. Zalta

Psychology Faculty Works

There is conflicting evidence as to whether military populations (i.e., veteran and active-duty military service members) demonstrate a poorer response to psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to civilians. Existing research may be complicated by the fact that treatment outcomes differences could be due to the type of trauma exposure (e.g., combat) or population differences (e.g., military culture). This meta-analysis evaluated PTSD treatment outcomes as a function of trauma type (combat v. assault v. mixed) and population (military v. civilian). Unlike previous meta-analyses, we focused exclusively on manualized, first-line psychotherapies for PTSD as defined by expert treatment guidelines. Treatment …

Behavioral Hypervigilance In A Normative Population, Karly Weinreb

Theses and Dissertations

Hypervigilance is conceptualized as a symptom of trauma-related disorders, however it can also occur in a normative population. To distinguish normative hypervigilance from trauma-related hypervigilance, 372 participants (123 trauma-exposed and 249 non-trauma-exposed) completed a questionnaire assessing hypervigilance in contexts. Trauma-exposed participants reported greater levels of hypervigilance in 3 contexts.

How Music Therapy Effects The Traumatized Brain: Neurorehabilitation For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Through Music Therapy, Jordan Winter Payne

Honors Projects

This review discusses the neurological components of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and how both structures and processes in the brain are altered in individuals with the disorder, specifically the neural network that includes the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, and the amygdala. This impacts awareness and responsiveness to stimuli. After examining these aspects, invasive and non-invasive treatment approaches are examined, with a specific emphasis on the treatment approach of music therapy. Musical stimuli are processed in many areas of the brain, so it has therapeutic potential for modulating neurological changes. Music therapy applies music clinically to address a variety of goals …

The Role Of Self-Compassion In The Relationship Between Moral Injury And Psychological Distress Among Military Veterans, Mernyll Manalo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

While there is considerable research linking trauma to psychological distress, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among military populations, some service members may develop other variants of psychological difficulties following exposure to traumatic life events. For example, moral injury, a more recently studied outcome within the field of trauma, is conceptualized to occur when a person perceives their response to a morally challenging situation as a transgression that may lead to an incongruence with their morals producing moral emotions (i.e., shame, guilt, and anxiety; Litz et al., 2009). The current study investigated the role of self-compassion in the relationship between …

An Examination Of Trauma-Related Psychotherapy Outcomes At An Outpatient Military Behavioral Health Clinic, Emily Siebach

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Objective: The purpose of the present study is to expand existing literature on specific patient demographics and treatment protocols for trauma-related psychotherapies that moderate treatment outcomes in real-world clinical settings with military personnel.

Method: The present study used medical records to analyze treatment outcomes of patients seen at an army medical hospital in the Southeastern United States. The data was gathered over a 6-month timeframe, and participants were predominantly active duty Army personnel being treated for PTSD or other trauma-related disorders. Demographic variables were examined as predictors or moderators and hypotheses were put forward regarding the relationship of …