Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Understanding Adolescent Posttraumatic Stress: The Roles Of Biological Sex And Anxiety Sensitivity, Sophia K. Pawlewicz

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Over 60% of adolescents are exposed to a traumatic event, and a significant minority goes on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is important to understand factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of this debilitating condition. Anxiety sensitivity (AS), defined as the fear of the consequences of anxiety, correlates positively with increased posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Research also suggests that females are more likely to develop PTSS. There are a number of limitations of this literature, however, including a lack of laboratory-based assessment of the relation between AS and biological sex on PTSS among adolescents. The current …