Journal of traumatic stress
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Studies have assessed relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and physiological reactivity concurrently; fewer have assessed these relationships longitudinally. This study tests concurrent and prospective relationships between physiological reactivity (heart rate and skin conductance) to a monologue procedure and PTSD symptoms in female assault survivors, tested within 1 and 3 months posttrauma. ⋯ Additionally, increased heart rate following trauma and neutral monologues at 1 month was predictive of 3-month numbing symptoms. Implications for the prospective relationship between physiological reactivity to trauma cues and PTSD over time are discussed.
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This report provides basic data about risk and protective factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 189 Utah National Guard and Reserve troops who served during Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Based on comparisons with other published reports of active duty and National Guard/Reserve troops from prior conflicts, results suggest that OEF- and OIF-era National Guard and Reserve troops' combat and postbattle experiences are similar to those of active duty troops from prior conflicts (and higher than those of National Guard and Reserve troops from prior conflicts). Additionally, reported family and career concerns during deployment appeared higher in this sample than in prior samples of active duty or National Guard and Reserve troops. Moreover, such concerns accounted for unique variance in postdeployment PTSD when controlling for combat experiences, postbattle experiences, and perceived threat.
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The authors examined how different types of torture methods are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and somatic symptoms among political ex-prisoners. Participants were 275 Palestinian men who reported their experiences in detention and imprisonment, PTSD (the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire), and somatic symptoms. ⋯ Psychological torture was also associated with increased somatic symptoms. The results are discussed in relation to their contribution to the current debate on the nature and definition of torture.
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Comparative Study
Do Holocaust survivors show increased vulnerability or resilience to post-Holocaust cumulative adversity?
Prior trauma can hinder coping with additional adversity or inoculate against the effect of recurrent adversity. The present study further addressed this issue by examining whether a subsample of Holocaust survivors and comparison groups, drawn from the Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe, were differentially affected by post-Holocaust cumulative adversity. ⋯ However, comparisons were more negatively affected by post-Holocaust cumulative adversity when examining markers of physical and cognitive functioning. Our findings suggest that previous trauma can both sensitize and immunize, as Holocaust survivors show general resilience intertwined with specific vulnerability when confronted with additional cumulative adversity.