Expressive Writing (EW) involves writing in an emotionally expressive manner about an experienced event, and has been shown to be related to increases in psychological and physical well-being. The purpose of the current study was to extend previous work by examining how self-presentation affects psychological and physical gains following the EW task. Forty one participants who have experienced a traumatic event were recruited from the community and given either an EW or control activity. Measures assessing self-presentation and various indices of health were administered at baseline and again at one month follow-up to determine changes in symptomatology. Results indicated that higher levels of perfectionistic self-presentation were significantly associated with less improvement in symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress. Further, a nonsignificant moderation trend emerged whereby higher levels of perfectionistic self-presentation were associated with more improvement in symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress in the EW group but not control group.

Expressive Writing (EW) involves writing in an emotionally expressive manner about an experienced event, and has been shown to be related to increases in psychological and physical well-being. The purpose of the current study was to extend previous work by examining how self-presentation affects psychological and physical gains following the EW task. Forty one participants who have experienced a traumatic event were recruited from the community and given either an EW or control activity. Measures assessing self-presentation and various indices of health were administered at baseline and again at one month follow-up to determine changes in symptomatology. Results indicated that higher levels of perfectionistic self-presentation were significantly associated with less improvement in symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress. Further, a nonsignificant moderation trend emerged whereby higher levels of perfectionistic self-presentation were associated with more improvement in symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress in the EW group but not control group.

Siekiant nustatyti iš misijos Afganistane grįžusių karių psichologinę būklę, patiriamus stresogeninius įvykius, kokios stresinės situacijos įtakoja potrauminio streso pasireiškimą, šiame darbe analizuojami jų patirti stresogeniniai įvykiai, potrauminio streso išsivystymas bei grupės sutelktumas. „Karių patiriamo streso klausimynas“, Potrauminio streso Misisipės skalė“, „Grupės sutelktumo“ klausimynais. Apklausta 111 iš misijos Afganistane grįžusių karių. Rezultatai parodė, kad kariams, patyrusiems daugiau stresogeninių įvykių bei blogiau vertinantiems grupės sutelktumą, yra labiau išreikšti potrauminio streso simptomai, nei tiek pat patyrusiems stresogeninių įvykių, bet geriau vertinantiems grupės sutelktumą. Nustatyta, kad nepriklausomai nuo patiriamų stresogeninių įvykių, kariai patiria daugiau potrauminio streso simptomų, esant blogesniam grupės sutelktumui. Tiek aukštojo, tiek neturinčių aukštojo išsilavinimo, tiek vyresnių, tiek jaunesnių ir patyrusių stresogeninių įvykių karių potrauminio streso simptomų išreikštumas nesiskiria. / Aiming to assess the psychological condition of soldiers, who have returned from an international mission in Afghanistan, the incurred stressogenic events, to find out what stressful situations cause post-traumatic stress, the stressogenic events they have experienced as well as development of post-traumatic stress and unit cohesion are the scope of analysis of this paper. 111 soldiers, who had returned from an international mission, were interviewed using the following surveys: Soldiers' Stress Survey, Mississippi Scale for Post-traumatic Stress, Unit Cohesion. The results demonstrated that the soldiers, who had experienced more stressogenic events and evaluated the unit cohesion with a lower grade, had a deeper post-traumatic stress symptoms than those, who had experienced the same number of stressogenic events but gave a better evaluation of the unit cohesion. It has been established that in the event of lower unit cohesion, soldiers experience deeper post-traumatic stress symptoms, regardless of incurred stressogenic events. The depth of post-traumatic stress symptoms did not vary between groups of soldiers having higher education degree and those who did not, as well as between older and younger or the ones, with bigger stressogenic event experience.

The present study utilized the ecological-transactional theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1983; Cicchetti & Lynch, 1993) as a theoretical framework for examining the relationship between Community Violence Exposure (CVE) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among Jamaican inner-city children and adolescents. Social support and spirituality/religiosity were proposed as potential mediating factors. Based on the empirical and theoretical literature, two competing models were designed and tested, a priori. In the primary model, CVE was proposed to directly impact PTSD both directly and indirectly through social support and spirituality/religiosity. The alternate model tested the full meditational effect of social support and spirituality/religiosity on the relationship between CVE and PTSD. It was hypothesized that the primary model would adequately fit the data. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the fit of the two models to the data for the present study. Results indicated a poor fit for both the primary and the alternate model. However, post hoc model modification yielded adequate fit with the removal of social support from the model. Theoretical, research, and practice implications are discussed in relation to these findings, as well as methodological limitations and directions for future research. The study concluded that spirituality/religiosity has the potential to protect Jamaican inner-city children and adolescents from the consequences of CVE / Access permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Policininkai, kaip specifinė profesinė grupė, tarnyboje susiduria su trauminiais įvykiais, darbe patirtą stresą dažniausiai įveikia neigiamomis strategijomis. Šio tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti policininkų patirtų traumų padarinių ir veiksnių, susijusių su traumine patirtimi, ypatumus. Tyrimo uždaviniai buvo įvertinti subjektyvų pareigūnų trauminį patyrimą, potrauminio streso simptomatikos intensyvumą, nevilties išgyvenimo intensyvumą, patiriamą potrauminį augimą, gaunamą socialinę paramą. Tyrime dalyvavo 81 policijos pareigūnas, per pastaruosius 3 metus tarnyboje patyręs trauminį įvykį. Tyrime taikytos šios metodikos: Įvykio poveikio skalė – revizuota (IES-R) (Weiss, 2004; liet. k. Kazlauskas ir kt., 2006), Subjektyvaus trauminio patyrimo skalė (STP) (Kazlauskas, Gailienė, Šimėnaitė, 2007), Potrauminio augimo skalė (PTA) (Tedeschi, Calhoun, 1996; liet. k. Gailienė, Kazlauskas, 2005), Becko nevilties skalė (BHS) (Beck, Steer, 1988) ir parengtas specialus Policininko sukrečiančio įvykio ir potrauminio patyrimo klausimynas (sudarė darbo autorė). Tyrimas atskleidė, kad apie 60 proc. policijos pareigūnų profesinėje veikloje patiria trauminius įvykius. Dažniausiai traumines situacijas policininkai patiria tada, kai yra sunkiai sužalota arba nužudyta auka. Nepaisant trauminės patirties, neigiamų policininkų traumos psichologinių padarinių nenustatyta: silpna neviltis, maži potrauminio streso sutrikimo požymių rodikliai. Taip pat žemas potrauminio augimo lygis. Rezultatai rodo, kad... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Policemen, as a specific professional group, often encounter traumatic events at service and usually handle the stress experienced at work with the help of negative strategies. The purpose of this research is to determine the peculiarities of consequences of traumas and factors related to traumatic experience. The goals of the research were to assess the subjective experience of officers, symptomatics of post-traumatic stress disorder, intensiveness of the feeling of hopelessness, post-traumatic growth and social assistance received. 81 police officer who has experienced a traumatic event at service during the 3 recent years, participated in the research. The methods applied in the research are as follows: The Impact of Event Scale – revised (IES-R) (Weiss, 2004; Lith.: Kazlauskas et al., 2006), The Subjective Traumatic Experience Scale (STE) (Kazlauskas, Gailienė, Šimėnaitė, 2007), The Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) (Tedeschi, Calhoun, 1996; Lith. Gailienė, Kazlauskas, 2005), Beck’s Hopelessness Scale (BHS) (Beck, Steer, 1998) and specially compiled questionnaires for policemen on a shocking event and post-traumatic experience (created by the author of this study). The research has revealed that about 60 percent of police officers experience traumatic events in their professional activities. Most frequently experienced traumatic situations by policemen are those, where there is a heavily injured, or killed victim. Regardless of traumatic experience, negative... [to full text]

Male violence against women in intimate partner relationships is a global public health problem and a serious crime, but remains largely underreported. The overall ain of this thesis was, by means of an interdisciplinary approach and from the perspectives of gender, public health and law, to gain a deeper understanding of the situation of abused women, by studying, on one hand, their leaving processes and, on the other, the consequences of the violence for their health. On the basis of this information, a further aim was to increase knowledge of the quality and effect of gender relations in the practical application of the law. The point of departure was that the different perspectives should not be consodered separately but should be seen in context. The thesis describes the prcess for abused women, from the violent relationship and the break-up, the health consequences caused by the violence to the practical application of the law. The thesis consists of four studies (I-IV). An initial qualitative study (I) showed that the leaving process for abused women is fearful, complex and long-lasting. The analysis also revealed a gradual development of strong emotional bonds towards the men on the part of the women. Study II was a combination of qualitative in-depth interviews and quantitative measurements and confirmed former studies regarding the negative health consequences caused by the violence, in particular symptoms of complex PTSD. Study III, examining preliminary investiagtions concerning reported crimes of intimate partner violence, showed that there is still a lack of crminal justice for abused women even if the frequency of cases leading to prosecution was fairly high. In study IV court case records were examined by means of a qualitative method inspired by discourse analysis to determine whether gender is (re)constructed in court practice, and how the process works. The analysis of this particular sample indicated that the practical application of law is influenced by an old-fashioned and stereotypical view of violence, sexuality, men and women. the legal discourses retain and reproduce the gender order. The overall results of the separate studies reinforce the importance of gaining a broader understanding of men's violence against women in intimate partner relationships.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 39-40).

p. 1-153 / Submitted by Antonio Geraldo Couto Barreto (ppgms@ufba.br) on 2013-10-17T13:03:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE raimunda defesa.pdf: 1794902 bytes, checksum: 4018e1421325f5abd35b35d0ba20c5bc (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Patricia Barroso (pbarroso@ufba.br) on 2013-10-30T19:33:36Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE raimunda defesa.pdf: 1794902 bytes, checksum: 4018e1421325f5abd35b35d0ba20c5bc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-10-30T19:33:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE raimunda defesa.pdf: 1794902 bytes, checksum: 4018e1421325f5abd35b35d0ba20c5bc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / comprometer a saúde física e mental dos indivíduos é necessária, para respaldar programas de suporte ao docente. O estudo objetivou descrever características clínico-comportamentais de professores universitários no sertão paraibano, tendo como objetivos secundários: avaliar correlação entre Resiliência, História de Trauma, Transtorno do Estresse Pós-traumático - TEPT, Impulsividade, Religiosidade, e Qualidade de Vida na população estudada; determinar a frequência de transtornos psiquiátricos em professores, nas diferentes áreas acadêmicas; e avaliar associação entre resiliência e transtornos mentais. Mediante estudo transversal, de natureza censitária, foram coletados dados de variáveis sociodemográficas. Aplicou-se escala de Resiliência e de TEPT (PCL-C), questionários de História de Trauma, de Qualidade de Vida SF 36 e entrevista M. I. N. I. Plus (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview), que explorou os transtornos mentais. Análise estatística descritiva da caracterização demográfica dos 240 professores, mostrou que 81,3% tinham menos de 50 anos de idade e 52,5% eram do sexo masculino; Correlação de Spearman indicou associação negativa e significativa (p< 0, 001) entre todos domínios do SF - 36 e TEPT; Comparação entre Resiliência e História de Trauma, mostrou associação significativa entre Resiliência e eventos traumáticos relacionados a experiências físicas e sexuais (p=0,040). Foi evidenciada baixa pontuação para TEPT; alta pontuação para Resiliência e maior exposição a trauma e desastres em geral na população de professores. Episódio Depressivo Maior Atual (EDM), Transtorno Misto de Ansiedade– Depressão e Transtorno de Ansiedade Generalizada (TAG) apresentaram maior prevalência. Teste qui–quadrado mostrou que área de Sociais Aplicadas apresentou o maior percentual (13,9%) para EDM atual. Ser mais ou ser menos resiliente não estava associado com o EDM. Professores universitários expostos a peculiaridades ambientais específicas e com Episódio Depressivo Maior Atual, apresentaram alta pontuação em todos os domínios de Qualidade de Vida. / Salvador

The purpose of this study is to tell the story of lay trauma counsellors - how the work they do affects them, what helps them to cope and what hinders their coping. The epistemological framework of this study is constructivism. This study involved in-depth interviews with three lay trauma counsellors from different cultural backgrounds who counselled for a minimum of one year. Hermeneutics was the method used to analyse the data. The stories of participants were recounted through the researcher&#8217;s lens in the form of specific themes that emerged for individual participants. Recurring themes evident in the stories of all three participants were discussed and compared with the literature. The information gleaned could be valuable to organisations considering setting up lay trauma programmes, to those with established programmes, as well as to prospective and experienced lay counsellors. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Master of Science / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Briana S. Nelson Goff / Traumatic events affect not only the primary trauma survivor, but also secondary trauma survivors (e.g., spouses, children). Intimate partner relationships provide unique conditions for examining how the interpersonal and/or systemic impact of trauma exposure and post-trauma responses can impact both the primary and secondary trauma survivors, and the interpersonal dynamics of the couple. Preliminary work has indicated that the extent of trauma disclosure may serve as a buffering effect for relationship adjustment for those below the clinical threshold for PTSD (Monk & Nelson Goff, 2014). Researchers also have found that relationships can suffer effects in direct correlation to trauma disclosure (Creech, Benzer, Liebsack, Proctor, & Taft, 2013; Nelson Goff et al., 2006). The current study explored qualitative and quantitative data from low trauma disclosure individuals (n = 15) and their partners. The Couple Adaptation to Traumatic Stress Model (Nelson Goff & Smith, 2005; Oseland, Gallus, & Nelson Goff, in press) was used to provide the framework for understanding the experiences of low trauma disclosure to spouses in a sample of Army soldiers and their spouses. The low trauma disclosure group reported some positive and negative themes related to relationship functioning. The mixed trauma disclosure partners (n = 7) reported primarily negative themes related to relationship functioning, as well as the positive theme of increased communication. The high trauma disclosure partners (n = 4) reported all positive themes related to relationship functioning. Contrary to the original hypothesis, the results indicated mixed trauma disclosure partners seemed to be functioning at lower levels than the low or high trauma disclosure partners A quantitative analysis demonstrated a number of trends throughout the disclosure groups. The low trauma disclosure group reported scores between the mixed and high trauma disclosure groups for all measures. The mixed trauma disclosure group overall reported the highest PTSD scores and lowest couple adjustment scores, despite experiencing the lowest number of traumatic events and general trauma symptoms. The high trauma disclosure group reported the highest couple adjustment scores, despite experiencing the highest number of traumatic events, trauma symptoms, and lowest PTSD scores. Implications for practice and future research also are described.