The relationship between exposure to trauma and the development of both Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and general distress has been widely discussed in the empirical literature. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the specific processes through which trauma exposure leads to distress. This lack of research is particularly apparent in research involving residential fire. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which the four types of resource loss (object resource loss, condition resource loss, personal characteristics resource loss, and energy resource loss) mediate the relationship between fire exposure and total distress (as well as intrusion and avoidance symptom clusters). Additionally, total resource loss (a sum of the four types of resource loss) will be examined as a fifth potential mediator. The sample consists of 120 children (mean age = 12.31, SD = 2.83) exposed to residential fire who were interviewed three months after their experience. The proposed mediational analyses were explored through use of regression techniques. With regard to the relationships that showed the necessary significant correlations to perform mediational analyses, the findings of the current investigation provided some preliminary evidence for the mediational role of object resource loss and total resource loss (though these results generally failed to retain significance under the Bonferroni correction). Furthermore, the role of resource loss in the development and maintenance of PTSD was supported. Implications for future research and clinical intervention are discussed. / Master of Science

Health outcomes following a traumatic event are an important aspect of recovery from any type of trauma. Further, distress and psychopathology, specifically Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), have been shown to have a significant impact on physical health recovery post-trauma. The current study utilized a sample of 56 (48 women, 8 men) residential fire survivors to examine the potential mediating effect of PTSD and PTSD symptom subclusters. Participants were interviewed four months after a residential fire and were assessed on levels of exposure to the fire (Fire Questionnaire & Resource Loss Scale), PTSD symptomology (Anxiety Disorder Interview Schedule), and somatic health complaints (Brief Symptom Inventory). Consistent with previous findings, PTSD was found to mediate the relationship between exposure to a traumatic event and reporting of health symptoms. Further, the increased arousal subcluster was found to mediate the aforementioned relationship; the avoidance symptom subcluster was found to partially mediate the same relationship. Implications of results of the current project are discussed with regard to the impact of trauma on survivorsâ health, along with recommendations for further research. / Master of Science

This study concerns the impact of providing teachers with increasing levels of information about a hypothetical student's PTSD symptoms. Specifically, the amount of information given teachers was examined as it impacted: 1. teachers' causal attributions, 2. their ability to identify specific emotional problems, and 3. their ability to choose accommodations recommended for students with PTSD. An online survey format was used to randomly assign 236 teachers to one of three levels of information about a hypothetical student namely, 1) description of behavioral and academic difficulties in the classroom (Behavioral Descriptors), 2) Behavioral Descriptors plus information about trauma exposure and diagnosis of PTSD (PTSD Diagnosis), and 3) Behavioral Descriptors, PTSD Diagnosis plus outcomes associated with PTSD (PTSD Outcomes). Increased levels of information resulted in a significant increase in accurate identification of the cause of student difficulties overall. Regarding ability to identify specific emotional diagnoses, teachers' ability to identify PTSD as the accurate emotional problem represented was also significantly more likely with increased levels of information. However, the likelihood of teachers to identify accommodations recommended for students with PTSD was not significantly impacted by increased levels of information. Results indicated that teachers make more accurate causal attributions about students with PTSD with increased information, but this does not result in increased ability to identify classroom accommodations that are recommended for students with PTSD.

Background: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is frequently linked with substance use disorder (SUD). However, the nature of this association remains unclear. A clearer understanding of the dynamic associations between PTSD and SUD may shed light on the course of these two disorders thereby, identifying areas for intervention, which may potentially reduce some of the associated costly and harmful outcomes. Methods: Firstly, a systematic review was conducted to investigate the evidence base regarding the relationship between PTSD and SUD. Secondly, an empirical project was undertaken to explore functional associations between PTSD and SUD. This was achieved by comparing, motives for substance use, anxiety and depression symptoms, and SUD symptom severity amongst treatmentseeking adults with and without PTSD. Results: Results from the systematic review suggest that individuals with comorbid PTSD and SUD have more severe clinical profiles compared to individuals with a SUD alone. The results from the empirical study indicate that those with PTSD endorse coping-related motives for substance use significantly more than those without PTSD. Furthermore, those with PTSD had significantly elevated SUD severity ratings and higher anxiety and depression scores. Conclusions: Findings suggest that individuals with comorbid PTSD and SUD are motivated to use substances to cope with negative affect. The clinical implications of this are discussed.

There is a paucity of research into traumatic incidents concerning police workers (Hart et al. 1995). There are also few studies relating the prolonged and repetitive exposure to traumatic stressors, or 'sequential trauma' (Gersons and earlier 1990; 1992). Whilst it was acknowledged that organisational stress contributes to adaptive or maladaptive well being, dependent on transactional variables between the person and their environment, it was also argued that further along the stress continuum, there exists gross stress reactions similar to Post Traumatic stress Disorders (PTSD; DSM-IIIR; American Psychiatric Association 1989) and newly revised PTSD criterion (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association 1994). However PTSD exclusively relates to a single event of overwhelming magnitude (Davidson and Foa 1991), whilst sequential trauma relates to mUltiple event exposure (Peters-Bean 1990b; 1996). It was argued that the magnitude of stimuli in trauma is not as important as the management of the trauma. Rather trauma is an artefact of person-environment transactions and the operation of 'traumatic signatures' which can be used adaptively or maladaptively in certain scenarios. Models of sequential trauma were proposed and tested. These notions are discussed in relation to three studies: an interview booklet survey (N=89); a Metropolitan Police Survey (N=134) and a Main U.K. Forces Survey (N=528) Results and implications for police workers and further research was discussed. It was found that trauma signatures may possibly assist in the processes involved with encountering trauma, primary and secondary appraisal mechanisms, coping post-event and physiological and psychological well-being with reference to individual and organisational outcomes.

Yoga postures (asana) and yoga breathing techniques (pranayama) could be an effective method of treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This study investigates the importance of the style of yoga treatment (pranayama, asana, or both) and the frequency with which these interventions are conducted (two or five times per week). The participants in this study will be military personnel with diagnosed PTSD who are currently receiving CBT and pharmaceutical treatment. All participants will have their PTSD symptoms assessed before the study begins, and then once a week each of the 12 weeks of the study. Structured interviews will be administered to both participants and loved ones of participants before and after the study in order to verify construct validity. It is proposed that all groups will show improvement in all three styles (asana, pranayama, and both) over the span of 12 weeks and the groups that practice five times a week will improve more than groups that practice twice a week. Therefore, participants who practice both pranayama and asana twice a week will have the most decrease in PTSD symptoms.

This project studied 108 Israeli youth of mixed gender, aged 12-16 (mean 12.8, SD 1.67), selected for risk, with a 3 to 1 ratio of boys to girls. It included a group given a sports intervention and a comparison group. It utilised a broad psychosocial approach to investigate risks for psychological disorder and the impact of an intervention, based on both an Ecological and Attachment theoretical approach to inform identification of risk and resilience factors in a society used to political conflict. Aims: i) to examine psychosocial risks for psychological disorder in both groups and (ii) to examine the impact of a sports intervention in reducing risk and symptoms and increasing resilience. Method: The two phased prospective study included 60 young people referred by social services to a cycling intervention and 48 to a comparison group. Phase 1 examined demographic characteristics and psychosocial risks in the combined groups in relation to behavioural, emotional and post traumatic symptoms. Phase 2 examined change after 9 months comparing the two groups. Standardised self-report questionnaires were used, with focus groups and qualitative interviews to establish intervention impact. Questionnaires were translated into Hebrew and Arabic, with focus groups held in the local languages and subsequently translated and interviews with coaches held in English. Results: Twenty-three percent of all the youth reported a behavioral or emotional disorder at case level, with 33% having symptomatology at borderline level. Risk factors for such disorder were deprivation, insecure attachment style, peer problems and affectionless control in childhood from mothers or fathers. Poor peer relationships mediated between childhood experience and disorder. Over half had exposure to a traumatic event and there was a high prevalence of partial Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD): 31% and 6% with full disorder. Life events, trauma experience, ethnicity and deprivation associations provided evidence of a social and Ecological interpretation of findings. Childhood experience, insecure attachment style and peer relationships supported an Attachment perspective. Findings at follow-up showed positive effects of the cycling intervention through decreased self-esteem and symptoms for both Conduct disorder and PTSD. There was also increased support for those in the intervention. However, follow-up findings were limited by high attrition rates. Analysis of focus groups and interviews led to a descriptive model showing benefits of the intervention through agentic (skills, discipline), escapist and aesthetic (fun) aspects. Conclusion: Findings are discussed in relation to Israeli culture and post-conflict context on youth risk and disorder, and the use of similar interventions in other post-conflict zones.

Research was conducted examining death anxiety from existential, psychodynamic, cognitive and sociological perspectives. The intent was to consider the role of death anxiety on well-being; four studies were conducted to examine how death anxiety influenced PTSD and mental health among people who have experienced a life-threatening event. These studies were conducted using undergraduate university students in Lithuania. The first study used a mixed-method design and in phase 1, participants (N=97) completed self-report questionnaires that gathered information on demographics, death anxiety, trauma and well-being. Results indicated a significant correlation between death anxiety and PTSD, but not psychiatric co-morbidity. Phase 2 attempted to further explore the phenomenological experience of participants with full PTSD, and 6 semi-structured interviews were conducted. IPA analysis found three major themes in response to the life-threatening event; self-efficacy, religious coping and existential attitude. Subsequent studies were then conducted to understand these themes as possible factors of death anxiety resilience in regards to life-threatening events. The second study (N=109) examined the role of self-efficacy and found that it was significantly related to death anxiety and psychiatric co-morbidity, but not PTSD. The third study (N=104) examined religious coping, but did not find evidence to support its significance; however again self-efficacy emerged as significantly related to psychiatric co-morbidity and death anxiety. The fourth study (N=110) looked at the role of existential attitude via posttraumatic growth and sense of coherence. Although posttraumatic growth did influence PTSD, existential attitude was not a significant factor for death anxiety or outcomes. However, self-efficacy again emerged as related to death anxiety and psychiatric co-morbidity. In studies two to four, self-efficacy did not act as a mediating factor and was independently related to death anxiety and psychiatric co-morbidity. Results were discussed in light of theories regarding death anxiety and their application to clinical treatment.

Women interpersonal chronic trauma survivors are frequently misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which often results in mistreatment. Neither PTSD nor BPD adequately describes the unique character alterations observed among those exposed to prolonged early childhood trauma.  Researchers suggest survivors of interpersonal and chronic trauma should be subsumed under complex PTSD (CPTSD)(MacLean & Gallop, 2003).  The primary purpose of this study was to test the validity of complex PTSD as a construct. MANOVA, ANOVA, chi- Square, and independent samples t- Tests were utilized to test hypotheses. Results revealed that women who experienced higher frequencies of trauma met more CPTSD criteria and had higher mean base rate scores on the Major Depression, Depressive, Avoidant, Masochistic, Anxiety, PTSD, and Borderline scales of the MCMI- III than women who experienced fewer traumas. Additionally, findings suggest that the Major Depression, Depressive, Anxiety, PTSD, and Borderline scales may highlight differences among women interpersonal trauma survivors who meet five of six CPTSD criteria versus those who meet full CPTSD diagnostic criteria. Lastly, the mean Borderline scale score for women who met full CPTSD diagnostic criteria was below the cutoff for personality traits. Overall, these findings provide evidence and validation for the distinction of CPTSD from BPD and PTSD.

Victims and witnesses that testify before an international criminal tribunal such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) willingly subject themselves to scrutiny and bare their wounds before the world. Does this experience cause these vulnerable individuals undue psychological harm, re-traumatization, or worse? Existing literature indicates this may be the case, however using a new dataset I find the opposite to be true. Witnesses at the ICTY report feeling more positive than negative after their experiences on the stand. As the first systematic study on witness mental wellbeing, these findings contradict expectations found in previous research.