College students have an increased risk for cannabis use, trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cannabis use disorder (CUD) and PTSD comorbidity is high, and given the negative consequences of the comorbidity (e.g., poor academic outcomes), there is a need to understand comorbid CUD-PTSD etiology. Two primary etiologic models exist: self-medication (i.e., PTSD à CUD) and high-risk (i.e., CUD à PTSD) hypotheses. This study 1) examined the prevalence and predictors of cannabis use and interpersonal trauma (IPT) exposure; 2) investigated the relationship between cannabis use and IPT; and 3) examined cannabis use, IPT, and PTSD through mediational self-medication and high-risk hypotheses lenses in a large (n = 9,889) longitudinal study of college students. Aim 1 found the prevalence of lifetime problematic (i.e., use ≥ 6 times) and experimental (i.e., use 1-5 times) cannabis use was 28.3% and 17.4%, respectively. Aim 1 results also estimated that the prevalence of lifetime IPT exposure was 35.9%. Aim 2 results supported the self-medication hypothesis, but not the high-risk hypothesis. Overall model fit from Aim 3 was poor. Nonetheless, Aim 3 results did not support the self-medication or high-risk hypotheses. Given the poor model fit of Aim 3, results should be interpreted with caution. However, as a whole, these findings provide preliminary support for the self-medication hypothesis, indicating that those reporting IPT exposure and probable PTSD may be at risk for cannabis use. Implications of these findings, in light of study limitations, are discussed.

In conducting this study, the ultimate goal was to determine whether parents and other caregivers of individuals with disabilities are experiencing higher levels of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms as compared to the general population. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), intellectual disabilities and other disabilities are more likely to engage in aggressive behaviors such as hitting, kicking, biting, screaming, and self-injurious behavior. Research has also shown that parents of children with special needs have higher levels of stress, and special education teachers are leaving the field due to burnout. In addition to comparing PTSD levels of these caregivers with the general population, results of parents in this sample size were compared with the results of other caregivers. Using the PTSD Checklist – Civilian version (PCL-C), a self-report questionnaire, PTSD total scores, the three subscale scores which included re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal were analyzed. In total PCL-C scores and the subscale scores, the respondents’ results were statistically significant, with a mean score of 46.7 as compared to 29 with the general population. In addition, results demonstrated that parents and other caregivers that worked with an individual with a disability who engaged in aggressive behavior had a higher mean score than those who didn’t among this population. When divided into two groups, parents had a higher mean than the other caregivers. Future research can be done on PTSD treatments for this specific population without having to remove them from their environments in order to help reduce burnout and attrition among caregivers of individuals with disabilities.

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Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare hearing difficulties and hearing aid outcomes in veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to a group of veterans with no medical diagnosis of PTSD. Our hypothesis was that veterans with PTSD would have poorer hearing aid outcomes in certain domains (e.g., those related to loudness or interactions with the environment) relative to patients without PTSD. Assessing these differences could help identify unique factors that may lead to the development of tailored aural rehabilitation for hearing aid users with PTSD. Design: This descriptive study employed subjective outcome measures and surveys; the Abbreviated Profile for Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) served as the primary outcome measure. An additional questionnaire was developed to assess views of the subjects’ hearing in unaided and aided conditions in an effort to explore the relation between hearing aid benefit and PTSD symptoms. A total of 60 veterans with sensorineural hearing loss and bilateral hearing aid use were recruited from the Audiology Clinic at the James H. Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Mountain Home, TN. Participants were divided into two groups of subjects either with or without PTSD (n=30 in each). Diagnosis of PTSD was confirmed via a chart review of the veteran’s medical record. Results: Results from the APHAB revealed a significant difference between groups in global benefit scores as well as the aversiveness subscale in the unaided condition. Overall, the PTSD group showed lower benefit scores, however outcomes indicated that both groups received benefit when aided. Results from the study questionnaire showed a significant difference between the two groups in both unaided and aided conditions for the questions focused on hyper-arousal and re-experiencing symptoms. Conclusions: Hearing aid users with PTSD perceive less benefit from hearing aid use on traditional hearing aid outcome measures. Additionally, these hearing aid users were more affected by hyper-arousal, re-experiencing symptoms, and avoidance compared to hearing aid users without PTSD. The clinical implications of this work suggest that hearing aid users with PTSD may need modified hearing aid fittings and/or additional counseling to meet their unique listening needs.

PTSD is a mental health condition that affects many people over the course of their life (National Comorbidity Survey, 2005), including veterans (Litz & Schlenger, 2009). However, many do not experience clinical levels of distress and some experience posttraumatic growth (PTG) resulting from such an event (Tedeschi, Park, & Calhoun, 1998). The Psychological Flexibility Model, of which Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999) is based, may help explain these phenomena. The purpose of this study was to examine these relationships utilizing a measure simultaneously assessing psychological flexibility and inflexibility. It was hypothesized that psychologically inflexible behaviors would predict PTSD symptom severity, while flexible behaviors would predict PTG. Furthermore, each of psychological inflexibility and flexibility would account for unique variance in PTSD symptom severity and PTG, respectively. Finally, the domains of ACT were examined to assess the strength each component has in the maintenance of these experiences. Results indicated that both psychological inflexibility and flexibility predicted PTSD symptoms and PTG, respectively, and each predicted unique variance in these experiences. Of the individual components, cognitive fusion, experiential avoidance, inaction, and lack of contact with the present moment all contributed to PTSD symptom severity, while values clarity, lack of contact with the present moment, and present moment awareness contributed to PTG. These results suggest the psychological flexibility model overall is consistent with the experience of PTSD symptoms and the posttraumatic growth. Though further experimental methods are needed, the application of psychological flexibility through ACT could enhance PTSD treatments.

Women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often develop alcohol use disorders (AUD) resulting from the use of alcohol to self-medicate from negative affect. Research supports the relationship between comorbid PTSD and AUD, and studies with women additionally identify the role of rumination, or excessive thinking about distress and its causes, as a precipitating aspect leading to self-medication. Female-based data is sparse, however, regarding specific thought patterns and factors which trigger the need to self-medicate with alcohol. Numerous researchers have studied the relationship between stress, anxiety, and alcohol use, although, there exists a need for qualitative studies providing thick, rich information. Applying the self-medication model and rumination theory, the purpose of this study was to use a transcendental research framework as a lens to explore and describe the phenomenon of how women with comorbid PTSD and AUD make sense of their dual disorder. Qualitative data were gathered from in-depth interviews of 12 women who participated in Alcoholics Anonymous groups in a large Southeastern city. The women collectively described their lived experience with the phenomenon as an internally-focused strategy premised on the notion of a 'Higher Power.' They reported using this strategy to manage thoughts, feelings, and behaviors which triggered negative self-assessment and the need to self-medicate with alcohol. This research contributes to the literature by offering a more detailed understanding of comorbid PTSD and AUD. Positive social change can be achieved with a better understanding of the etiology of female trauma and the factors that trigger alcohol relapse in women with PTSD.

Social workers are increasingly using eye movement, desensitization, and reprocessing (EMDR) to help clients recover from trauma. Little is known about how social workers who work with traumatic client material while using EMDR as their main psychotherapeutic modality experience vicarious trauma. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experience of vicarious trauma among social workers in Eastern Canada who used EMDR in their practice with clients. Constructivist self-development theory was the framework that informed this study. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with 7 EMDR social work participants who were selected using purposive sampling. Participants were required to have a masters level social work designation, EMDR training, and practice with trauma material at least 40% of the time they see clients. Findings from the narrative analysis showed that participants' concepts of 'self' changed over time, with the changes becoming less acute. Understanding how EMDR social workers experience vicarious trauma has implications for policy, practice, future research, and for social change related to trauma. Social workers who are less likely to become traumatized may fit a prototype that may be more appealing to organizational stability. Clinicians may be able to see the signs and symptoms of vicarious trauma and take more time for education and self-care. Finally, study findings may further research on vicarious trauma and EMDR.

The goal of the study was to determine the effect of the neurolinguistic programming procedure of visual-kinesthetic dissociation on symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in a sample of Vietnam combat veterans. Thirty-eight veterans in a Veterans Administration treatment program were given three sessions of either visual-kinesthetic dissociation or regular program activities. Overall post-traumatic symptoms, re-experiencing symptoms, and amount of sleep were measured before and after treatment and at a three month follow-up. Results indicated that the treatment program itself had no significant effect on symptoms measured, nor did the addition of visual-kinesthetic dissociation provide any incremental symptom relief.

Exposure to traumatic events can lead to many varied psychological and physiological difficulties, including an increased risk for chronic physical health problems and chronic pain disorders, which are thought to be mediated through the three major biological systems involved in the human stress response. The objective of the present study was to examine the relationships between psychological symptoms and proinflammatory immune markers, Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6), which are thought to be related to many of the physical health problems associated with posttraumatic psychopathology. Female participants (N=12) were recruited from a trauma specialty clinic and participated in approximately one research session per month for up to one year of psychotherapy. Five participants had at least three data points and were further examined for longitudinal correlations. Baseline measurements of urinary IL-1β were associated with self-report measures of trait anxiety and dissociative symptoms. One participant, who completed nine research sessions over nearly 12 months, showed improvements in depressive symptoms, state and trait anxiety, and dissociative symptoms that seemed to correspond with decreases in IL-6. IL-1β did not seem to be related to any of her symptom measures. A second participant, with five data points over almost four months, showed less marked change in symptomatology, but her IL-6 levels seemed to correspond with depressive and dissociative symptoms, and her IL-1β levels seemed to be associated with trends in state anxiety and dissociative symptoms. Three other participants had between three and four data points, and the trends obtained were inadequate to determine whether any true relationship existed among the longitudinal variables. These results provide preliminary evidence that it may be possible to reduce chronic pro-inflammatory dysregulation through psychotherapy-facilitated symptom reduction.

This thesis focuses on the initial validation of the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) in its Czech version. It is a self-report method that measures symptoms accompanying posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The theoretical part of the thesis describes the development of the diagnosis of PTSD over time and its current criteria. It also presents a list of diagnostic tools for measuring PTSD, including the PCL-5 and its psychometric properties. The research part of the thesis describes the process of data collection and processing, the results of the hypotheses and discussion. The research sample consisted of 444 respondents (370 women; 74 men) with a mean age of 32,6 years (SD = 10,6). The mean PCL-5 score was 29,3 (SD = 19,9). When comparing the scores of women (M = 30,2; SD = 20) and men (M = 24,7; SD = 18,8), a statistically significant difference was observed (p = 0,029). When comparing respondents who were psychiatric patients (PP; M = 39,5; SD = 20) and those who were not (M = 21,7; SD = 16,6), a significant difference (p < 0,001) was also observed. In case of comparison of respondents by gender who were not PP, no statistically significant difference was confirmed. Cronbach's alpha for the whole questionnaire came out high: 0,955 (for clusters ranging from 0,831-0,908), which is consistent...