Background: The literature suggests a consensus that individuals can become traumatised through listening to another’s trauma. Much of this research, however, has focused on individuals who have had direct, face-to-face contact with the primary victims of trauma. It therefore appears that there is a paucity of research looking at contact which is less direct, such as telephone contact. Aims: The current research aimed to explore the levels of secondary traumatic stress and posttraumatic stress disorder in a sample of Samaritan telephone volunteers, with a view to understanding some of the correlates of trauma. It also aimed to explore the personal construct systems of a sub-sample of Samaritan telephone volunteers, and explore any relationships between personal construct systems and trauma. Method: A cross-sectional design was employed. Questionnaires were used to assess levels of secondary traumatic stress and posttraumatic stress in Samaritan telephone volunteers spread across the United Kingdom. Repertory grid technique was used with a sub-sample of Samaritan telephone volunteers to elicit bipolar constructs comparing themselves and others. Results: 299 Samaritan telephone volunteers completed or partially completed the questionnaires, and of these 50 volunteers completed the repertory grids. Levels of secondary trauma (as determined by the Modified Secondary Trauma Scale) correlated with discrepancy in construing of the current and ideal self, levels of posttraumatic stress and exposure to potentially traumatic events. The Samaritans were not found to be suffering with secondary trauma. Degree of elaboration of self-construing reduced after the named traumatic event, and there was a significant difference in degree of elaboration for ‘self after traumatic event’ on the emergent poles of constructs. Conclusions: This research appears to be the first dedicated to assessing secondary trauma in telephone crisis line volunteers, lending some support to Sewell and Cromwell’s (1990) personal construct model of posttraumatic stress. The findings of this study challenge crisis lines to think about secondary trauma, and to implement some teaching and training around this area. Additionally, it reinforces that further research in the area is needed, and highlights the relative merits of employing a repertory grid methodology alongside questionnaires in understanding trauma.

Psychologists' diagnostic choices when the specificity of child sexual abuse in a clinical vignette is varied was examined. The degree to which Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was judged to be a viable diagnostic choice among a set of diagnoses was analyzed under conditions with sexual abuse stated, implied, not stated, and excluded. PTSD was rated as more likely for the stated and implied sexual abuse vignettes than for the not stated and excluded vignettes.

Although men are more likely to experience traumatic events, the risk of developing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is at least twice as high in women than in men after exposure to comparable traumas. These findings are more consistent in response to some types of trauma (e.g., assaultive violence) than others (e.g., natural disaster). There has been very little systematic study of the sources of these gender differences. This study began to explore the contribution of gender-related beliefs about appropriate responses to trauma by investigating the impact of victim sex and trauma type as well as participant sex, sex-role orientation, and personal trauma history on attitudes towards victims. Ninety-three male and 179 female students were administered the Bem Sex Role Inventory, the Trauma History Questionnaire, and a vignette measure of attitudes towards victims. Participants evaluated male victims significantly less favorably than female victims, and females had more positive attitudes towards victims than males. Feminine sex-typed and androgynous women rated victims more favorably than masculine sex-typed men and women. The interaction between sex of victim and trauma type was not significant. A positive relation was observed between personal trauma exposure and attitudes towards male victims among male participants only. These findings contribute towards a theoretical understanding of gender and PTSD, and also have important clinical applications.

The purpose of this study was to compare pre- and post-treatment differences in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in male adolescents with conduct disorder. The Children's PTSD Inventory and the PTSD Reaction Index were used to diagnose PTSD and determine trauma type (Type I single trauma or Type II recurring trauma). Pre- and post-treatment measures included the PTSD Reaction Index, the Children's Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, the Dissociative Experiences Scale, and the Youth Self-Report. The six-week, biweekly group treatment included education, exposure, and cognitive elements. Primary hypotheses that the abused group would statistically differ from the non-abused group in terms of pre- and post-treatment levels of avoidance, dissociation, anger/aggression, self-destructiveness, social problems, and overall levels of PTSD symptoms, were not confirmed. Overall, group therapy participants experienced statistically significant decreases in PTSD symptoms over the course of therapy. Results are discussed in light of clinical implications, recommended cautions given the lack of a robust control group, and directions for future research.

Children exposed to trauma experience many negative outcomes including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fortunately, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for PTSD. Theoretically it may be that not only do children do better in treatment when their parents are involved, but that there is also a reciprocal relationship such that as children improve their parents feel better as well (and vice a versa). Using data from a randomized trial (Scheeringa & Weems, 2014), this thesis used Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) to test if change in child PTSD symptoms mediates change in parent depression symptoms, and vice a versa, across treatment sessions. Results indicated that maternal depression mediates child PTSD symptoms, and that the reciprocal relationship is present. However, this was only true when child PTSD symptoms were measured by parent report. The addition of this reciprocal relationship finding to the literature and future directions are discussed.

Ser bombero es una labor que conlleva diversos riesgos para la salud física y mental. Estudios previos sugieren que realizar la labor de bombero de manera voluntaria, y la carga laboral asumida como bombero, son dos factores que incrementan los riesgos de padecer síntomas de estrés post-traumático. Consecuentemente, el presente estudio tuvo como objetivo examinar la relación entre los síntomas de trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT) y la calidad de vida (CV) en una muestra de bomberos voluntarios de Lima Metropolitana con diferente nivel de carga laboral. Participaron 116 bomberos en actividad (84.5% hombres, M = 31.65 años, DE = 10.11, entre 18 y 66 años). Según el número de horas trabajadas, se dividió a la muestra en dos grupos: el grupo con carga laboral baja (n = 34, todos aquéllos que reportaron un máximo de 20 horas por semana) y el grupo con carga laboral alta (n = 82, más de 20 horas a la semana). Los instrumentos utilizados para evaluar los síntomas de TEPT y la CV, fueron La Escala del Impacto del Evento (IES-R) y el Índice de Calidad de Vida (ICV). En los resultados, se observó que todos los participantes reportaron bajos niveles de sintomatología de TEPT y correlaciones negativas entre sintomatología de TEPT y CV. Al comparar los dos grupos, el grupo de bomberos con alta carga laboral presentó mayores niveles de evitación, que el grupo con carga laboral baja. Se discuten las implicaciones y limitaciones del estudio, además de proveerse recomendaciones para futuras investigaciones. / Being a firefighter is a labour that carries a diverse set of risks for physical and mental health. Previous studies suggest that carrying out the work of a voluntary firefighter and the workload assumed, are two factors that increase the risk of suffering symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Consequently, the current study had as an objective to examine the relationship between the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the quality of life (QoL) in a sample of voluntary firefighters of Metropolitan Lima with different levels of workload. 116 active firefighters participated (84.5% male, M = 31.65 years old, SD = 10.11, with ages that range from 18 to 66 years old). Regarding the amount of hours worked, the sample was divided in two groups: Low level workload group (n= 34, every person that reported a maximum of 20 hours of work per week) and the High level workload group (n=82, more than 20 hours of work per week). The instruments used to evaluate the symptoms of PTSD and QoL were the Impact of Event Scale Revised (IES-R) and the Quality of Life Index (QLI). In the results, it was observed that all participants reported low levels of PTSD symptomatology and negative correlations between PTSD symptomatology and QoL. When both groups are compared, the High level workload group presented higher levels of avoidance. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed, in addition to providing recommendations for future research. / Tesis

The number of women diagnosed as infertile continues to grow every year. The psychological impact of the infertility experience has been said to create distress equivalent to that associated with life-threatening illnesses and has been linked with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Using shattered assumption and stress-buffering theory, this quantitative causal comparative study explored the potential functional relationship between infertility and PTSD. The majority of the (all-female) participants were 24- to 34-year-old college graduates. A 2 X 3 factorial between-subjects ANOVA examined and compared the cause and effect of the independent variables, fertility treatment and psychological intervention, on the dependent variable, PTSD. A multiple linear regression was conducted to understand PTSD symptomology scores. The results revealed that the type of infertility treatment does not impact PTSD symptomatology in medically diagnosed women. However, the main effect of psychological treatment was significant, as was infertility treatment by psychological treatment interaction. Additionally, the impact of fertility problems on the participant's physical health was the highest ranking predictor, which suggests that stress levels in women receiving infertility treatment are equivalent to those in women with cancer, AIDS, and heart disease, as suggested by other researchers. This study has implications for positive social change, in that it may promote better understanding of the psychological impact of infertility and decreased PTSD symptomatology for medically diagnosed infertile women. It opens the door for future research about the effectiveness of psychological intervention, and provides awareness of possible PTSD susceptibility.

Despite 30 years of research advancements, PTSD treatment remains a trial-and-error process as 22 veterans per day commit suicide to relieve their symptoms. Foa and Kozak's emotional processing theory informed this correlational study which included secondary data consisting of participants' self-rated scale scores to examine whether the independent variables number of deployments, guilt, depression, and anxiety predicted the dependent variable PTSD symptom reduction in a veteran sample with combat deployments and associated PTSD symptoms who completed accelerated resolution therapy (ART). An analysis of whether mean PTSD symptom reduction amounts differed by symptom severity levels was also completed. The study aimed to identify the first predictive treatment-matching model for PTSD symptom reduction by use of ART. A multiple regression analysis to determine whether the predictor variables predicted PTSD symptom reduction by use of ART resulted in nonsignificant findings (p = .517). A Welch ANOVA test to determine if mean PTSD symptom reduction differed among the low, moderate, and high PTSD symptom severity groups showed significant results (p = .002). Games-Howell post hoc analysis showed that mean differences in PTSD symptom reduction from the low to high PTSD symptom severity group was significant (p = .001) with a 26.1 point mean reduction for the high symptom severity group and a greater than 10-point mean PTSD symptom reduction for the low and moderate symptom severity groups. The findings confirmed a need for treatment-matching algorithm studies to predict which PTSD interventions most benefit veterans suffering with PTSD to reduce trial-and-error treatment approaches, associated comorbidities, and high rates of suicides.

<p>Antalet barn som upplever våld i familjen är stort och upplevelsen kan leda till utveckling av Posttraumatisk stresstörning (PTSD). Syftet med studien är att fördjupa kunskapen om barn som upplevt våld i familjen och som visar tecken på PTSD. Frågeställningar som studien avser att besvara är (1) vilken betydelse har våldets karaktär för utvecklingen av PTSD hos barn? (2) vilken betydelse har barnets psykosociala hälsa för utvecklingen av PTSD? (3) hur kan tillfrisknandeprocessen hos barn som visar tecken på PTSD förstås? Studien har både en kvantitativ och en kvalitativ ansats samt en pre-post design. Studien inkluderar 14 barn som upplevt våld i familjen och som besvarat Children´s revised imapct of event scale (CRIES) vid Trappan-enheten i Uppsala under 2007. Resultatet visar att många barn visar tecken på PTSD till följd av våld i familjen. Våldets karaktär samt tiden som våldet pågått är avgörande faktorer för om barn visar tecken på PTSD eller inte. Resultatet visar även att god psykosocial hälsa inte motverkar utveckling av</p><p>PTSD hos barn. Vid andra mätningen är det färre barn som visar tecken på PTSD.</p> / <p>A large number of children experience domestic violence and this experience can lead to the development of Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study is to create a deeper knowledge regarding children who have experienced domestic violence and are showing signs of PTSD. The research questions of this study are (1) to what</p><p>extent does the type of violence matter for the development of PTSD in children? (2) to what extent does the child’s psychosocial health matter for the development of PTSD?</p><p>(3) how can the recovery process in children who show signs of PTSD be understood? The approach of the study is both quantitative and qualitative and the design is pre-post.</p><p>The study includes 14 children who all have experienced domestic violence and who have answered Children´s revised impact of event scale (CRIES) at Trappan-enheten in</p><p>Uppsala during 2007. The result shows that many children show signs of PTSD after the experience of domestic violence. The type of violence and the duration of violence are essential factors for the development of PTSD. The results also show that good psychosocial health does not prevent the development of PTSD. At the second measuring</p><p>fewer children show signs of PTSD.</p>

Antalet barn som upplever våld i familjen är stort och upplevelsen kan leda till utveckling av Posttraumatisk stresstörning (PTSD). Syftet med studien är att fördjupa kunskapen om barn som upplevt våld i familjen och som visar tecken på PTSD. Frågeställningar som studien avser att besvara är (1) vilken betydelse har våldets karaktär för utvecklingen av PTSD hos barn? (2) vilken betydelse har barnets psykosociala hälsa för utvecklingen av PTSD? (3) hur kan tillfrisknandeprocessen hos barn som visar tecken på PTSD förstås? Studien har både en kvantitativ och en kvalitativ ansats samt en pre-post design. Studien inkluderar 14 barn som upplevt våld i familjen och som besvarat Children´s revised imapct of event scale (CRIES) vid Trappan-enheten i Uppsala under 2007. Resultatet visar att många barn visar tecken på PTSD till följd av våld i familjen. Våldets karaktär samt tiden som våldet pågått är avgörande faktorer för om barn visar tecken på PTSD eller inte. Resultatet visar även att god psykosocial hälsa inte motverkar utveckling av PTSD hos barn. Vid andra mätningen är det färre barn som visar tecken på PTSD. / A large number of children experience domestic violence and this experience can lead to the development of Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study is to create a deeper knowledge regarding children who have experienced domestic violence and are showing signs of PTSD. The research questions of this study are (1) to what extent does the type of violence matter for the development of PTSD in children? (2) to what extent does the child’s psychosocial health matter for the development of PTSD? (3) how can the recovery process in children who show signs of PTSD be understood? The approach of the study is both quantitative and qualitative and the design is pre-post. The study includes 14 children who all have experienced domestic violence and who have answered Children´s revised impact of event scale (CRIES) at Trappan-enheten in Uppsala during 2007. The result shows that many children show signs of PTSD after the experience of domestic violence. The type of violence and the duration of violence are essential factors for the development of PTSD. The results also show that good psychosocial health does not prevent the development of PTSD. At the second measuring fewer children show signs of PTSD.