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The judgement of risk in traumatised and non-traumatised emergency medical service personnel

Thesis (MA) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Judgement of risk for negative events in certain situations was investigated in a
group of emergency medical service (EMS) personnel with a diagnosis of
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; n = 27) and a group without PTSD (n = 74).
Participants completed the PTSD Symptom Scale: Self-Report version (Faa, Riggs,
Dancu, & Rothbaum, 1993), an EMS work experiences questionnaire, the Beck
Depression Inventory (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979), and an event probability
questionnaire designed to assess judgement of risk. Participants with PTSD
overestimated amount of risk involved in comparison to participants without PTSD,
thereby demonstrating a judgement bias for risk related events. The present study
found that the judgement bias in PTSD participants extended to include not just
external harm related events but also general negative events (without potential
threatening/harmful consequences), negative social events, and negative workrelated
events. Of the posttraumatic symptomatology assessed, avoidance
symptomatology was found to be the best predictor of judgement bias. The results of
the present study are discussed in terms of the cognitive clinical psychology theories
of PTSD, which predict the manifestation of judgement bias in PTSD, and cognitive
experimental psychology explanations of the effect of negative emotional states on
judgement processes. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Oordeeloor risiko vir negatiewe gebeurtenisse in sekere situasies is ondersoek by "n
groep mediese nooddienspersoneel met "n diagnose van posttraumatiese
stresversteuring (PTSV; n = 27) en "n groep sonder PTSV (n = 74). Deelnemers het
die PTSD Symptom Scale: Self-Report version (Foa, Riggs, Dancu, & Rothbaum,
1993), "n mediese nooddiens werkservaringe-vraelys, die Beck Depression Inventory
(Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979), en "n gebeurtenis-waarskynlikheidsvraelys wat
opgestel is om oordeeloor risiko te meet, voltooi. Deelnemers met PTSV het die
mate van risiko betrokke oorskat in vergelyking met deelnemers sonder PTSVen
sodoende "n beoordelingsydigheid vir risiko-verbandhoudende situasies
gedemonstreer. In die huidige studie is gevind dat beoordelingsydigheid by PTSV
deelnemers nie beperk was tot eksterne skade-verbandhoudende gebeurtenisse nie,
maar dat dit ook veralgemeen het na algemene negatiewe gebeurtenisse (sonder
potensieel skadelike gevolge), negatiewe sosiale gebeurtenisse, en negatiewe
werksverwante gebeurtenisse. Daar is gevind dat, wat PTSV-simptomatologie betref,
vermyding die beste voorspeller van beoordelingsydigheid was. Die resultate van die
huidige studie word bespreek in terme van kognitiewe klinies-sielkundige teorieƫ van
PTSV, wat die aanwesigheid van beoordelingsydigheid voorspel, en kognitiewe
eksperimentele-sielkunde verklarings van die effek van negatiewe emosionele
toestande op beoordelingsprosesse.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/51990
Date03 1900
CreatorsRoberts, Craig Brendan
ContributorsNortje, C., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageUnknown
TypeThesis
Format41 p.
RightsStellenbosch University

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