Traumatology current issue

The Attachment Characteristics of Combat Veterans with PTSD

Renaud, E. F. — 2008-08-19

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from combat exposure has been found to have more disruptive effects on interpersonal and family functioning than trauma from other sources. Attachment theory and Foa's cognitive—behavioral model of PTSD suggest pathways by which the symptoms of PTSD may contribute to social impairment. Forty-nine self-selecting male veterans with combat-related PTSD were administered the Experience of Close Relationships (ECR) Scale, the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI), the Mississippi Scale for combat PTSD, and a demographic questionnaire to test for relationships between attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, cognitive distortions associated with PTSD, and PTSD symptom severity. Veterans were found to generally endorse avoidant attachment styles. Attachment avoidance and ambivalent attachment were associated with more PTSD symptoms. A hypothesis for the effects of PTSD symptoms on attachment characteristics, situating the findings within existing theory, is proposed.

Vicarious Resilience: A Qualitative Investigation Into Its Description

Engstrom, D., Hernandez, P., Gangsei, D. — 2008-08-19

This study further explores an investigation into the formulation of vicarious resilience with a U.S. sample. In semistructured interviews, 10 mental health providers working with survivors of torture were affected by their clients' stories of resilience. A grounded theory analysis of the transcripts found that participants were positively affected by the resilience of clients, their perspectives on life were altered, and they valued their therapy work with clients. These elements make up the phenomenon of vicarious resilience. Conceptual differences between vicarious resilience, posttraumatic growth, and empathic responses in trauma work are discussed.

Mothers' Awareness of Self-Harm Behaviors in Their Children

Sansone, R. A., Wiederman, M. W., Jackson, J. — 2008-08-19

This study examined mothers' awareness of seven self-harm behaviors in their adolescents who were being seen in an outpatient psychiatry clinic—namely, cutting self, burning self, hitting self, banging head, scratching self, preventing wounds from healing, attempting suicide. Using a cross-sectional self-report survey method with 71 mother—adolescent pairs, the study found (a) that self-harm behaviors were reported by 63.4% of the adolescent participants, most commonly, preventing wounds from healing and scratching self; (b) that there was a moderate level of concordance between mother and adolescent with regard to behaviors that were not being performed; (c) that in most cases of discordance, the mother denied a behavior that the adolescent indicated as having actually performed, most commonly, preventing wounds from healing; and (d) that mothers were significantly less likely to acknowledge self-harm behaviors in their adolescents as the number of self-harm behaviors reported by offspring increased (r = —.87, p < .001).

Relationships Between Psychopathological and Demographic Variables and Posttraumatic Growth Among Holocaust Survivors

Lurie-Beck, J. K., Liossis, P., Gow, K. — 2008-08-19

The relationship between posttraumatic growth and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression, anxiety, and vulnerability, as well as demographic differences in growth was examined in a group of 23 Holocaust survivors. The posttraumatic growth aspect of spiritual change was found to correlate positively and significantly with the PTSD symptom clusters of intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal. Numerous demographic variables were also found to relate to posttraumatic growth including survivors' age during the Holocaust; the nature of their Holocaust experiences; and whether they were ever alone, without family, during their Holocaust experiences as well as survivor support group membership.

Teaching Trauma Without Traumatizing: A Pilot Study of a Graduate Counseling Psychology Cohort

Black, T. G. — 2008-08-19

The author presents the findings of a pilot study examining students' experiences of Black's (2006) model for teaching a graduate trauma counseling course. Ten counseling psychology graduate students were administered an exit questionnaire following a trauma-counseling course in a Canadian university and, 9 questionnaires were returned. The pilot study is unique, and findings include the fact that students reported feeling more competent in dealing with trauma not only in their roles as counselors but also in their personal lives. Implications of the pilot study for future research and current teaching practice are discussed, along with recommendations for teaching counseling in general. Limitations of the pilot study include issues related to sample size and demographics, descriptive nature of the data, timing of the administration of the questionnaire, and the nature of self-report data. Results support the use of Black's (2006) model of teaching trauma to graduate students.

A Pilot Study of Posttraumatic Stress and Associated Functioning of Army National Guard Following Exposure to Iraq Warzone Trauma

2008-08-19

This study examines the experiences of a convenience sample of Army National Guard soldiers who were combat exposed during the Iraq War. Thirty-one men volunteered to complete an interview and questionnaires during training weekends. Participants reported significant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (68% reported re-experiencing and 93% hyperarousal symptoms) based on a PTSD research interview. PTSD severity was associated with more alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, and poorer mental health functional status. These data suggest that combat-exposed soldiers may be at risk for significant PTSD symptoms, higher consumption of substances, and decreased quality of life.

Secondary Trauma in Children of Parents with Mental Illness

Lombardo, K. L., Motta, R. W. — 2008-08-19

In this study, the relationship between parental mental illness with and without comorbid traumatic symptoms, and secondary trauma in children was explored. There were three groups of parent-child dyads (N = 106). Group I included parents with mental illness and comorbid traumatization, and their children. Group II included parents with mental illness and no traumatization, and their children. Group III included non-mentally ill parents and their children. The measures used in the study consisted of the Secondary Trauma Scale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children, the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21-Item Version, and the Modified PTSD Symptom Scale — Self Report. Results indicated that children of parents with mental illness experience significantly more secondary trauma than children of non-ill parents, regardless of parental traumatization. In addition, secondary trauma in children was correlated with depression and anxiety.

Eastern and Western Spiritual Beliefs and Violent Trauma: A U.S. National Community Survey

Lee, L.-C., Connor, K. M., Davidson, J. R. T. — 2008-08-19

Spirituality is relevant to overall health and well-being, yet little is known about spiritual beliefs (SBs) in community samples. This report examined the associations between SBs and trauma history, and SBs and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Data were collected through an online survey from community samples that were representative of the U.S. adult population (n = 1,969) in 2001. Measures of SB comprised concepts and beliefs familiar to both Western and Eastern cultures. We found that Eastern SBs (ESBs), but not Western SBs (WSBs), were associated with a history of violent trauma. Among those who had experienced violent traumas, agreements with ESBs and WSBs were related to more severe PTSD symptoms. The mechanism of acquisition and effects of SBs remain unknown. For clinicians who decide that inquiry into the SBs of a patient is indicated, it may be of value to keep in mind that differences between SB types, as described in this article, may exist and to take these differences into account, as appropriate, in patient management. Some clinical and scientific implications of this work are discussed.

Understanding the Impact of Trauma on Family Life From the Viewpoint of Female Caregivers Living in Urban Poverty

Kiser, L. J., Nurse, W., Lucksted, A., Collins, K. S. — 2008-08-19

Children and their families living in poor, inner-city neighborhoods are at high risk for experiencing multiple traumas. This article describes findings from a qualitative study designed to explore the impact of chronic traumas on family life through the voices of primarily African American caregivers coping with urban poverty. Structured interviews are conducted with 16 caregivers of children ages 6 to 9 years who had been exposed to multiple traumas and had symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Caregivers explain changing daily routines to accommodate child distress and promoting positive family processes such as increased protectiveness. They also describe various roles that religion/spirituality play in their coping with trauma, including finding comfort in the faith that God controls what happens in their lives. These themes are discussed with regard to theory and practical applications for assisting traumatized families.

Shame and Guilt, Misconceptions and Controversies: A Critical Review of the Literature

Blum, A. — 2008-08-19

The literature on shame and guilt is very heterogeneous. Researchers and theorists in the field have used a number of definitions, approaches, and measurement methods, rendering futile any attempt at a comparative analysis. The article reviews the relevant literature and summarizes the different approaches to shame and guilt while highlighting relevant conceptual issues. The literature review is followed by a thorough delineation of the two constructs. Affective, cognitive, and phenomenological definitions are discussed for a fuller understanding of the phenomena. The cognitive attributional theory is discussed and is also used to explain the process of elicitation. The delineation of shame and guilt is followed by a comprehensive discussion of parsimony. In addition to drawing attention to the current multiplicity of definitions in the literature, the article intends to serve as a more unified framework for future studies of shame and guilt.

Somatic Therapy Treatment Effects With Tsunami Survivors

Parker, C., Doctor, R. M., Selvam, R. — 2008-08-19

This is an uncontrolled field study of the outcome effects of a somatically based therapy with tsunami victims in southern India. One hundred and fifty (150) participants, prescreened for trauma symptoms, received 75 minutes of somatic therapy and training in affect modulation and self-regulation. The results indicate a reliable and significant treatment effect at immediate, 4-week, and 8-month follow-up assessments. At the 8-month follow-up, 90% of participants reported significant improvement or being completely free of symptoms of intrusion, arousal, and avoidance. The results support the effectiveness and reliability of this modified version of Somatic Experiencing Therapy in working with trauma reactions and invite future controlled trials of this therapy.

Between Culture and Family: Jewish-Israeli Young Adults Relation to the Holocaust as a Cultural Trauma

Lazar, A., Litvak-Hirsch, T., Chaitin, J. — 2008-08-19

This study assessed how Jewish-Israeli young adults perceive the impacts of the Holocaust on themselves, their family, and Israeli society. The written responses of 180 respondents, 90 of whom were grandchildren of Holocaust survivors (GHSs) and 90 were without a direct family connection (NGHSs), connected the Holocaust with issues of security, education, and culture and the impact, or lack of it, on family and self. These responses also suggest that NGHS relate to the Holocaust only through sociocultural mechanisms, and that GHSs are influenced by the same sociocultural mechanisms yet are also divided by the perceived impact of intergenerational processes on their personal and family lives. The overall results of the study suggest that regardless of family connection to the Holocaust, in Israel there are sociocultural mechanisms at work that affect the perception of the Holocaust on the third generation of Holocaust survivors as a cultural trauma.

Book Review: The Trauma Spectrum: Hidden Wounds and Human Resiliency, by Robert C. Scaer. New York: Norton, 2005

Robinson, R. — 2008-08-19