Objective: The current study examined group differences in peritraumatic tonic immobility (TI) and posttraumatic symptoms among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) females and their straight, cisgender counterparts.
Method: Adult female sexual assault (SA) survivors ( = 86; 41.9% LGBTQ+) completed a questionnaire battery assessing demographics, TI experience, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, dissociative symptoms, and posttraumatic cognitions.
Tonic immobility (TI) is a defensive response that may occur during traumatic events. Although TI is adaptive in certain circumstances, it has been shown to contribute to increased trauma-related symptoms and poorer recovery. However, current frontline treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have not focused significant attention on the experience of TI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite their brevity, prior work indicates that computer-based interventions can substantially impact risk factors for psychopathology including anxiety sensitivity (AS), thwarted belongingness (TB), and perceived burdensomeness (PB). However, very few studies have assessed the long-term (> 1 year) effects of these interventions. The primary aim of the current study was to evaluate post-hoc, the long-term (3 year) durability of brief interventions targeting risk factors for anxiety and mood psychopathology using data from a pre-registered randomized clinical trial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals have experienced disruptions in social, occupational, and daily life activities. Individuals with mental health difficulties, particularly those with elevated posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), may be especially vulnerable to increased impairment as a result of COVID-19. Additionally, demographic factors, such as age, gender, and race/ethnicity, may impact individual difficulties related to the pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Affect Disord
September 2021
Background: Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is a well-studied transdiagnostic risk construct that is believed to amplify responses to many forms of stress. The COVID-19 pandemic is a broad stressor with significant physical and social threats. In the current study, we were interested in ascertaining the degree to which AS would relate to distress and disability in the context of COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChild Psychiatry Hum Dev
February 2022
Research has consistently demonstrated a relationship between peer victimization, a major issue in early adolescence, and depression. However, longitudinal studies examining the relationship between peer victimization and depressive symptoms have yielded mixed results. Thus, the current study examined how specific aspects of peer victimization and subtypes of depressive symptoms are related over a two-year period.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTheoretical models emphasize the importance of both affective and cognitive risk factors in the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Two such factors predicting PTSS have been studied extensively: distress intolerance (DI) - an affective factor indicative of the ability to tolerate negative affective states - and attentional control (AC), a cognitive factor reflecting the ability to flexibly shift and maintain attention to goal-relevant tasks. Previous work primarily highlights the independent contributions of DI and AC and their interaction to predict PTSS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Rumination, defined as perseverative thinking regarding the causes and consequences of psychological symptoms, is a risk and maintaining factor for PTSD. Existing work has largely focused on the extent to which rumination functions as a coping strategy used to avoid traumatic memories and associated emotions. However, rumination may also maintain negative thinking patterns, such as hostility, which has been positively associated with both rumination and PTSD symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Women who have experienced a recent sexual assault (SA) are at high risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related conditions, with approximately half of women experiencing SA meeting criteria for PTSD. There are no guidelines for the prevention of PTSD and other common mental health disorders after SA. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to synthesize research on secondary preventions for PTSD after SA, determine efficacy whether any intervention seems promising, and ascertain when, how, and to whom interventions should be delivered.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExperimental and clinical studies have demonstrated an association between posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and anger. Expanding upon past research, the current study examined the interactive associations among PTSS, distress tolerance (DT), and anger responding among a sample of 95 trauma-exposed adults. This study used a personalized script-driven imagery procedure to gauge emotional responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Of Review: This review highlights recent research regarding gender differences in OCD, with a focus on prevalence, course of illness, symptom presentation, comorbidity, and treatment response.
Recent Findings: Overall, findings remain mixed. OCD may be more common among males in childhood, but is more common among females in adolescence and adulthood.
Background: The United States has recently experienced extensive changes in state policy regarding the use of cannabis for recreational and medicinal purposes. Despite its rapidly increasing accessibility and social acceptance, there is a striking dearth of research on cannabis as a treatment for medical and psychological conditions. Research on cannabis is difficult to conduct as it is classified as a schedule I drug with high potential for abuse and currently no accepted medical use in treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To examine sociodemographic and military characteristics of US veterans who do and do not utilize Veterans Affairs (VA) health care services as their primary source of health care and examine the relationship between VA utilization and medical and psychosocial characteristics.
Methods: Participants were a nationally representative sample of 3,152 military veterans (89.8% male, 83.