Objective: Burn injuries can be traumatic and lead to psychological sequelae, particularly acute stress disorder (ASD). Information regarding the prevalence and risk factors of ASD following DSM-5 criteria is relatively limited among survivors of burn and other traumas. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of probable ASD post-burn according to DSM-5 criteria and explore the impact and interplay of pre- and peri-trauma psychological risk factors on DSM-5 ASD symptomatology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRealizing the immense clinical potential of mRNA-based drugs will require continued development of methods to safely deliver the bioactive agents with high efficiency and without triggering side effects. In this regard, lipid nanoparticles have been successfully utilized to improve mRNA delivery and protect the cargo from extracellular degradation. Encapsulation in lipid nanoparticles was an essential factor in the successful clinical application of mRNA vaccines, which conclusively demonstrated the technology's potential to yield approved medicines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Individuals with severe burn injuries may develop depression, yet knowledge about psychological risk factors for depression following trauma is limited. This study investigated the prospective impact and interplay of prior depression and trauma-related cognitive processes (posttraumatic negative appraisals and trauma-related rumination) to depressive symptoms between 6 and 24 months after burn injury.
Method: Taiwanese adult survivors of burn (N = 118) participated in surveys immediately post-burn and at 6-, 12-, and 24-months follow-up.
The psychological effects of staged nasal reconstruction with a forehead flap were prospectively investigated. Thirty-three patients underwent nasal reconstruction with forehead flaps between March 2017 and July 2020. Three questionnaires were used to assess psychosocial functioning before surgery (time 1), 1 week after forehead flap transfer (time 2), 1 week after forehead flap division (time 3), and after refinement procedures (time 4).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Major burn injuries may have long-term mental health consequences, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study extended prior work to investigate DSM-5 PTSD symptoms at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years post-burn as well as the contribution of two sets of early psychological risk factors to DSM-5 PTSD symptoms: Established PTSD risk factors (prior adjustment problems, past trauma, perception of life threat, peritraumatic emotions and dissociation) and theory-derived cognitive factors (negative appraisals of the trauma and its sequelae, memory disorganization, trauma-related rumination, and thought suppression).
Method: The current study recruited a sample of 118 adult burn patients (75.
Forehead flap nasal reconstruction is a lengthy process; the final outcome requires multiple stages and several months to achieve. After flap transfer, the pedicle flap has to be kept attached to the face for weeks, which may lead to a variety of psychosocial distress and challenges for patients. From April 2011 to December 2016, 58 patients who underwent forehead flap reconstruction for nasal reconstruction were included.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGen Hosp Psychiatry
April 2023
Objective: Burn injuries can be traumatic and increase the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression (MDD). The current study examined the incremental contribution of established predictors of PTSD and theory-derived cognitive predictors to PTSD and depression early after burn.
Methods: Participants were 118 adult burn patients consecutively admitted to the largest burn center in Taiwan who completed a baseline assessment, of which 101 (85.
The widely used Centrality of Event Scale (CES) measures the extent that a traumatic event serves as a central component of self-identity, a reference point, and a turning point in an individual's life story. The present study aimed to develop a Chinese version of the CES and assess its reliability, criterion validity, and factor structure. Data were collected from three samples of trauma-exposed Taiwanese individuals (N = 939), including 420 earthquake survivors, 300 trauma-exposed community adults, and 219 trauma-exposed undergraduate students.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Traumatic events can lead not only to psychological distress but also to posttraumatic growth (PTG). As trauma challenge one's fundamental assumptions, traumatized individuals may initially experience intrusive rumination. However, these challenged assumptions could facilitate further cognitive processing of trauma (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Persons with severe burns often develop long-term psychosocial difficulties such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Significant appearance changes following burn injury (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale for DSM-5 (PDS-5) is an updated DSM-5 version of the PDS, a widely used measure for PTSD. The PDS-5 has recently been shown to possess sound psychometric properties and awaits cross-cultural validation. The present study aimed first, to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the PDS-5; second, to evaluate alternative factor models of DSM-5 PTSD symptoms with multiple trauma samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The 2015 Formosa Fun Coast Water Park explosion was a devastating disaster in Taiwan, leaving 15 dead and 484 burn injured. The present study estimated the prevalence of probable PTSD, major depression (MDD), and significant posttraumatic growth (PTG) in burn survivors three years after the explosion. Potential predictors of PTSD and depressive symptoms and PTG (demographic, burn-related, and psychosocial variables) were examined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn practice, the duration of psychotherapy is determined by the patient's response to treatment. Identifying predictors for treatment responses is of great clinical utility to guide clinicians in their treatment planning. Demographic characteristics, trauma history, comorbidity, and early reduction of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were examined as predictors of excellent versus partial response to prolonged exposure therapy (PE) for PTSD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is commonly observed in trauma survivors. Information on PTG and its predictors among burn survivors is relatively limited. The present study sought to investigate the prevalence and predictors of PTG in burn survivors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms are relatively common in burn survivors. Several previously reported risk factors (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Trauma Stress
February 2018
Based on emotional processing theory, preexisting negative cognitions may contribute to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The present study prospectively examined the association between preexisting PTSD-related cognitions and subsequent acute PTSD symptoms, and the potential mediators of this association. We also compared the effect of preexisting depressive cognitions and preexisting PTSD-related cognitions on PTSD symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGreater risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is seen in individuals exposed to interpersonal traumatic events. Based on an attachment perspective, interpersonal trauma exposure may activate one's attachment insecurity system and disrupt affect, behaviour and interpersonal function, which may in turn create more difficulties to cope with interpersonal traumas and exacerbate PTSD symptomatology. The present study examined whether attachment anxiety relative to attachment avoidance would be a stronger predictor of greater PTSD symptoms following interpersonal traumas versus impersonal traumas in a Taiwanese sample.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study examined cognitive mediators of symptom change during exposure and response prevention (EX/RP) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Based on cognitive models of OCD, obsessive beliefs were hypothesized as a mediator of symptom change. Participants were 70 patients with primary OCD receiving EX/RP either as part of a randomized controlled trial (n=38) or in open treatment following nonresponse to risperidone or placebo in the same trial (n=32).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To examine the mechanisms of prolonged exposure (PE) and naltrexone (NAL) that underlie symptom reduction among individuals with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol dependence (AD). We hypothesized that (a) reduction in negative cognitions mediates PTSD improvement during PE; (b) reduction in alcohol craving mediates reduction in drinking frequency during NAL treatment; and (c) PTSD improvement mediates reduction in craving and alcohol use during PE.
Method: Participants were 159 individuals meeting the DSM-IV diagnosis of PTSD and AD randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions: PE + NAL, PE + placebo (PBO), supportive counseling (SC) + NAL; and SC + PBO.
The study aims to determine whether 60-minute sessions of prolonged exposure (PE) that include 20 minutes of imaginal exposure (IE) are noninferior to the standard 90-minute sessions that include 40 minutes of IE in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and to explore the relationship of treatment outcome to within- and between-session habituation and change in negative cognitions. Thirty-nine adult veterans with chronic PTSD were randomly assigned to 90-minute (n=19) or 60-minute (n=20) sessions of PE. PTSD symptoms were assessed by an unaware independent evaluator before and after treatment and at 6-month follow-up.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPosttraumatic growth (PTG) is viewed as a positive psychological change resulting from a struggle with trauma. A number of trauma-related factors have been proven effective in predicting PTG; however, the effects of pretrauma psychological factors on PTG have not been adequately evaluated (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Child Adolesc Psychol
January 2018
Depressive symptoms are common among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Prolonged exposure therapy (PE) for PTSD has been found to alleviate both PTSD and depressive symptoms, but relatively little is known about the pattern of PTSD and depressive symptom change during treatment. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between changes in PTSD and depression during PE for adolescent (PE-A) and client-centered therapy (CCT).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Anxiety Disord
December 2014
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol dependence (AD) are frequently comorbid and the order in which they develop may affect the clinical presentation and response to treatment. This study compared 73 treatment-seeking participants who developed PTSD prior to developing AD ("PTSD-first") with 64 participants who developed AD prior to developing PTSD ("AD-first") on demographics, clinical presentation, and response to treatment for PTSD and AD. All participants received BRENDA, a medication management and motivational enhancement intervention and were randomly assigned to either prolonged exposure (PE) for PTSD plus BRENDA or BRENDA alone and to either naltrexone (NAL) for AD or placebo (PBO).
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