Objective: There is some evidence that individuals previously been exposed to traumatic events may present higher vulnerability to PTSD because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Furthermore, exposure to traumatic events may cause changes in attachment orientations which might influence levels of PTSD symptoms (PTSS) in populations subjected to "stay-home" measures related to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Method: The present study analyzed interrelations of number of traumatic events, attachment orientations, and PTSS during the COVID-19 in a group of Portuguese participants. The study comprised 2 time points: 3 days after the beginning of the lockdown (time 1) and 3 days before the end of the lockdown (time 2). Sample included 736 Portuguese participants who completed the questionnaires at both time points. Data were collected through a survey that included self-reported questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine if effect of number of traumatic events on PTSS at T2 was mediated attachment orientations at T1.
Results: Higher exposure to traumatic events was associated with higher levels of PTSS. Attachment anxiety at T1 partially mediated the effect of number of traumatic events on PTS at T2.
Conclusion: Findings suggest that PTSS is a risk induced by the establishment of a total lockdown and that individuals with higher exposure to traumatic events and higher attachment anxiety levels present increased risk of higher levels of PTSS at the end of the lockdown. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0001312 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Serious mental health conditions and exposure to adulthood trauma in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review.
Glob Ment Health (Camb)
November 2024
South African Medical Research Council Unit on the Genomics of Brain Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Background: There is a strong link between trauma exposure and serious mental health conditions (SMHCs), such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The majority of research in the field has focused on childhood trauma as a risk factor for developing an SMHC and on samples from high-income countries. There is less research on having an SMHC as a risk factor for exposure to traumatic events, and particularly on populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDentate gyrus norepinephrine ramping facilitates aversive contextual processing.
Nat Commun
January 2025
Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Dysregulation in aversive contextual processing is believed to affect several forms of psychopathology, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The dentate gyrus (DG) is an important brain region in contextual discrimination and disambiguation of new experiences from prior memories. The DG also receives dense projections from the locus coeruleus (LC), the primary source of norepinephrine (NE) in the mammalian brain, which is active during stressful events.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTraumatic stress and post-traumatic growth in individuals who have had Covid-19: The mediating effect of resilience and moderating effect of psychological flexibility.
PLoS One
January 2025
Faculty of Education, Department of Guidance and Psychological Counseling, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Türkiye.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a global impact and has negatively affected the mental health of individuals. It is known that depression, anxiety and traumatic stress levels are high in individuals who have experienced Covid-19. In light of this, an increase in Post-Traumatic Growth (PTB) levels is expected.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrauma echoes: factors associated with peritraumatic distress and anxiety five days following Iranian missile attack on Israel.
Eur J Psychotraumatol
December 2025
Department of Gerontology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
On 13-14 April 2024, Iran launched ∼300 drones and missiles at Israel, in an unprecedented attack. As most studies examine the effects of trauma months or years later, less is known about its effects days later. To fill this gap, this study gauged the population response, five days after the attack.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeterogeneity in racist events and posttraumatic mental health among Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) first responders.
Eur J Psychotraumatol
December 2025
Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA.
Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) first responders in Canada report experiencing racism and an increased risk of trauma-related mental health symptoms. Using a BIPOC first responder sample in Canada, the present study examined subgroups of BIPOC first responders based on the frequency of different types of racist events, and their relations with mental health symptoms (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] symptom clusters of intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood [NACM], and alterations in arousal and reactivity [AAR]; depression severity; anxiety severity). The sample included 196 BIPOC first responders who reported more than one traumatic experience (= 35.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!