The protective role of tangible support on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in urban women survivors of violence (original) (raw)
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2020
Consequences of nondomestic violence are known to be multifaceted with high rates of emotional and psychological problems in addition to physical injuries, and victims report many trauma related symptoms. This study explore if perceived social support (PSS) (Social Provisions Scale [SPS]) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (Impact of Event Scale [IES-22]) are interrelated among adult victims at four assessment points up until eight years after the exposure to physical assault; soon after the event (T1), three months after T1 (T2), one year after T1 (T3), and eight years after T1 (T4). One hundred and forty-three subjects participated at T1, 94 at T2, 73 at T3, and 47 accepted a follow-up at T4. At T1, 138 of 143 completed the questionnaires within 16 weeks after the incident. PTSD symptoms were highly correlated across time (p < .001); PSS were significantly correlated only between T1 and T2 (p < .001), T1 and T3 (p < .05), and between T2 and T3 (p < .05)...
Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2011
Poor social support in the aftermath of a traumatic event is a well-established risk factor for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among adult trauma survivors. Yet, a great deal about the relationship between social support and PTSD remains poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed data from 102 survivors of a serious motor vehicle accident (MVA) at 4 weeks (Time 1) and 16 weeks (Time 2) post-MVA. We assessed the role of perceived dyadic social support, positive dyadic interaction, and negative dyadic interaction in the development and maintenance of PTSD. In addition, we examined how these social support constructs work together with negative post-trauma cognitions to affect the maintenance of PTSD. Neither perceived social support nor the quality of social interaction (i.e., positive or negative) was associated with PTSD symptom severity at Time 1. However, among those with elevated PTSD symptom severity at Time 1, greater social support and positive social interaction and lower negative social interaction were each associated with reductions in PTSD symptom severity from Time 1 to Time 2. For social support and negative social interaction, this association ceased to be significant when jointly assessed with negative post-trauma cognitions, suggesting that perceived social support and negative dyadic interaction were associated with maintenance of PTSD symptom severity because of their association with negative posttrauma cognitions. These results provide support to models and treatments of PTSD that emphasize the role of negative post-trauma cognitions in maintenance of PTSD.
Journal of traumatic stress, 2016
Social support and coping affect each other after stressful life events, including sexual assault (Taylor & Stanton, 2007). The present study examined the associations among assault-specific support, maladaptive coping, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) over 3 years in a sample of female sexual assault survivors from a large metropolitan area (N = 1,863). A 3-wave cross-lagged panel model revealed significant weak-to-moderate reciprocal associations between maladaptive coping and PTSS (βs = .09 to .21), significant weak reciprocal associations between turning against social reactions and PTSS (βs = .07 to .10), and inconsistent weak reciprocal associations between maladaptive coping and unsupportive acknowledgment reactions (βs = .06 to .14). We conclude with implications regarding treatment and intervention for survivors and their support networks.
A Public Health Problem: Consequences of Trauma on Health Outcomes and the Role of Social Support
Spotlight on Public Health Research, 2019
Introduction: Extensive research substantiates a negative correlation between stress and health. The implications of traumatic stress are complex, affecting the physical, psychological, physiological, and social health of individuals. The aim of this study was to examine the role of social support in relation to trauma-related health consequences. Methods: Nationally representative data were obtained from the Midlife in the United States study, covering the period 2004-2006, and used in regression models to predict the relationships between types of trauma (adult vs. childhood), measures of social support, and biomarkers of stress reactivity (cortisol, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), and number of health conditions). Results: The study found that an increase in traumatic experiences during adulthood was associated with a higher logged cortisol level, but social support did not buffer these effects. No significant trends were observed with childhood trauma. Conclusions: Re...
International Journal of Stress Management, 2012
The present study examined how different types of social support differentially moderated the relationship between trauma history characteristics and the development of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSS) following a motor vehicle accident (MVA). Two hundred thirty-five MVA victims self-reported levels of social support and trauma history, and were evaluated for PTSS 6-and 12-months post-MVA. Results indicated that after controlling for gender, injury severity and income, number of prior trauma types and subjective responses to prior traumatization predicted subsequent PTSS (ps < .05). Appraisal social support was a significant moderator of the total number of types of trauma (appraisal: 6-months β = −.16, p < .05; 12months β = −.17, p < .05) and subjective physical injury during the prior trauma (appraisal: 6months β = −.14, p < .05; 12-months β = −.19, p < .05) in predicting PTSS. Results underscore the importance of examining both trauma history and social support as multi-dimensional constructs and suggest merit to addressing social support in trauma victims with a prior trauma history.
Anxiety, Stress, & Coping
Background/Objectives: Inner-city Black women may be more susceptible to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than White women, although mechanisms underlying this association are unclear. Living in urban neighborhoods distinguished by higher chronic stress may contribute to racial differences in women's cognitive, affective, and social vulnerabilities, leading to greater trauma-related distress including PTSD. Yet social support could buffer the negative effects of psychosocial vulnerabilities on women's health. Methods/Design: Mediation and moderated mediation models were tested with 371 inner-city women, including psychosocial vulnerability (i.e., catastrophizing, anger, social undermining) mediating the pathway between race and PTSD, and social support moderating psychosocial vulnerability and PTSD. Results: Despite comparable rates of trauma, Black women reported higher vulnerability and PTSD symptoms, and lower support compared to White Hispanic and non-Hispanic women. Psychosocial vulnerability mediated the pathway between race and PTSD, and social support moderated vulnerability, reducing negative effects on PTSD. When examining associations by race, the moderation effect remained significant for Black women only.
Violence and Victims, 2019
The study used the ecological model of trauma and recovery (Harvey, 1996) to examine the rates of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among female victims of domestic violence. Five hundred and five participants completed questionnaires upon entering shelters in Israel. Analysis showed that 61% of the participants reported probable PTSD. Childhood exposure to violence, violence severity, and feeling helpless were all associated with high PTSD levels. By contrast, Ethiopian ethnicity, social support, and a stronger sense of control were associated with lower PTSD levels. However, the interaction between social support and violence duration showed that social support did not moderate PTSD when exposure to violence endured. The study emphasizes that resources deteriorate, and that policy-augmenting prevention programs would increase treatment potential to strengthen survivors' coping capacities.
Impact of social support on severity of posttraumatic stress disorder
Acta Medica …, 2010
The last decade of the 20th century, with its well-known events in the former Yugoslavia, resulted in an increased number of cases of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This, however, imposed the need for a better understanding of this disorder for the purpose of ...