Family psychiatric history, peritraumatic reactivity, and posttraumatic stress symptoms: A prospective study of police (original) (raw)

Traumatic stress reactions in police

1995

A personal construct model of traumatic stress reactions has been developed to predict die relationships between personal, trauma, and recovery factors. This model was evaluated in two studies with police. This research establishes some normative baseline epidemiological data on the levels of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in novice recruits and inexperienced police. The major implications of a personal construct model of traumatisation for poUce and policing organisations are discussed. The cross-sectional study included 750 recruits and inexperienced police. The repeated measures study re-assessed 193 recruits after one year of policing. Data were obtained on history, personal theories, potentially traumatising events and their subjective impact, perceived availability of social support, and trauma symptoms. The existence of PTSD was assessed by structured interview with 20% of the participants. A negative personal theory, a family history of psychological assistance, a repo...

Familial psychiatric illness in chronic posttraumatic stress disorder

Comprehensive Psychiatry, 1989

One hundred and eight veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were compared with 60 age-matched controls with regard to family history of psychiatric illness. Depressed controls had a higher morbidity risk (MR) for depression and generalized anxiety in siblings/parents and children, respectively. Patients with PTSD did not differ from alcoholics or nonpsychiatric controls on the basis of family history. PTSD was associated with greater familial anxiety when compared with controls who had experienced combat. When World War II and Vietnam veterans with PTSD were compared, a higher MR for alcohol and drug abuse was found in siblings/parents of Vietnam veterans, and a higher MR was found for other chronic psychiatric disorders in the children of Vietnam veterans.