摘要:

Chronic medical conditions drastically affect the lives of those afflicted, leading to pain, disability, and disruption. Comorbid depression can exacerbate the effects of medical illness and may be an independent source of suffering and disability. Data from the Epidemiological Follow-Up Study (NHEFS) of the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) are used to examine the manner in which depression and comorbid medical conditions interact to affect health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The findings suggest a) that the effects of depression are comparable with those of arthritis, diabetes, and hypertension; and b) that depression and chronic medical illnesses interact to amplify the effects of the medical illness. The data also support the merit of adopting a multidimensional approach to HRQOL rather than treating it unidimensionally.

ISSN:0022-3018    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2002

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with depression and alcohol abuse. PTSD symptoms also contribute to poor health among military veterans. The aim of the present study was to test models pertaining to the direct and indirect influences of PTSD symptoms on the health status of deployed and sociodemographically comparable nondeployed military personnel. Participants were 1187 deployed male peacekeepers and 669 nondeployed male military personnel who completed a battery of questionnaires, including measures of PTSD symptoms, depression, alcohol use, and general health status. Structural equation modeling was used to test predictions regarding the direct and indirect influences of PTSD symptoms on health status. Results indicate that PTSD symptoms have a direct influence on health, regardless of deployment status. PTSD symptoms also indirectly promote poorer health through influence on depression, but not alcohol use, in deployed and nondeployed peacekeepers. Increased alcohol use did not contribute to poorer health beyond the contribution of PTSD symptoms alone. Future research directions are discussed.

ISSN:0022-3018    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2002

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

This study examined the incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in 1027 earthquake survivors who were consecutively referred to a community center at a mean of 14 months after the August 1999 earthquake in Turkey. Seventy-seven percent of referrals were women. The estimated rates of PTSD and major depression were 63% and 42%, respectively. More severe PTSD symptoms related to greater fear during the earthquake, female gender, lower education, loss of friends, shorter time since the earthquake, and material loss. More severe depression symptoms related to female gender, longer time since the earthquake, lower educational level, loss of a family member, and past psychiatric illness. In conclusion, long-term public mental health policies are needed for postearthquake psychological problems. These policies need to take into account the risk factors for traumatic stress and the gender differences in referral patterns. The differential stressor-response relationship may have important implications for treatment.

ISSN:0022-3018    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2002

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Grief and dissociation after traumatic exposures are among the most important predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This article introduces the Traumatic Dissociation and Grief Scale (TDGS), a 23-item measure easily administered. The TDGS, the Child PTSD-Reaction Index (CPTSD-RI), and a questionnaire concerning risk factors related to the event (losses, injury, and witnessing death and injuries) were administered to school-aged children who had been directly exposed to the 1999 earthquakes in Turkey and to a nonexposed control group. Factor analysis of the TDGS yielded four factors: perceptual distortions, body-self distortions, irritability, and guilt and anhedonia. A moderate positive correlation was noted between the TDGS and the CPTSD-RI. Different sets of risk factors were associated with the different scale factors. The results suggest that the assessment of psychopathology in children following a disaster requires the complementary evaluation of symptoms of posttrauma, dissociation, and grief.

ISSN:0022-3018    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2002

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

The September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorist attacks led to speculation about the vulnerability of psychiatric patients to psychological distress following such events. This study examined the impact of national terrorist attacks on psychiatric and medical outpatients living approximately 150 to 200 miles from the attack sites (N= 308). Two to 3 weeks following 9/11, patients were given questionnaires assessing background information, healthcare service utilization, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Psychiatric patients (33%) were significantly more likely than medical patients (13%) to report distressing symptoms meeting criteria for PTSD (except for the duration criterion) despite no differences in learning about the attacks or personal involvement with the victims. Patients meeting PTSD criteria were more likely to schedule an appointment to speak with their physician about their reactions. Psychiatric patients not directly impacted by the 9/11 terrorist attacks are at increased risk for experiencing distressing symptoms following national terrorist attacks.

ISSN:0022-3018    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2002

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

A cross-sectional study of 437 ambulance officers in a large state of Australia examined the long-term effects of suppressing emotion reactions to exposure to trauma. Results indicate that the use of emotion-suppressing defenses (e.g., withdrawal or acting out) have a highly significant positive relationship with physical and psychological stress symptoms. Alexithymia scores were also positively associated with stress symptoms. In addition, there was a positive association between years of ambulance service and stress symptoms. Implications of the findings are discussed for recovery from exposure to trauma of emergency services personnel and more generally to the experience of survivors of trauma.

ISSN:0022-3018    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2002

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0022-3018    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2002

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0022-3018    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2002

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0022-3018    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2002

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0022-3018    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2002

数据来源: OVID