scholarly journals Altered functional connectivity in the fear network of firefighters with repeated traumatic stress

2018 ◽  
Vol 214 (06) ◽  
pp. 347-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyeonseok Jeong ◽  
Shinwon Park ◽  
Stephen R. Dager ◽  
Soo Mee Lim ◽  
Suji L. Lee ◽  
...  

BackgroundFirefighters are routinely exposed to various traumatic events and often experience a range of trauma-related symptoms. Although these repeated traumatic exposures rarely progress to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder, firefighters are still considered to be a vulnerable population with regard to trauma.AimsTo investigate how the human brain responds to or compensates for the repeated experience of traumatic stress.MethodWe included 98 healthy firefighters with repeated traumatic experiences but without any diagnosis of mental illness and 98 non-firefighter healthy individuals without any history of trauma. Functional connectivity within the fear circuitry, which consists of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula, amygdala, hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), was examined using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Trauma-related symptoms were evaluated using the Impact of Event Scale – Revised.ResultsThe firefighter group had greater functional connectivity between the insula and several regions of the fear circuitry including the bilateral amygdalae, bilateral hippocampi and vmPFC as compared with healthy individuals. In the firefighter group, stronger insula–amygdala connectivity was associated with greater severity of trauma-related symptoms (β = 0.36, P = 0.005), whereas higher insula–vmPFC connectivity was related to milder symptoms in response to repeated trauma (β = −0.28, P = 0.01).ConclusionsThe current findings suggest an active involvement of insular functional connectivity in response to repeated traumatic stress. Functional connectivity of the insula in relation to the amygdala and vmPFC may be potential pathways that underlie the risk for and resilience to repeated traumatic stress, respectively.Declaration of interestNone.

2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Juan Chen ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Jun Ke ◽  
Rongfeng Qi ◽  
Qiang Xu ◽  
...  

Objective: The brain functional alterations at regional and network levels in post-traumatic stress disorder patients are still unclear. This study explored brain functional alterations at regional and network levels in post-traumatic stress disorder patients with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and evaluated the relationship between brain function and clinical indices in post-traumatic stress disorder. Methods: Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation and seed-based functional connectivity analyses were conducted among typhoon survivors with ( n = 27) and without post-traumatic stress disorder ( n = 33) and healthy controls ( n = 30) to assess the spontaneous brain activity and network-level brain function. Pearson correlation analyses were performed to examine the association of brain function with clinical symptom and social support. Results: Both the post-traumatic stress disorder group and the trauma-exposed control group showed decreased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex relative to the healthy control group. The post-traumatic stress disorder group showed increased dorsal anterior cingulate cortex functional connectivity with the right paracentral lobule and bilateral precentral gyrus/postcentral gyrus relative to both control groups. Both traumatized groups exhibited decreased dorsal anterior cingulate cortex functional connectivity with the right hippocampus and left cerebellum relative to the healthy control group. More decreased dorsal anterior cingulate cortex functional connectivity with the right hippocampus was found in the post-traumatic stress disorder group. The Checklist-Civilian Version score positively correlated with functional connectivity between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the right paracentral lobule as well as between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the right precentral gyrus/postcentral gyrus. The social support was associated with functional connectivity between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the bilateral precentral gyrus/postcentral gyrus as well as the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the left middle frontal gyrus. Conclusion: Trauma exposure may result in aberrant local and network-level functional connectivity in individuals with or without post-traumatic stress disorder. Altered amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex may be a predisposing risk factor for post-traumatic stress disorder development following trauma exposure. More prominent decreased dorsal anterior cingulate cortex functional connectivity with the right hippocampus might be specific in the post-traumatic stress disorder group. Improvement of social support might possibly be significant for post-traumatic stress disorder patients.


2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Cacciatore

This research study explores the effects of support groups on traumatic stress responses of women experiencing stillbirth. Women ( N = 47) responded to a mixed method questionnaire. Quantitative results utilizing the Impact of Event Scale Revised demonstrate that women who attend support group, when controlling for time, had fewer post traumatic stress symptoms than did the women who did not attend support group. Qualitative results elucidate the role of support groups in managing grief, suggesting that connectivity with other like women may be a useful strategy in reducing problematic psychological outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Davico ◽  
Ada Ghiggia ◽  
Daniele Marcotulli ◽  
Federica Ricci ◽  
Federico Amianto ◽  
...  

Aim: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has abruptly changed the life of millions as travel and social contacts have been severely restricted. We assessed the psychological impact of COVID-19 on adults and children, with special attention to health care workers (HCWs).Methods: A self-rated online survey, including the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) for adults and the Children Revised Impact of Event Scale-Revised-13 items (CRIES-13) for their 8–18-year-old offspring, was conducted in Italy on March 20–26, 2020. Linear mixed-effects models were applied to the data, accounting for age, sex, education, and other demographic characteristics.Results: Data were available from 2,419 adults (78.4% females, mean age 38.1 ± SD 13.1 years; 15.7% HCW) and 786 children (50.1% male, mean age 12.3 ± 3.2 years). Median (IQR) IES-R score was 30.0 (21.0–40.0), corresponding to mild psychological impact, with 33.2% reporting severe psychological impact. IES-R was lower in HCWs (29.0) than non-HCWs (31.0), but HCWs directly involved in COVID-19 care had higher scores [33.0 (26.0–43.2)] than uninvolved HCWs [28.0 (19.0–36.0)]. Median CRIES-13 score was [21.0 (11.0–32.0)], with 30.9% of the children at high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder. Parent and child scores were correlated.Conclusions: Up to 30% of adult and children in the pandemic area are at high risk for post-traumatic stress disturbances. The risk is greater for HCWs directly involved in COVID-19 care and for their children.


2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-22
Author(s):  
M. S. Tareen ◽  
C. McDowell ◽  
K. Naqvi ◽  
A. Bashir ◽  
P. Keenan ◽  
...  

In the aftermath of the major earthquake that hit Pakistan in 2005, there appeared to be a paucity of psychometric tools validated in Urdu. It was decided to translate the Impact of Event Scale - Revised (IES-R) so as to obtain an internationally validated and recognised psychometric tool for use in research into post-traumatic stress disorder. The resulting Urdu and English versions of the IES-R were compared for linguistic, conceptual and scale equivalence. The Urdu version of the IES-R (UIES-R) can be used for clinical, psychological trauma populations in Pakistan with evidence of good reliability and satisfactory validity. In trauma research in Pakistan the UIES-R will be an extremely useful psychometric tool.


2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 226-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Jonsson ◽  
Kerstin Segesten

AbstractIntroduction:This study investigated the prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms among professional ambulance personnel in Sweden and investigated the question: “Does self-knowledge have influence on how well one copes with the effects of daily work exposure from such events?” Little is known about the variables that might be associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms in highrisk occupational groups such as ambulance service groups.Methods:Data were gathered from ambulance personnel by means of an anonymous questionnaire. Survey responses of 362 ambulance personnel from the county of Västra Götaland were analyzed. A correlation was established between post-traumatic symptoms using the impact of event scale (IES-15) and the Professional Self-Description Form (PSDF).Results:Of those who reported a traumatic situation, 21.5% scored ≥ 26 on the IES-15 subscale. Scores >26 indicate “PTSD caseness”. There were significant differences on PSDF subscales between those presenting with or without posttraumatic symptoms.Conclusions:The mental health and emotional well-being of ambulance personnel appear to be compromised by accident and emergency work. The high prevalence of PTSD symptoms in ambulance personnel indicates an inability to cope with post-traumatic stress caused by daily work experiences.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vilija Malinauskienė ◽  
Lina Bernotaitė

Background. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) is often used as a  self-report instrument for symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTS). The objective of this study was to explore the reliability and validity of the Lithuanian IES-R in a sample of employees with exposure to workplace bullying in different occupations. Materials and methods. The  original IES-R was translated into Lithuanian, and the  comparability of content was verified through back-translation procedures. 294 employees with exposure to workplace bullying (52 teachers from the secondary schools of Kaunas, 56 family physicians, 101 nurses of internal medicine departments, 40 waiters, and 45 seafarers) were administered the  Lithuanian IES-R and the  General Health Questionnaire  –  12 (GHQ-12) in order to verify some aspects of convergent validity. The  exploratory factor analysis was used to verify the construct validity of the IES-R. Results. The reliability of the Lithuanian version of the IES-R was verified. Cronbach’s α of the total scale was 0.95. Exploratory factor analysis showed a clear factor structure with three independent dimensions: intrusion, avoidance and hyperarousal. Cronbach’s α for subscales of intrusion, avoidance and hyperarousal were 0.89, 0.85, and 0.88, respectively. The convergent validity was supported by positive correlations between the subscales (intrusion, avoidance, hyperarousal) and the GHQ-12. Conclusions. The results suggest that the self-reported Lithuanian IES-R is a valid instrument for assessing the dimensions of post-traumatic stress, has good psychometric properties, and may be applied in prolonged trauma-exposed populations.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsuya Okihara ◽  
Kohei Koizumi ◽  
Hidetoshi Takahashi ◽  
Mayumi Suzuki ◽  
Tomonori Takeda ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Research shows that post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are common in survivors of acute life-threatening illnesses, and rumination is considered to be associated with PTSS. Additionally, post-stroke symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (sPTSD) usually manifest as a type of anxiety disorder after a stroke. This study investigated the prevalence of sPTSD and the relationship between PTSS and rumination.Methods: The participants comprised 29 patients admitted to the Saitama Medical University International Medical Center within one week after experiencing a stroke. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised Japanese version (IES-R-J) and Leuven Adaptation of the Rumination on Sadness Scale Japanese version (LARSS-J) were employed for the evaluation of PTSS, sPTSD, and rumination.Results: The 29 patients (15 males, mean age: 63 ± 11 years) were classified as follows: 17 patients with cerebral infarction, 10 patients with cerebral hemorrhage, and 2 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. The ratio of persons with sPTSD (IES-R-J total score > 25) was 34% (10 patients). A significant positive correlation was found between PTSS and rumination (r = 0.460, p < 0.05).Conclusion: The findings indicated that approximately 30% of acute stroke patients experienced sPTSD, and that the severity of PTSS is related to rumination.


Psichologija ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evaldas Kazlauskas ◽  
Danutė Gailienė ◽  
Vėjūnė Domanskaitė-Gota ◽  
Jelena Trofimova

Tyrimo tikslas yra plačiai traumų psichologijos tyrimuose naudojamos potrauminio streso įvertinimo metodikos – Įvykio poveikio skalės – revizuotos versijos (IES-R) adaptavimas Lietuvoje. Ištyrus 406 asmenis, patyrusius per gyvenimą nors vieną trauminį įvykį, nustatyta, kad metodikos struktūra ir patikimumas yra artimas angliškosios versijos rodikliams. IES-R metodikos lietuviškosios versijos subskalių Cronbacho alpha lygi 0,82–0,88, visos IES-R metodikos alpha lygi 0,93. IES-R metodikos lietuviškoji versija parengta taikyti Lietuvoje.Pagrindiniai žodžiai: potrauminis stresas, įvykio poveikio skalė, metodikos. PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE LITHUANIAN VERSION OF THE IMPACT OF EVENT SCALE–REVISED (IES-R)Evaldas Kazlauskas, Danutė Gailienė, Vėjūnė Domanskaitė-Gota, Jelena Trofimova SummaryObjective: The impact of Event Scale–Revised is widely used self-report measure for assessment of PTSD symptoms after a variety of traumatic events. The aim of this study was to examined the psychometric properties of the Lithuanian version of the Impact of Event Scale–Revised.Method: A non-clinical population sample of 406 young adults participated in the study. All participants were exposed to at least one life-time traumatic event meeting A criteria of PTSD according to DSM-IV. Traumatic experiences were assessed using the list of life-time traumatic experiences.Results: The Lithuanian version of Impact of Event Scale–Revised has a good internal consistency. The coefficient alpha for the instrusion subscale was .88, for avoidance subscale alpha .82, and for hyperarousal subscale alpha .85. The Coefficient alpha for the total of Impact of Event Scale–Revised was .93. Subscale intercorrelations were: Intrusion with Avoidance r = .62, Intrusion with Hyperarousal r = .79, and Avoidance with Hyperarousal r = .60. A series of factor principal component analysis using varimax rotation with forced two-, three- and four- factor solutions was undertaken. The two-factor solution explained 49.1% of variance – comprising two gactors Instruction (including Hyperarousal) and Avoidance. The three-factor solution accounted for 54.8% of the variance consistent with three symptom criteria of PTSD: Intrusion, Hyperarousal and Avoidance. Items 2, 12 and 20 loaded on improper factors; item 7 did not load on any of the factors. The four-factor solution explained 59.5% of the variance, yielding four factors: Hyperarausal, Avoidance, Intrusion and Numbing.Conclusions: The Lithuanian version of Impact of Event Scale–Revised was found to have satisfactory psychometric properties. We conclude that the new self-report means of post-traumatic stress is adapted for useon Lithuanian population. Issues concerning norms of Impact of Event Scale–Revised and the limitations of the present study are discussed. Keywords: post-traumatic stress, Impact of Event Scale–Revised, Assessment methods.


Author(s):  
Seyed Hamid Seyed Bagheri ◽  
Sedigheh Iranmanesh ◽  
Masoud Rayyani ◽  
Mahlagha Dehghan ◽  
Batool Tirgari ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundAlmost 7.2%–10.6% of patients survive CPR in Iran. Most of them experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic growth (PTG). There are limited studies to assessing the correlation between these two psychological outcomes among CPR survivors.ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the correlation between PTSD and PTG among CPR survivors in South-East Iran.SubjectsUsing Quota sampling, 163 CPR survivors in two provinces in the South-East of Iran were selected to participate in this study.MethodA descriptive-correlational study was used to fulfill the aim of the study. The impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) for assessing PTSD and Post-traumatic growth questionnaires were used to assess PTG.ResultsThe mean score of PTSD was 39.89 and according to the cutoff point, 87.1% of participants suffered from PTSD. The mean score of PTG was 78.6. PTSD and PTG had significant negative correlation. The result of multi-variate logistic regression showed that only the PTG score predicted PTSD (Odds ratio = 0.79, CI = 0.72–0.87; and p < 0.001). The result of multi-variate linear regression indicated that PTSD, time passed since CPR, and physical disability caused by CPR predicted PTG score significantly.ConclusionThis study provides CPR survivors and health care personnel with some valuable insights about cultural aspects of PTSD and PTG among CPR survivors and that PTG is positively influenced by physical disability and time passed since CPR. CPR survivors may gain positive experience and valuable insight in group meetings and discussions with their counterparts.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 913-920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen-Maria Vasiliadis ◽  
Catherine Lamoureux-Lamarche ◽  
Michel Préville

ABSTRACTBackground:Benzodiazepines (BZD) should be limited in older adults. This study aimed to determine the association between BZD use and the presence of a probable post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS) and whether this association is dependent on gender and co-morbid physical and mental conditions.Methods:Data were retained from the Étude sur la Santé des Aînés (ESA) – Services study (2011–2013) and included 1,453 older adults (≥65 years) who completed a face to face at-home interview, who were covered under Quebec's public drug insurance plan, and had given permission to access their Régie de l'Assurance Maladie du Québec (RAMQ) medical and pharmaceutical services data. The presence of a PTSS was measured using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). The use of BZD and antidepressants in the year prior to interview was ascertained from data reported in the RAMQ drug registry. The presence of depression and an anxiety disorder was assessed with the ESA-Questionnaire which was based on DSM-5 criteria. The interaction between PTSS and gender, depression, anxiety, and multi-morbidity was also assessed.Results:The prevalence of PTSS and BZD use reached 4.5% and 31.2%. Participants with PTSS were 1.9 (95% CI = 1.1–3.2) times more likely to use BZD. The presence of depression had a negative impact on the association between BZD use and PTSS (p = 0.04).Conclusion:The use of BZD in older adults with PTSS is still prevalent today. Differences in benzodiazepine prescribing practices for more complex co-morbid psychiatric cases needs to be further studied.


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