Massazza, Alessandro and Joffe, Helene and Hyland, Philip and Brewin, Chris R. (2021) The structure of peritraumatic reactions and their relationship with PTSD among disaster survivors. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 130 (3). pp. 248-259. ISSN 0021-843X

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Abstract

Peritraumatic reactions such as fear, psychic and somatoform dissociation, tonic immobility, data-driven processing, and mental defeat are important in the etiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However current measures of such reactions overlap conceptually and do not clearly identify distinct peritraumatic processes. It is not known which processes are uniquely associated with PTSD. We investigated the factor structure of six standard peritraumatic measures and their relationship with the four DSM-5 PTSD symptom clusters. Measures were administered to 308 earthquake survivors with high levels of exposure to traumatic events. Items comprising the six measures were investigated using exploratory structural equation modeling, which identified five peritraumatic response factors. Items from most measures loaded on multiple factors. The factors labeled Mental Defeat and Somatoform Dissociation significantly predicted all PTSD symptom clusters. The factor labeled Cognitive Overload significantly predicted Intrusions, Avoidance, and Alterations in Arousal and Reactivity. The factor labeled Immobility significantly predicted Intrusions and Avoidance while Distress significantly predicted Negative Alterations in Cognition and Mood and Alterations in Arousal and Reactivity. Due to the key role such reactions play in the development of PTSD, the findings are likely to benefit the study of etiological mechanisms, the prediction of those at greatest risk, and the design of preventative interventions

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Cite as: Massazza, A., Joffe, H., Hyland, P. and Brewin, C.R., 2021. The structure of peritraumatic reactions and their relationship with PTSD among disaster survivors. Journal of abnormal psychology, 130(3), p.248.
Keywords:	trauma; disaster; earthquakes; PTSD; dissociation; peritraumatic;
Academic Unit:	Assisting Living & Learning,ALL institute Faculty of Science and Engineering > Psychology
Item ID:	16729
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000663
Depositing User:	Philip Hyland
Date Deposited:	22 Nov 2022 12:08
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Abnormal Psychology
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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