The relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder, trauma centrality, posttraumatic growth and psychiatric co-morbidity among Chinese adolescents

Interaction between posttraumatic stress symptoms and posttraumatic growth among adolescents who experience an earthquake: A repeated longitudinal study

For adolescents who experience an earthquake, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) often co-occur. However, no study has yet examined how the interaction between them changes from the short term to the long term after an earthquake. This study conducted six surveys among local adolescents across three waves after the Wenchuan earthquake, and a directed network of PTSS and PTG co-occurrence was constructed for each wave. It was found that the bridge nodes between PTSSs and PTG were different for each wave. The connection between PTSSs and PTG became loose over time. The incubation effect of PTSSs on PTG was sustained until the middle term but was not observed in the long term. The suppression effect of PTSSs on PTG was only observed in the short term. PTG not only alleviated PTSSs but also exacerbated PTSSs. Finally, the effect of PTSSs on PTG was much stronger than that of PTG on PTSSs. This study suggests that efforts should be made to alleviate specific PTSSs or facilitate specific PTG elements among adolescents for different terms after an earthquake, and PTG is more likely to be an outcome of trauma rather than a strategy for coping with trauma.

A comparison of ICD-11 and DSM-5 criteria of PTSD among Chinese trauma-exposed adolescent samples

This study aimed at comparing the prevalence and comorbidity differences of PTSD according to ICD-11 and DSM-5 definitions across two Chinese adolescent trauma-exposed samples. A total of 1,201 students exposed to earthquake and 559 students from vocational schools exposed to potentially traumatic events were included in this study. The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 was used to measure PTSD symptoms. The MDD and GAD subscales of the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale were used to measure major depression disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms. No significant PTSD prevalence differences between ICD-11 and DSM-5 were found across the two samples. The differences regarding comorbidities between ICD-11 and DSM-5 definitions were not significant among these two samples. The results revealed that the ICD-11 and DSM-5 provided similar prevalence of PTSD and comorbidity rates with MDD and GAD in Chinese trauma-exposed adolescent samples. This study contributes to the current understanding of the similarities and differences using different PTSD criteria and informs the organization and application of these two globally applied PTSD criteria.

An orchestrating role of mitochondria in the origin and development of post-traumatic stress disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most discussed and actively researched areas in medicine, psychiatry, neurophysiology, biochemistry and rehabilitation over the last decades. Multiple causes can trigger post-traumatic stress disorder. Humans subjected to violence, participants in hostilities, victims of terrorist attacks, physical or psychological persecution, witnessing scenes of cruelty, survival of natural disasters, and more, can strongly affect both children and adults. Pathological features of post-traumatic stress disorder that are manifested at molecular, cellular and whole-organism levels must be clearly understood for successful diagnosis, management, and minimizing of long-term outcomes associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. This article summarizes existing data on different post-traumatic stress disorder causes and symptoms, as well as effects on homeostasis, genetic instability, behavior, neurohumoral balance, and personal psychic stability. In particular, we highlight a key role of mitochondria and oxidative stress development in the severity and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Excessive or prolonged exposure to traumatic factors can cause irreversible mitochondrial damage, leading to cell death. This review underlines the exceptional importance of data integration about the mechanisms and functions of the mitochondrial stress response to develop a three-dimensional picture of post-traumatic stress disorder pathophysiology and develop a comprehensive, universal, multifaceted, and effective strategy of managing or treatment post-traumatic stress disorder.

Comparison between emerging adults and adults in terms of contamination fear, post-COVID-19 PTSD and psychiatric comorbidity

The present study compared Chinese emerging adults and adults regarding the association between contamination fear, posttraumatic stress disorder post-COVID-19 and psychiatric comorbidity after controlling for demographic and trauma exposure variables. 1089 Chinese civilians (M = 382; F = 707) with a mean age of 26 years (M = 26.36, SD = 8.58) were recruited from different provinces in China via an online survey posted on mainstream Chinese social networking platforms. They completed a demographic page with questions on trauma exposure, the Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 and the General Health Questionnaire-28. Results showed that 12.7%, 68.7% and 18.6% met criteria for full, partial and no PTSD, respectively. Emerging adults reported significantly lower levels of symptoms of re-experiencing, avoidance, somatic problems, anxiety and fear of contamination than adults. In both emerging adults and adults, contamination fear was correlated with PTSD and psychiatric comorbidity. High educational attainment was significantly correlated with psychiatric comorbidity in emerging adults, but with PTSD in adults. Length of quarantine was correlated with psychiatric comorbidity only in adults. In conclusion, both emerging adults and adults developed varying levels of contamination fear, posttraumatic stress and general psychological symptoms following the outbreak of COVID-19. Emerging adults were more resilient than adults in coping with distress.

Network analysis on the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder, psychiatric co-morbidity and posttraumatic growth among Chinese adolescents

BACKGROUND

This study investigated the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychiatric co-morbidity and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among Chinese adolescents using network analysis.

METHODS

867 Chinese adolescents (male = 424, female = 443) were recruited from three secondary schools. They completed the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, and the General Health Questionnaire-28.

RESULTS

Domains of each construct mainly clustered within their respective communities with several bridging edges identified. The prominent roles of bridging nodes and edges (positive and negative) were highlighted. Key bridging nodes were negative alterations in cognitions and mood for PTSD, anxiety and insomnia for psychiatric co-morbidity and appreciation of life for PTG.

LIMITATIONS

The cross-sectional nature of the present study may preclude the identification of real causal relationships between nodes.

CONCLUSIONS

Following a trauma, adolescents displayed posttraumatic stress along with general psychological disorder symptoms. These distress reactions could affect the way they appreciated life and their motivation to seek future life possibilities. Findings from the current study may provide some clue for the facilitation of posttraumatic growth among clinical patients.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Centrality of Event Scale across multiple trauma-exposed Taiwanese samples

The widely used Centrality of Event Scale (CES) measures the extent that a traumatic event serves as a central component of self-identity, a reference point, and a turning point in an individual's life story. The present study aimed to develop a Chinese version of the CES and assess its reliability, criterion validity, and factor structure. Data were collected from three samples of trauma-exposed Taiwanese individuals (N = 939), including 420 earthquake survivors, 300 trauma-exposed community adults, and 219 trauma-exposed undergraduate students. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis and compared the resulting models with a one-factor model and the originally proposed model. The results indicated that a new three-factor model, S-Bχ² (167, N = 519) = 687.01, p < .001, CFI = .95, IFI = .95, NNFI = .94, RMSEA = .078, SRMR = .047, might better represent the construct compared to the one-factor or originally proposed model. Furthermore, the Chinese CES demonstrated excellent internal consistency, Cronbach's αs = .89-.94; adequate 1-month reliability, rs = .54-.64, and 6-month temporal stability, rs = .52-.67; and good concurrent and predictive validity. The findings indicate that the Chinese version of the CES demonstrates good psychometric properties with a three-factor structure, and it could be used to assess event centrality among nonclinical trauma-exposed Taiwanese adults.

Analysis of the psychometric properties of the five-factor self-concept questionnaire (AF-5) in Spanish students during the COVID-19 lockdown

The present research aims to analyse the psychometric properties of the AF5 questionnaire for its adaptation for use with young people during a lockdown period. Research was conducted with a sample of 534 students aged between 13 and 17 years (M = 14.49; SD = 1.805). Exploratory factor analysis was conducted using the FACTOR program and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using the M-PLUS 7 program. Results indicate that a four-dimensional model is most appropriate for bringing together the emotional and physical dimensions. Further, 11 items were removed due to poor factor loadings. The majority of factors were directly and positively correlated (99%; p < .01). The data obtained supports conclusions that the AF-5 meets validity and reliability requirements for it to be considered a useful instrument for use with young people during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

Cross-Sectional Study of Self-Concept and Gender in Relation to Physical Activity and Martial Arts in Spanish Adolescents during the COVID-19 Lockdown

The COVID-19 lockdown has negatively affected individuals’ welfare. However, there has been no research published heretofore about the levels of self-concept (SC) in adolescents, nor how having practised martial arts (MA) or any physical activity (PA) before the lockdown may have influenced the SC in that time. Hence, this study aimed to analyze some demographic, physical, and psychosocial parameters in Spanish adolescents throughout the COVID-19 quarantine through a cross-sectional investigation, establishing correlations among these factors. Methods: The present study had a descriptive, comparative, and cross-sectional design. The sample comprised of 54 (39.7%) male and 82 (60.3%) female Spanish adolescents aged 12–18 (M = 14.49; SD = 1.80). An ad-hoc questionnaire collected sociodemographic data; the self-concept Form 5 (AF5) questionnaire obtained data on SC dimensions. Results: There were some differences among the SC dimensions, with family and academic dimensions having higher values than the physical and emotional ones. Females’ academic SC was higher than that of males (p = 0.019). The practice of PA before the lockdown was positively associated with physical (p < 0.001) and social (p = 0.012) SC, yet there was no significant association between the previous practice of MA and SC (p > 0.050). Conclusions: the findings suggest that the COVID-19 lockdown negatively affected Spanish adolescents by decreasing their total SC and some dimensions of it, although PA may buffer psychological harmfulness in adolescents.