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Langeland W, Olff M. Sex and gender in psychotrauma research. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2024; 15:2358702. [PMID: 38872459 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2024.2358702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is two to three times more common in women than in men. To better understand this phenomenon, we need to know why men, women, and possibly individuals with other sex/gender identities respond differently to trauma. To stimulate sex and gender sensitive research, the European Journal of Psychotraumatology (EJPT) was the first journal to adopt a gender policy. In addition, a call for papers entitled Integrating and Evaluating Sex and Gender in Psychotrauma Research was announced.Objective: This special issue synthesizes the past five years of psychotrauma research with regard to sex/gender differences.Method: Seventy-seven articles were identified from EJPT archives, including five systematic reviews. These articles examined sex differences and/or gender differences in exposure to trauma, posttraumatic stress responses, or how sex and gender impacts (mental) health outcomes or treatment responses.Results: Findings from these studies outlined that: 1. sex and gender still need to be more clearly defined, also in relation to the context that codetermine trauma responses, like other 'diversity' variables; 2. in most studies, sex and gender are measured or reported as binary variables; 3. sex and gender are important variables when examining trauma exposure, responses to these events, symptoms trajectories, and mental and physical health outcomes across the life span; and 4. in PTSD treatment studies, including a meta-analysis and a systematic review, sex and gender were not significant predictors of treatment outcome.Conclusion: Future research must focus on sex and gender as important and distinct variables; they should include sex and gender in their statistical analyses plan to better clarify associations between these variables and (responses to) psychotrauma. To enhance reporting of comparable data across studies, we provide suggestions for future research, including how to assess sex and gender.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willemien Langeland
- Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Miranda Olff
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers Location AMC, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, Diemen, The Netherlands
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Torres L, Geier TJ, Tomas CW, Bird CM, Timmer-Murillo S, Larson CL, deRoon-Cassini TA. Racial discrimination increases the risk for nonremitting posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in traumatically injured Black individuals living in the United States. J Trauma Stress 2024. [PMID: 38650107 DOI: 10.1002/jts.23051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Traumatic, life-threatening events are experienced commonly among the general U.S. population, yet Black individuals in the United States (i.e., Black Americans) exhibit higher prevalence rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and more severe symptoms than other populations. Although empirical research has noted a range of symptom patterns that follow traumatic injury, minimal work has examined the role of racial discrimination in relation to PTSD symptom trajectories. The current study assessed racial discrimination and PTSD symptom trajectories at 6 months postinjury across two separate samples of traumatically injured Black Americans (i.e. emergency department (ED)-discharged and hospitalized). Identified PTSD symptom trajectories largely reflect those previously reported (i.e., ED: nonremitting, moderate, remitting, and resilient; hospitalized: nonremitting, delayed, and resilient), although the resilient trajectory was less represented than expected given past research (ED: 55.8%, n = 62; hospitalized: 46.9%, n = 38). Finally, higher racial discrimination was associated with nonremitting, ED: relative risk ratio (RR) = 1.32, hospitalized: RR = 1.23; moderate, ED: RR = 1.18; and delayed, hospitalized: RR = 1.26, PTSD symptom trajectories. Overall, the current findings not only emphasize the inimical effects of racial discrimination but also demonstrate the unique ways in which race-related negative events can impact PTSD symptom levels and recovery across time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Torres
- Department of Psychology, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Timothy J Geier
- Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Carissa W Tomas
- Institute for Health and Equity, Division of Epidemiology and Social Sciences, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Claire M Bird
- Baylor Scott and White Research Institute, Trauma Research Consortium, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Sydney Timmer-Murillo
- Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Christine L Larson
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Terri A deRoon-Cassini
- Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Schmidt KFR, Gensichen JS, Schroevers M, Kaufmann M, Mueller F, Schelling G, Gehrke-Beck S, Boede M, Heintze C, Wensing M, Schwarzkopf D. Trajectories of post-traumatic stress in sepsis survivors two years after ICU discharge: a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Crit Care 2024; 28:35. [PMID: 38287438 PMCID: PMC10823628 DOI: 10.1186/s13054-024-04815-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Post-traumatic stress has been identified as a frequent long-term complication in survivors of critical illnesses after sepsis. Little is known about long-term trajectories of post-traumatic stress and potentially modifiable risk factors following the ICU stay. Study objective was to explore and compare different clinical trajectories of post-traumatic stress symptoms in sepsis survivors up to two years after discharge from ICU. METHODS Data on post-traumatic stress symptoms by means of the Post-traumatic Symptom Scale (PTSS-10) were collected in sepsis survivors at one, six, 12 and 24 months after discharge from ICU. Data on chronic psychiatric diagnoses prior ICU were derived from the primary care provider's health records, and data on intensive care treatment from ICU documentation. Trajectories of post-traumatic symptoms were identified ex post, discriminating patterns of change and k-means clustering. Assignment to the trajectories was predicted in multinomial log-linear models. RESULTS At 24 months, all follow-up measurements of the PTSS-10 were completed in N = 175 patients. Three clusters could be identified regarding clinical trajectories of PTSS levels: stable low symptoms (N = 104 patients [59%]), increasing symptoms (N = 45 patients [26%]), and recovering from symptoms (N = 26 patients [15%]). Patients with initially high post-traumatic symptoms were more likely to show a decrease (OR with 95% CI: 1.1 [1.05, 1.16]). Females (OR = 2.45 [1.11, 5.41]) and patients reporting early traumatic memories of the ICU (OR = 4.04 [1.63, 10]) were at higher risk for increasing PTSS levels. CONCLUSION Post-traumatic stress is a relevant long-term burden for sepsis patients after ICU stay. Identification of three different trajectories within two years after ICU discharge highlights the importance of long-term observation, as a quarter of patients reports few symptoms at discharge yet an increase in symptoms in the two years following. Regular screening of ICU survivors on post-traumatic stress should be considered even in patients with few symptoms and in particular in females and patients reporting traumatic memories of the ICU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konrad F R Schmidt
- Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Charité University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117, Berlin, Germany.
- Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Jena University Hospital, D-07743, Jena, Germany.
- Center of Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC), Jena University Hospital, D-07747, Jena, Germany.
| | - Jochen S Gensichen
- Center of Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC), Jena University Hospital, D-07747, Jena, Germany
- Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, University Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, D-80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Maya Schroevers
- Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, NL-9700 AB, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Martina Kaufmann
- Office of Good Scientific Practice, Charité University Medicine, D-10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Friederike Mueller
- Center of Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC), Jena University Hospital, D-07747, Jena, Germany
- Department of Child and Youth Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Asklepios Hospital Luebben, D-15907, Luebben, Germany
| | - Gustav Schelling
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, D-80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Sabine Gehrke-Beck
- Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Charité University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Monique Boede
- Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Jena University Hospital, D-07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Christoph Heintze
- Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Charité University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michel Wensing
- Department of General Practice and Health Services Research, University Hospital Heidelberg, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Daniel Schwarzkopf
- Center of Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC), Jena University Hospital, D-07747, Jena, Germany
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Jena University Hospital, Am Klinikum 1, D-07747, Jena, Germany
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Hilberdink CE, van Zuiden M, Olff M, Roseboom TJ, de Rooij SR. The impact of adversities across the lifespan on psychological symptom profiles in late adulthood: a latent profile analysis. J Dev Orig Health Dis 2023; 14:508-522. [PMID: 37477375 DOI: 10.1017/s2040174423000181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
People commonly face adverse circumstances throughout life, which increases risk for psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, depression, psychosis, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Adversities may occur during different periods in life. Especially adversity during early periods has been suggested to put individuals at risk for adverse mental health outcomes. Here, we investigated whether timing of adversity during the prenatal period, childhood, or mid-to-late adulthood differentially impacted classification into late adulthood symptom profiles. We performed sex-stratified Latent Profile Analysis to identify latent profiles regarding anxious, depressive, psychotic, and PTSD symptoms in n = 568 Dutch famine birth cohort members (n = 294 women, n = 274 men, mean age(SD) = 72.9(0.8)). Cross-sectional late adulthood symptomatology, childhood traumatic maltreatment, and adulthood trauma were based on self-report questionnaires. Prenatal adversity was considered present when individuals were prenatally exposed to the 1944-45 Dutch famine. In both men and women we identified one anxious/depressive profile and three profiles with approximately equal severity of all symptom types within each profile, yet differentiating in overall severity (low, mild, high) between profiles. We additionally found a PTSD symptom profile in women. In men, logistic regression models showed significant associations between prenatal, childhood and adulthood adversity, and profile classification, with differential effects depending on timing and most profound effects of child maltreatment. In women, childhood and adulthood adversity significantly increased classification probability into almost all profiles, with no significant effect of prenatal adversity. These findings support a time-dependent and sex-specific impact of adversity during different periods across the lifespan on psychological health, with consequences into late adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- C E Hilberdink
- Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Psychiatry, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience Research Institute, Mood, Anxiety, Psychosis, Stress and Sleep, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M van Zuiden
- Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Psychiatry, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience Research Institute, Mood, Anxiety, Psychosis, Stress and Sleep, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - M Olff
- Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Psychiatry, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience Research Institute, Mood, Anxiety, Psychosis, Stress and Sleep, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- ARQ, National Psychotrauma Centre, Diemen, The Netherlands
| | - T J Roseboom
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - S R de Rooij
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Aging and Later Life, Health Behaviors and Chronic Diseases, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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López-Castro T, Papini S, Bauer A, Swarbrick M, Paul LK, Nizzi MC, Stanley D, Team CD, Hien D. Posttraumatic stress disorder symptom trajectories in a 16-month COVID-19 pandemic period. J Trauma Stress 2023; 36:180-192. [PMID: 36572985 PMCID: PMC9880687 DOI: 10.1002/jts.22899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic presents an unheralded opportunity to better understand trajectories of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms across a prolonged period of social disruption and stress. We tracked PTSD symptoms among trauma-exposed individuals in the United States and sought to identify population-based variability in PTSD symptom trajectories and understand what, if any, early pandemic experiences predicted membership in one trajectory versus others. As part of a longitudinal study of U.S. residents during the pandemic, participants who reported at least one potentially traumatic experience in their lifetime (N = 1,206) at Wave 1 (April 2020) were included in the current study. PTSD symptoms were assessed using the PCL-5 at four time points extending to July 2021. Latent growth mixture modeling was used to identify heterogeneous symptom trajectories. Trajectory membership was regressed on experiences from the early stage of the pandemic as measured using the Epidemic-Pandemic Impacts Inventory in a model that controlled for variables with documented associations to PTSD trajectories, including age, sex, income, and trauma history. Four trajectories were identified, categorized as resilient (73.0%), recurring (13.3%), recovering (8.3%), and chronic (5.5%). Emotional and physical health problems and positive changes associated with the early phase of the pandemic were each significant predictors of trajectory membership over and above all other variables in the model. Predictors primarily differentiated the resilient trajectory from each of the other three trajectories. Distinct PTSD symptom trajectories during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest a need for targeted efforts to help individuals at most risk for ongoing distress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa López-Castro
- Psychology Department, Colin Powell School of Civic and Global Leadership, The City College of New York, New York, New York, USA
| | - Santiago Papini
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California, USA
| | - Alexandria Bauer
- Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Margaret Swarbrick
- Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Lynn K Paul
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - Damian Stanley
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA.,Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, USA
| | - Covid-Dynamic Team
- Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Denise Hien
- Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
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Al Hariri M, Zgheib H, Abi Chebl K, Azar M, Hitti E, Bizri M, Rizk J, Kobeissy F, Mufarrij A. Assessing the psychological impact of Beirut Port blast: A cross-sectional study. Medicine (Baltimore) 2022; 101:e31117. [PMID: 36253992 PMCID: PMC9575829 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000031117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Beirut Port blast's magnitude is considered the third after Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. This blast occurred in the densely populated section of Beirut, leaving more than six thousand injured patients. The psychological disturbances were assessed in the blast survivors who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). This was a cross-sectional study at the ED of AUBMC. Identified patients were contacted and consented to participate in the study. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was selected as an outcome. Depression, PTSD, and concussion were assessed using patient health questionnaire (PHQ)-9, PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL5), and brain injury symptoms (BISx) tools, respectively. The association of patients and injury characteristics with the study outcome was assessed using logistic regression. 145 participants completed the study procedures. The participants' average age was 39.8 ± 15.4 years, and 60% were males. Almost half of the participants showed depression on PHQ, and 2-thirds had PTSD. The participant's age was negatively associated with PTSD, whereas being a female, having depression, and having a concussion were positively associated with PTSD. The results of this study were in line with the previous literature report except for the association between younger age and PTSD, which warrants further investigations to delineate the reasons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moustafa Al Hariri
- Vice President for Medical and Health Science Office, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
- Department of Emergency Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Hady Zgheib
- Department of Emergency Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Karen Abi Chebl
- Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Maria Azar
- Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Eveline Hitti
- Department of Emergency Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Maya Bizri
- Department of Psychiatry, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Jennifer Rizk
- Department of Emergency Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Firas Kobeissy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Afif Mufarrij
- Department of Emergency Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
- *Correspondence: Afif Mufarrij, Department of Emergency Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, P.O. Box: 11-0236/ Riad El-Solh/ Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon (e-mail: )
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