Project description:Traumatic birth experiences may lead to serious psychological impairment. Recent studies show that a considerable number of women can develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in some cases in a subsyndromal form. Until now, the possibility that postpartum psychological symptoms might be a continuum of a pre-existing disorder in pregnancy has rarely been considered. This study therefore aimed to evaluate the proportion of women who develop post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of childbirth. Materials and Methods: 56 multiparous women were recruited for the study. The diagnosis of PTSD was made according to the criteria for psychological disorders in the DSM-IV (Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). The data were collected in structured interviews in the 30th to 38th week of gestation and in the 6th week post partum. Results: Of the 56 women participating, 52 (93?%) completed the survey. Uncontrolled results showed that 21.15?% of the multiparous women met the full diagnostic PTSD criteria in the 6th week post partum. After the exclusion of all cases already characterised by all criteria or a subsyndromal form of PTSD caused by previous traumatisation, the PTSD rate was below 8?% at 6 weeks postpartum (=?incidence rate of PTSD post partum). Conclusions: The present study is the first prospective longitudinal study to demonstrate the occurrence of full criteria PTSD in multiparous women as a result of childbirth after having excluded pre-existing PTSD. The results of our study show a high prevalence rate of PTSD during pregnancy. A number of women report all aspects of post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of childbirth.
Project description:BackgroundSelf-stigma refers to the internalisation of negative societal views and stereotypes. Self-stigma has been well-characterised in the context of mental disorders such as schizophrenia but has received little attention in relation to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).ObjectiveThis work aimed to determine the prevalence of self-stigma in a sample of adults with PTSD and to establish factors associated with the internalisation of stigma in this population.MethodParticipants were 194 adults (mean age 46.07 (SD = 12.39); 64.4% female; 96.6% white Caucasian; residing in the UK), who self-reported a diagnosis of PTSD and currently screened positive for the disorder according to the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Structured interviews and validated self-report questionnaires were used to ascertain clinical and sociodemographic information for analysis.ResultsThe prevalence of self-stigma measured by the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMIS) was 41.2% (95% CI 34.24-48.22). There was no evidence of an association between self-stigma and gender (β = -2.975 (95% CI -7.046-1.097) p = .151), age (β = 0.007 (95% CI -0.152-0.165) p = .953), sexual trauma (β = 0.904 (95% CI -3.668-5.476) p = .697), military trauma (β = -0.571 (95% CI -4.027-7.287) p = .571). Self-stigma was associated with lower income and higher levels of anxiety (β = 5.722 (95% CI 2.922-8.522) p = <.001), depression (β = 6.937 (95% CI 4.287-9.588) p = <.000), and traumatic stress symptoms (β = 3.880 (95% CI 1.401-6.359) p = .002).ConclusionsThe results indicate that self-stigma may be a significant issue among people with a diagnosis of PTSD. Further work is needed to understand the long-term impact and to develop interventions to address the internalisation of stigma in this population.HighlightsThe prevalence of self-stigma among a sample of participants with PTSD was 41.2%.There was no evidence of an association between self-stigma and gender, age or sexual / military trauma.Self-stigma was associated with lower income and higher levels of anxiety, depression, and traumatic stress symptoms.
Project description:BackgroundTrauma has been increasingly linked to depression. Previous studies have suggested that comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be associated with poor outcomes in depression treatment. However, the prevalence and correlates of ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD (CPTSD) in people with depression remain unclear.MethodsThis study examined the prevalence and correlates of ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD in an online convenience sample of 410 adults from 18 different countries/regions who reported clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms (indicated by a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score ≥10).ResultsAccording to the International Trauma Questionnaire results, 62.68% of participants met the ICD-11 criteria for PTSD/CPTSD (5.6% PTSD, 57.1% CPTSD). Participants with CPTSD reported more types of trauma and higher levels of interpersonal stress than those without PTSD. Participants with CPTSD also reported higher levels of mental health problems, including depressive, dissociative and psychotic symptoms, than those without PTSD. Only disturbances in self-organization (DSO) symptoms but not classical PTSD symptoms had a significant relationship with depressive symptoms, when other major variables (including trauma, interpersonal stress, and comorbid psychotic and dissociative symptoms) were controlled for.ConclusionsTrauma-related symptoms should be regularly screened for in clients who report depressive symptoms. Depressed clients who have comorbid trauma disorders have more trauma and interpersonal stress and exhibit more severe mental health problems. They may require specific trauma-focused interventions in addition to standard depression treatments.
Project description:The research was conducted by in-vitro experiments on microglial cells, performed by Wildman lab and Uddin research group in the College of Public Health at the University of the South Florida. The experiments mimic the trauma-related immune environments by utilizing stress hormones. Stress hormones can modify individual internal environment during times of stress, mobilizing energy sources, increasing heart rate, and downregulating metabolic processes
Project description:Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic condition characterized by symptoms of physiological and psychosocial burden. While growing research demonstrated signs of inflammation in PTSD, specific biomarkers that may be representative of PTSD such as the detailed neural correlates underlying the inflammatory responses in relation to trauma exposure are seldom discussed. Here, we review recent studies that explored alterations in key inflammatory markers in PTSD, as well as neuroimaging-based studies that further investigated signs of inflammation within the brain in PTSD, as to provide a comprehensive summary of recent literature with a neurological perspective. A search was conducted on studies published from 2009 through 2019 in PubMed and Web of Science. Fifty original articles were selected. Major findings included elevated levels of serum proinflammatory cytokines in individuals with PTSD across various trauma types, as compared with those without PTSD. Furthermore, neuroimaging-based studies demonstrated that altered inflammatory markers are associated with structural and functional alterations in brain regions that are responsible for the regulation of stress and emotion, including the amygdala, hippocampus, and frontal cortex. Future studies that utilize both central and peripheral inflammatory markers are warranted to elucidate the underlying neurological pathway of the pathophysiology of PTSD.
Project description:Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe polygenic disorder triggered by environmental factors. Many polymorphic genes, particularly the genetic determinants of hypodopaminergia (low dopamine function), associate with a predisposition to PTSD as well as substance use disorder. Support from the National Institutes of Health for neuroimaging research and molecular, genetic applied technologies has improved understanding of brain reward circuitry functions that have inspired the development of new innovative approaches to their early diagnosis and treatment of some PTSD symptomatology and addiction. This review presents psychosocial and genetic evidence that vulnerability or resilience to PTSD can theoretically be impacted by dopamine regulation. From a neuroscience perspective, dopamine is widely accepted as a major neurotransmitter. Questions about how to modulate dopamine clinically in order to treat and prevent PTSD and other types of reward deficiency disorders remain. Identification of genetic variations associated with the relevant genotype-phenotype relationships can be characterized using the Genetic Addiction Risk Score (GARS®) and psychosocial tools. Development of an advanced genetic panel is under study and will be based on a new array of genes linked to PTSD. However, for now, the recommendation is that enlistees for military duty be given the opportunity to voluntarily pre-test for risk of PTSD with GARS, before exposure to environmental triggers or upon return from deployment as part of PTSD management. Dopamine homeostasis may be achieved via customization of neuronutrient supplementation "Precision Behavioral Management" (PBM™) based on GARS test values and other pro-dopamine regulation interventions like exercise, mindfulness, biosensor tracking, and meditation.
Project description:Contemporary symptom-based diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) largely overlooks related neurobehavioral mechanisms and relies entirely on subjective interpersonal reporting. Previous studies associating biomarkers with PTSD have mostly used symptom-based diagnosis as the main outcome measure, disregarding the wide variability and richness of PTSD phenotypical features. Here, we aimed to computationally derive potential biomarkers that could efficiently differentiate PTSD subtypes among recent trauma survivors. A three-staged semi-unsupervised method ("3C") was used to firstly categorize individuals by current PTSD symptom severity, then derive clusters based on clinical features related to PTSD (e.g. anxiety and depression), and finally to classify participants' cluster membership using objective multi-domain features. A total of 256 features were extracted from psychometrics, cognitive functioning, and both structural and functional MRI data, obtained from 101 adult civilians (age = 34.80 ± 11.95; 51 females) evaluated within 1 month of trauma exposure. The features that best differentiated cluster membership were assessed by importance analysis, classification tree, and ANOVA. Results revealed that entorhinal and rostral anterior cingulate cortices volumes (structural MRI domain), in-task amygdala's functional connectivity with the insula and thalamus (functional MRI domain), executive function and cognitive flexibility (cognitive testing domain) best differentiated between two clusters associated with PTSD severity. Cross-validation established the results' robustness and consistency within this sample. The neural and cognitive potential biomarkers revealed by the 3C analytics offer objective classifiers of post-traumatic morbidity shortly following trauma. They also map onto previously documented neurobehavioral mechanisms associated with PTSD and demonstrate the usefulness of standardized and objective measurements as differentiating clinical sub-classes shortly after trauma.