The long term psychological consequences of war experiences

Metadata merged with duplicate record (http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/355) on 20.12.2016 by CS (TIS).This is a digitised version of a thesis that was deposited in the University Library. If you are the author please contact PEARL Admin ([email protected]) to discuss options.The present study was carried out to examine long-term psychological difficulties associated with war experience. 731 World War Two and Korean War veterans completed a questionnaire supplying biographical details, war-related experience, and present day psychological health. A significant proportion had war-related psychological difficulties, these problems correlating more strongly with war-related intrusive thoughts and avoidance than with actual combat experiences. A subgroup of 25 veterans were selected for depth interview. The results of these interviews supported the finding that many veterans have war-related problems, and that they related more to intrusion and avoidance than to actual experiences. For some veterans these problems have been present since the war, but for many they only started after retirement, when they have had more time to think about their past experiences. The problems include nightmares, intrusive thoughts, depression and anxiety. Coping is expressed by these veterans in terms of a) developing a narrative about their experiences which allows them to consciously control their traumatic recollections, or b) avoidance, where veterans avoid potential stimulus material, eg war films. Other forms of coping such as social support are secondary. Even after 50 years, veterans still experience traumatic recollections, memories which, to them at least, are accurate and detailed pictures of the events that occurred. The findings are explained in terms of a theoretical model which examines the role of traumatic recollections as conditioned responses that are out of conscious control, and likely to emerge into consciousness when the veteran is reminded of the war through some stimulus, eg the anniversary of a battle. Implications for post-traumatic stress disorder, ageing, and treatment models are considered

Mathematical modeling of the radial profile of basilar membrane vibrations in the inner ear

Motivated by recent experimental results we seek an explanation of asymmetry in the radial profile of basilar membrane vibrations in the inner ear. We study a sequence of one-dimensional beam models which take into account variations in the bending stiffness of the basilar membrane as well as the potential presence of structural hinges. Our results suggest that the main cause of asymmetry is likely to be differences between the boundary conditions at the two extremes of the basilar membrane's width. This has fundamental implications for more detailed numerical simulations of the entire cochle

Place responsiveness: IPA walking interviews to explore participants’ responses to natural disasters

Over the last few years, walking interviews have gained the attention of a variety of disciplines and are considered an effective way to conduct interviews under particular circumstances. In this study, we are providing specific examples of the benefits of using walking interviews in the aftermath of an earthquake. Central Italy has recently experienced two significant earthquakes, L'Aquila in 2009 and Amatrice in 2016. In total over 600 people were killed. The earthquakes significantly affected both communities due to the loss of houses, workplaces and recreational facilities. We describe past research into the walking interview, develop a protocol to explore community issues, and critically evaluate the effectiveness of the technique. The analysis of the walking interviews was conducted with the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach. Walking interviews have never previously been used in this situation, but examples drawn from the study illustrated how effective they can be. In some situations, perhaps more beneficial than the traditional sitting interview

Prevalence rate of PTSD, depression and anxiety symptoms among Saudi firefighters

Background: Firefighters have a high likelihood of being exposed to a variety of traumatic events. Traumatic events may occur during any rescue, such as providing aid to seriously injured victims or seeing a colleague injured. The psychological cost of this exposure may increase the risk of long-term problems such as PTSD symptoms, anxiety and depression. Moreover, firefighters who are injured in the line of duty sometimes have to retire as a consequence of their injury. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of traumatic events, PTSD symptoms, anxiety and depression, and assess related variables such as coping strategies and social support among Saudi firefighters. Method: Two hundred Saudi firefighters completed the Firefighters Trauma History Screen (FTHS) to measure the number of traumatic events; the Screen for Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms (SPTSS) scale to assess the prevalence of PTSD symptoms; the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to assess depression and anxiety; the Brief COPE (BC) Scale to measure coping strategies used; and the Social Support Scale to evaluate the support that firefighters receive. Results: The results showed that 57% of firefighters fully met DSM-IV criteria for PTSD symptoms; the prevalence of anxiety and depression was 44.4% and 53.3% respectively. PTSD symptoms were significantly correlated with, anxiety, depression and passive coping strategies but not with active coping or social support. Conclusion: These results suggest that firefighters who experience multiple traumatic events as a result of their work environment may develop related symptoms, and they should not be neglected

Prevalence rate of post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) and other psychological disorders among Saudi firefighters

Background: Firefighters have a high probability of being exposed to a variety of traumatic events. Potentially traumatic events can occur during a single rescue such as: providing aid to seriously injured or helpless victims. Moreover, firefighters who are injured in the line of duty may have to retire as a consequence of their injury. The psychological cost of this exposure may increase the risk of long-term problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression, and anxiety. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and assess related variables such as coping strategies and social support among Saudi firefighters. Method: Two hundred firefighters completed the Fire-fighter Trauma History Screen (FTHS) to measure the number of traumatic events, Screen for Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms (SPTSS) scale to assess the prevalence of PTSD symptoms, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS) to assess depression and anxiety, Brief Cope (BC) scale to measure coping strategies used, and Social Support scale was used to evaluate the firefighter's support received. Results: The results showed that 84% (169/200) of firefighters were exposed to at least one traumatic event. The result presented that 57% (96/169) of exposure firefighters fully met the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD with high levels of depression and anxiety; 39% (66/169) partially met the PTSD criteria. However, only 4% participants have not met the PTSD criteria. The results also revealed that adaptive coping strategies and higher perceived social support was associated with lower levels of PTSD. Conclusion: The high prevalence rate of PTSD related to the type and severity of the traumatic events and years of experience in the job. Accordingly, many firefighters were severely affected by their experiences, and we should be developing methods to help them

Expressive writing and posttraumatic growth: an Internet-based study

This study examined the effects of Internet-based expressive writing on posttraumatic growth. Expressive (n = 14) and control writing (n = 10) participants wrote for 15 min on 3 occasions spaced 3 days apart. Measures of intrusive and avoidant thoughts and posttraumatic growth were administered at baseline and 2- and 8-week postintervention follow-ups. Results showed that posttraumatic growth significantly increased from baseline to 8-week follow-up in the expressive writing group, while there was no significant change in levels of posttraumatic growth in the control group. Intrusive and avoidant cognitions did not differ between writing groups. Analyses of language use showed that greater use of insight words was associated with an increase in posttraumatic growth. Findings are consistent with cognitive processing models of expressive writing and have implications for Internet-administered expressive writing

Temporal patterning of competitive emotions : a critical review

An interactional model of stress that integrates current research on competitive affects and emphasizes the temporal dimensions of the stress process is forwarded. The literature reveals that the study of athletes\u27 affective responses to competition has been narrowly focused on pre-competitive anxiety. Equivocal findings on temporal patterning of competitive anxiety suggest that a fundamental change in the empirical approach is needed because the current conceptualization of anxiety and other complex emotions is imprecise. The analysis of secondary emotions as patterns of discrete basic emotions, as suggested by differential emotions theorists, is proposed for consideration in future research. In this view, competitive anxiety is considered as a set of patterns of emotions rather than a unitary affect. The adoption of this approach could result in better operationalization of competitive anxiety as well as other secondary performance-related emotions. We propose that research on competitive affects should follow two parallel lines. The first should focus on the description of complex emotional states that reflect the idiosyncratic emotional experience and vocabulary of the athlete. The second should examine the sets of basic emotions experienced throughout competition, and focus on individual differences and factors determining those differences. The integration of the two approaches could lead to a better understanding of whether, how and why individuals differ in the interpretation of specific secondary emotions and their effect on performance. Moreover, it would permit the analysis of intra-individual variations in labelling secondary emotions with respect to different competitive contexts and temporal aspects

Learning and practising supply chain management strategies from a business simulation game: a comprehensive supply chain simulation

An Internet based supply chain simulation game (ISCS) is introduced and demonstrated in this paper. Different from other games and extended from the Beer Game, a comprehensive set of supply chain (SC) management strategies can be tested in the game, and these strategies can be evaluated and appraised based on the built-in Management Information System (MIS). The key functionalities of ISCS are designed to increase players SC awareness, facilitate understanding on various SC strategies and challenges, foster collaboration between partners, and improve problem solving skills. It is concluded that an ISCS can be used as an efficient and effective teaching tool as well as a research tool in operations research and management science. Problems and obstacles have been observed while engaging in the SC business scenario game. The actions proposed and implemented to solve these problems have resulted in improved SC performance