A family study of PTSD : occurrence and correlates of internalizing disorders in children of OIF/OEF soldiers with combat posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders among U.S. combatants who are deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom conflicts (OIF/OEF). Combat PTSD has been shown to be associated with impaired social, occupational, and physical functioning. An understudied area of research is how PTSD from combat affects interpersonal functioning at the family level. Of particular vulnerability to disruption in relational systems is the parent-child dyad. The present study focused on parental PTSD, child environment, and child psychological symptoms in order to begin delineating pathways connecting parent trauma to child psychopathology. The sample consisted of 21 dyads : Adult participants with and without combat-related PTSD and biological child participants (aged 6 - 17). Parents and children were administered structured diagnostic interviews and dimensional measures of anxiety, depression, and PTSD and home environment. Simple linear regression was used to test a predictive model between fathers' level of PTSD symptoms and child clinical symptoms. Multiple regression was used to test the mediation model of child home environment on the relationship between parent and child symptomatology. Results from descriptive analyses showed that level of fathers' combat exposure was a significant predictor at the alpha = 0.05 level for child anxiety, PTSD symptoms, oppositional, and conduct problems. However, level of fathers' combat exposure did not predict child depression, somatization, or withdrawn symptoms. Results showed no interaction effects. This pilot study demonstrates that the experiences of OIF/OEF combatants such as the nature of their combat exposure during deployment may be important in impacting the psychological outcomes of their offspring. Furthermore, the warzone experiences of OIF/OEF combatants during deployment appear to predict child anxiety, PTSD, and externalizing symptoms, but not child depression, withdrawn symptoms, or somatization. Results of this pilot study should be considered preliminary and the design should be replicated with a larger sample of OIF/OEF combatants. The current findings may be relevant in advancing our knowledge of etiological models of psychiatric illness in youths, identifying at-risk individuals during early life stages, and advancing mental health interventions for military familie

A family study of PTSD : occurrence and correlates of internalizing disorders in children of OIF/OEF soldiers with combat posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders among U.S. combatants who are deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom conflicts (OIF/OEF). Combat PTSD has been shown to be associated with impaired social, occupational, and physical functioning. An understudied area of research is how PTSD from combat affects interpersonal functioning at the family level. Of particular vulnerability to disruption in relational systems is the parent-child dyad. The present study focused on parental PTSD, child environment, and child psychological symptoms in order to begin delineating pathways connecting parent trauma to child psychopathology. The sample consisted of 21 dyads : Adult participants with and without combat-related PTSD and biological child participants (aged 6 - 17). Parents and children were administered structured diagnostic interviews and dimensional measures of anxiety, depression, and PTSD and home environment. Simple linear regression was used to test a predictive model between fathers' level of PTSD symptoms and child clinical symptoms. Multiple regression was used to test the mediation model of child home environment on the relationship between parent and child symptomatology. Results from descriptive analyses showed that level of fathers' combat exposure was a significant predictor at the alpha = 0.05 level for child anxiety, PTSD symptoms, oppositional, and conduct problems. However, level of fathers' combat exposure did not predict child depression, somatization, or withdrawn symptoms. Results showed no interaction effects. This pilot study demonstrates that the experiences of OIF/OEF combatants such as the nature of their combat exposure during deployment may be important in impacting the psychological outcomes of their offspring. Furthermore, the warzone experiences of OIF/OEF combatants during deployment appear to predict child anxiety, PTSD, and externalizing symptoms, but not child depression, withdrawn symptoms, or somatization. Results of this pilot study should be considered preliminary and the design should be replicated with a larger sample of OIF/OEF combatants. The current findings may be relevant in advancing our knowledge of etiological models of psychiatric illness in youths, identifying at-risk individuals during early life stages, and advancing mental health interventions for military familie

Personality, behavioral, and social heterogeneity within the cosplay community

In an exploratory study that surveyed 929 demographically diverse self-identified adult cosplayers about extraversion and behavioral and social aspects of cosplay, respondents completed a thirty-four-item self-report questionnaire regarding demographic information, cosplay behavior, and the ten extraversion items from the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Form (EPQR-S). Cosplayers are within a normative range of extraversion; respondents who are relatively more introverted differ in some of their cosplay behaviors and experiences from those who are more extraverted

Personality, behavioral, and social heterogeneity within the cosplay community

In an exploratory study that surveyed 929 demographically diverse self-identified adult cosplayers about extraversion and behavioral and social aspects of cosplay, respondents completed a thirty-four-item self-report questionnaire regarding demographic information, cosplay behavior, and the ten extraversion items from the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Form (EPQR-S). Cosplayers are within a normative range of extraversion; respondents who are relatively more introverted differ in some of their cosplay behaviors and experiences from those who are more extraverted

Illness conceptualizations among older rural Mexican-Americans with anxiety and depression.

Research on barriers and utilization of mental health services in older ethnic minorities has been productive. However, little is known about the characterization and beliefs about anxiety and depression symptoms among older Mexican-Americans. Exploration of these conceptualizations will lead to better detection and provision of care to this large, yet underserved group. The present study used a mixed methods approach to explore conceptualizations of anxiety and depression in a group of rural older Mexican-Americans. Twenty-five Spanish-speaking participants (mean age 71.2) responded to flyers that solicited individuals who felt “tense or depressed.” Participants completed a structured diagnostic interview as well as self-report questionnaires about medical health, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and cognitive functioning. Qualitative interviews included questions about how participants describe, conceptualize, and cope with anxiety and depression symptoms. Sixty-eight percent of the sample met criteria for at least one anxiety or mood disorder with high comorbidity rates. Self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatization were below clinical ranges for all participants. Medical illness, cognitive impairment, age, education, and acculturation were not associated with distress. Qualitative analyses revealed that nearly half of the terms used by the sample to describe distress phenomena deviated from Western labels traditionally used to indicate anxious and depressive symptomatology. Multiple methods of symptom endorsement demonstrated that older Mexican-Americans may report distress differently than detected by traditional self-report measures or common Western terminology. Understanding these additional illness conceptualizations may have implications for improving the detection of mental illness and increasing service use among this growing population

Illness Conceptualizations Among Older Rural Mexican-Americans with Anxiety and Depression

BACKGROUND: Research on barriers and utilization of mental health services in older ethnic minorities has been productive. However, little is known about the characterization and beliefs about anxiety and depression symptoms among older Mexican-Americans. Exploration of these conceptualizations will lead to better detection and provision of care to this large, yet underserved group. METHOD: The present study used a mixed methods approach to explore conceptualizations of anxiety and depression in a group of rural older Mexican-Americans. Twenty-five Spanish-speaking participants (mean age 71.2) responded to flyers that solicited individuals who felt “tense or depressed.” Participants completed a structured diagnostic interview as well as self-report questionnaires about medical health, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and cognitive functioning. Qualitative interviews included questions about how participants describe, conceptualize, and cope with anxiety and depression symptoms. RESULTS: Sixty-eight percent of the sample met criteria for at least one anxiety or mood disorder with high comorbidity rates. Self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatization were below clinical ranges for all participants. Medical illness, cognitive impairment, age, education, and acculturation were not associated with distress. Qualitative analyses revealed that nearly half of the terms used by the sample to describe distress phenomena deviated from Western labels traditionally used to indicate anxious and depressive symptomatology. DISCUSSION: Multiple methods of symptom endorsement demonstrated that older Mexican-Americans may report distress differently than detected by traditional self-report measures or common Western terminology. Understanding these additional illness conceptualizations may have implications for improving the detection of mental illness and increasing service use among this growing population