Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS) questionnaire was used.

No less than 88.1% of studied women have demonstrated a moderate increase of PTSD symptoms. A clear correlation was discovered between the intensity of PTSD and the length of the relationship with the perpetrator. Significant increase in PTSD symptoms was shown among victims of sexual violence. In particular, PTSD symptoms from the avoidance group were significantly more apparent among women, who have suffered sexual abuse from their partners. In contrast to those who were victims of domestic violence not sexual in nature, the women who experienced sexual violence from their partners have displayed noteworthy increase in the occurrence of PTSD symptoms, especially in the sphere of emotional numbness, incapability to love and weep, and hopelessness to ever achieve life goals. More than the average, they have revealed a physical reaction to the memory of violent sexual abuse, as well as exhibited remoteness and detachment from the society.

PTSD symptoms from the avoidance group were most associated with the sexual violence. Victims of this type of violence have experienced emotional numbness and hopelessness in relation to their future in particular.

Traumatic experiences during childhood may contribute to somatizing fear and anxiety related pain behaviour.

This study tested the role of childhood traumatic/stressful events on adult fear related pain behaviours.

The aim was to investigate the differences in fear of pain, anxiety pain symptoms and heart focused anxiety, among individuals who had been exposed to childhood traumatic/stressful life events in contrast to those who had not experienced.

595 healthy individuals participated to the present study (164 men – 431 women, mean age 34, SD = 12, ranged 18–75). Subjects were classified into two groups— trauma and no-trauma — based on their personal ratings of experienced traumatic and or stressful events during childhood (300 and 295 individuals respectively). In all participants, the Fear of Pain Questionnaire - III (FPQ-III), The Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale-20 (PASS-20) and the Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ) were administered.

Significantly differences between trauma and no-trauma group were observed in almost all total scores and subscales: Severe Pain FPQ-III (t = 2,992, p = .003), Total FPQ-III (t = 2,443, p = .015), Fearful Thinking PASS-20 (t = 3,616, p = .000), Cognitive Anxiety PASS-20 (t = 2,989 p = .003), Physiological Responses PASS-20 (t = 3,666, p = .000), Total PASS-20 (t = 3,218, p = .001), Fear CAQ (t = 2,016, p = .044), Avoidance CAQ (t = 2,269, p = .024), Attention CAQ (t = 2,288, p = .022) and Total CAQ (t = 2,749, p = .006).

Our results illustrate the meangfull of trauma in clinical practise and are in a similar vein with psychoanalytic thoughts that all types of trauma are firstly psychological trauma's.

To present a multimodal analysis of psychopathology among African unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) in Austria. These youths experience well documented war and flight related non-normative stressors on their way from Africa to Europe. We have previously reported 17% of PTSD, a number below expectations. We now report on trauma related personality variables which indicate that these youths are resilient but at high risk for decompensation. We tested the hypothesis that PTSD specific defenses would be high (most notably dissociation, conversion, projection, withdrawal and somatization).

Forty-one URMs participated in the study. The following standardized instruments were used: UCLA PTSD Index for DSM IV, Mini International Neuropsychiatric Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents, Weinberger Adjustment Inventory, Response Evaluation Measure for the measurement of defenses.

Levels of psychopathology were below previously reported levels in URMs. By contrast, all defenses previously reported as elevated in PTSD (conversion, projection, dissociation, withdrawal and somatization) showed significant increases (p < 0.05), putting these defenses in the 80–95TH percentile for the norm population.

While syndromal illness was less than expected, indicators of trauma related habitual function were all elevated. The present findings reveal that URMs manage the extreme stress of their lives by defensive self-regulation. These findings have implications for diagnosis and management.

PTSD is dominant, but rarely the only psychological disorder that is present among individuals who have a history of exposure to traumatic event.

To examine morbidity in veterans 12 years after the war, with special emphasis on comorbidity of PTSD and other psychiatric disorders.

The study population consisted of 154 veterans who sought psychiatric treatment due to PTSD. The control group consisted of 77 war veterans who do not have PTSD, collected by snow balling method through veteran associations. The study used a general demographic questionnaire, the HTQ-version for BiH, and the MINI.

Veterans who sought psychiatric treatment due to PTSD, were experienced a significantly greater number of traumatic events (t = 5.66; P < 0.001) and achieved significantly higher scores on a scale of PTSD symptoms (t = 15.291; P < 0.001), perceived personal functionality (t = 12.491; P < 0.001) and the overall result of traumatic symptoms (t = 14.499; P < 0.001). Additionally, among veterans with PTSD there are significantly more of those who reported chronic somatic diseases (X2 = 17.988; P < 0.001), who met the criteria for the diagnosis of current depressive episode (X2 = 36.297; P < 0.001), previous depressive episode (X2 = 29.356; P < 0.001), depressive episode with melancholic features (X2 = 29.356; P < 0.001), dysthymia (X2 = 9.959; P = 0.007), the criteria for the diagnosis of panic disorder with agoraphobia (X2 = 5.490; P = 0.019), PTSD (X2 = 102.018; P < 0.001) and generalized anxiety disorder (X2 = 89.755; P < 0.001).

Although PTSD is the dominant cause for seeking psychiatric treatment in veterans, PTSD promotes a comprehensive psychiatric and somatic comorbidity, and predominated are anxious and affective disorders.

To develop and validate traumatic dream scales by further utilizing The Sang Bok Lee Neurocognitive Dream Orientation Scales (Lee, Sang Bok: 2010, European Psychiatry) assessing the narrative dream contents.

2450 dream were collected form 870 Korean college students, Yongin, South Korea: 445 males (M age = 20.48 years, SD = 1.35) and 425 females (M age = 20.12, SD = 1.24). The collected dreams were analyzed by The Sang Bok Lee Traumatic Dream Scales that were designed to differentiate ordinary dreams from traumatic and PTST-related dreams.

The traumatic dreams were hypothesized as having frequently recurrent, unexpected, emotionally dreadful, and not actively coped by the dreamers.

759 dreams (31%) of 2450 collected dreams were found as traumatic or very/extreme anxious according to The Lee Anxiety Dream Scale (Mean = 4.56). Strong positive correlation was found between 759 traumatic dreams and independent variables of traumatic dream content (unfamiliar: r = .86, p = .0001; accidental: r = .81, p = .0001; dreadful: r = .93, p = .0001, and not coped by the dreamer: r = 0.86, p = .0001).

The contents of The Sang Bok Lee Traumatic Dream Scales were developed and validated; the results were associated with the previous publications - “Lee Acculturation Dream Scale for Korean-American College Students” (Lee, Sang Bok, 2005: Psychological Reports, 96, 454–456), The Sang Bok Lee Neurocognitive Dream Orientation Scales for Screening Traumatic and PTSD Related Dreams, and The Lee Anxiety Dream Scales.

Several studies suggested that having a history of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with higher rates of somatic morbidity and disease.

The aim of the present study was to investigate systematically the long-term-consequences of PTSD on cardiovascular risk, quality of life and stress hormones in a sample of former refugee children.

In 25 subjects with chronic PTSD and 25 trauma-controlled subjects we measured variables of the metabolic syndrome supplemented by the ankle-brachial index and h-CRP. Quality of life was assessed by the SF-36. Cortisol, ACTH, DHEA were measured in the low dose dexamethasone-suppression-test. Additionally, salivary cortisol was assessed at 0800, 1200, 1600 and 2200 hours.

We found a significant group effect between participants with PTSD and without PTSD regarding quality of life, but not on any metabolic parameter including the ankle-brachial index or cortisol, ACTH and DHEA in plasma before and after dexamethasone or salivary cortisol.

Chronic PTSD was associated with diminished quality of life more than six decades after traumatization, but not with altered metabolic or endocrine variables. Nevertheless, search for subgroups of PTSD patients with childhood traumatization leading to different metabolic and endocrine long-term consequences in aging PTSD patients is needed.

Combatants with PTSD show a higher level of aggression and dysfunctional anger influencing clinical picture and determining tolerance to treatment. Interrelations between emotional dysfunctions (anger), symptoms of combat-related PTSD and aggression are not clear.

We studied relations between aggression, anger and PTSD symptoms in the group of 557 males-combatants (109 patients had marked symptoms of PTSD, 448 men showed subclinical symptoms), and in the control group of 234 healthy males. We used the Mississippi Scale for quantitative evaluation of PTSD and authorial methods for assessing anger and aggression.

Impulsive aggression is the main form in veterans with PTSD, exceeding sevenfold indices in the control group (21,17 ± 1,92; 3,18 ± 0,38, P < 0,00001). Indices of this aggression are equal to level of instrumental aggression (3,03 ± 0,27; 3,88 ± 0,19, P < 0,001), in the control group various forms of aggression differed greatly, level of these types of aggressive behaviour was lower (0,45±0,06; 1,88±0,09, P < 0,0000001).

Correlation analysis of indices of different aggressive behaviour and anger showed that dysfunctional anger has strong positive interrelations only with indices of impulsive (affective-hostile) aggression (P < 0,01), similar correlation with instrumental aggression was not discovered. In the control group significant correlations between anger and aggressive behaviour were not found.

Impulsive aggression is mostly expressed in combatants with PTSD. Anger is the main determining factor for level, strength, intensity and frequency of impulsive aggression. Association between anger and PTSD is unique for combatants with impulsive aggression. Dysfunctional anger serves a general pathogenetic factor for combat-related PTSD and impulsive aggression.

To investigate the psychological impact of the tragic accident in Tempi which cost of 21 students’ life (2003), on mental health professionals (MHP).

BDI and Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) scores of PHPO MHP (psychiatrists/child-psychiatrist/psychologies/social workers) who offered support to victims’families/teachers/rest of the students.

The personnel were deployed to the area exposed to witnessing experiences/impressions of the accident. Participants responded to BDI 10 days and IES-R 9–10 months past-accident. There was an IES-R retest 7 years later. The response rate was 100%. All achieved mild depression scores. As for IES-R, common qualities of conscious experience were found among them, though with different personality styles. Two major response sets, intrusion (unbidden thoughts/troubled dreams/waves of feelings/repetitive behavior) and avoidance (denial of the meanings of the event/behavioral inhibition/counterphobic activity/emotional numbness) were abstracted from evaluation.

No sex differences were mentioned as there was only one male in the group.

A correlation of 0.42 (p > 0.0002) between intrusion and avoidance subscale scores indicated that the two subsets were associated, though not measuring identical dimensions.

7 years later the mean score of the personnel on IES-R was 23: Impact Event: may be affected. All achieved a quite high score on the response ‘any reminder brought back feelings about it’.

MHP face additional emotional strain often over extended periods of time. There is a need to develop strategies such as insight oriented training. Research is imperative and an ethical requirement to find ways to protect the health of the carers and so their patients.

Attitudes of individuals, especially experts, can affect the decision of patients to seek help and to cooperate in the therapeutic process. It is believed that better understanding and knowledge about the disorder leads to more positive attitudes towards patients, especially when it comes to mental disorders.

To examine the attitudes of general practitioners and psychiatrists, towards to veteran participants of the War in Croatia suffering from PTSD because those physicians are the two specialties most often in contact with these patients

A sample of 30 primary care physicians and 30 psychiatrists in County Primorsko goranska completed a general demographic questionnaire and AMIQ questionnaire (Corigann 2002). Custom AMIQ questionnaire consists of 20 claims (paragraph), which are ranked on a scale of 1–9, and are grouped into two subscales “personal responsibility for illness,” and “the danger of disease.”

There are no statistically significant differences in sub scales regard to specialization, gender and physician’s place of employment.

These results suggest that the formation of physicians’ attitudes does not affect only the knowledge of disorder, but more different personal and enviromental factors may have the impact.

In the conflict torn developing countries, where adoption and foster care are little practised, orphanages remain one of the few means of survival of inumerable orphans. Critical research, however, has potrayed orphanages as a breeding ground for psychopathology.

This study was taken up to examine this opinion.

An orphanage for girls in Srinagar was surveyed by Psychiatrists, and using DSM IV guidelines screened children were evaluated for psychopathology.

Children were in the age group of 5–12 yrs. PTSD was the commonest psychiatric disorders (40.62%), easily attributable to the prevailing mass trauma state of almost two decades. Next commonest diagnoses were MDD (25%) and conversion disorder (12.5%).

A high psychopathology in orphanages could be an important guide for policy makers to plan for better rehabilitation and social reintegration of orphans.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized mainly by symptoms of reexperiencing, avoidance and hyperarousal as a consequence of catastrophic and traumatic events that are distinguished from ordinary stressful life events. Single-prolonged stress (SPS) is an established animal model for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The dorsal raphe nucleus (DR)-serotonin (5-HT) system is dramatically affected by swim stress and has been implicated in affective disorders. The 5-HT1A receptor (5-HT1AR) is critically involved in regulating mood and anxiety levels.

In this study, we investigated changes in the expression of 5-HT1AR in DR of rats after SPS which may reveal part of the pathogenesis of PTSD.

Rats were randomly divided into 24h, 4d and 7d groups after SPS and a normal control group, 5-HT1AR expression in DR was examined using immunohistochemistry, western blotting and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

The expression of 5-HT1AR in DR after SPS exposure was increased when compared to that in the control group (P < 0.05).

These findings suggest increase of 5-HT1AR in DR of SPS rats, which may play important roles in the pathogenesis of PTSD rats.

To invest the expression of nuclear receptors-mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) and receptors-glucocorticoid receptors (GR) in the locus ceruleus neurons of PTSD-like rats.

Single prolonged stress (SPS) was used to produce the PTSD model and rats were randomly divided into 24h, 4d, 7d, 14d and 28d groups after SPS and a normal control group.Immunohistochemical and Western blot techniques were used to observe and detect the changes in the expression of MR and GR in the locus ceruleus neurons, and image analysis and statistical analysis were performed.

The expression of MR was sharply decreased at 24h, but recovered at 4d, 7d, 14d and 28d. GR was distributed in the nucleus of coeruleus neurons, GR expression was showed after 24h, 4d, 7d treament and gradually increased, restorative downregulation was seen after 14d and 28d, but still high(P < 0.05).

These results suggest that the changes in the expression of MR and GR in the locus ceruleus neurons of PTSD-like rats may play an important role in the long-term persistent neu-ropsychological sequelae of PTSD. *National Natural Science Foundation of China.

The aim of this study was to reveal the possible mechanisms involved in apoptosis induced by single prolonged stress (SPS) in hippocampus of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rats.

SPS is one of the animal models proposed for PTSD. Wistar rats were killed at 1, 4, 7, 14 and 28days after exposure to SPS. Expression of caspase-9, caspase-3, cytochrome c, Bcl-2 and Bax was detected by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, western blotting and electron microscopy. Apoptotic cells were assessed by TUNEL method.

Our results showed apoptotic cells were significantly increased in hippocampus of SPS rats, accompanied by release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol, increase of caspase-9 and caspase-3 expression and decrease of the Bcl-2 / Bax ratio.

The results indicate that SPS induced apoptosis in hippocampus of PTSD rats, and the mitochondrial pathway was involved in the process of SPS induced apoptosis. *National Natural Science Foundation of China

A critical region of PTSD is the medial prefrontal cortex, which may be impaired in this disorder. Neuroimaging studies have reported reduced cortical volumes and neuronal integrity, as well as decreased function in medial prefrontal structures in this disorder.

The aim of this study is to find whether mPFC neurons have cell apoptosis, which may lead to the dysfunction of mPFC of PTSD.

The group to test apotosis was divided into SPS after1d, 4d, 7d, 14d and control group. Expression of caspase-9 and caspase-3 were detected by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, western blotting and RT-PCR.

Caspase-3 was located in cytoplasm. Evaluation of Caspase-3 immunohistochemistry showed a significant increased in the SPS-1d, SPS-4d and SPS-7d compared with the normal control group, then gradually decreased in SPS-14d. Caspase-9-positive cells were expressed in the control group and the SPS groups, The positive expression was green fluorescence, which in cell body, membrane, and processes. The mRNA levels of Caspase-9 in the SPS rats were significant increased on days 1d and 4d then gradually decreased. The Caspase-3 mRNA levels peaked at SPS-7d, then decreased on SPS-14d.

The mPFC neuronal apoptosis through mintochodrial pathway would play an important role in the dysfunction of mPFC in post traumatic stress disorder patients.

To observe the changes of glucocorticoid receptors(GR) in the nucleus raphes magnus (NRM)neurons of PTSD-like rats.

25 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into PTSD model 1d, 4d, 7d, 14d groups and a normal group with 5 rats in each group. Rats in model groups were treated with SPS procedure to reproduce PTSD model.The changes of expression of GR in NRM of rats were detected by immunohistochemistry and PCR in each group, and image analysis and statistical analysis were performed in each group.

GR was distributed in the nucleus of neurons. The expression of GR was sharply decreased on 1d, but gradually increased on 4d and 7d, then decreased on 14d. All of 4d, 7d, 14d are higher than the normal (P < 0.05).

The lasting dysfunction of GR in the nucleus raphes magnus (NRM) may play an important role in post-traumatic stress disorder rats.

Although many studies report that neuroticism and introversion predispose people to PTSD after exposure to traumatic event, the relationship between personality traits and PTSD is still vague. Also, little attention has been given to posttraumatic responses of civilians and especially women after war circumstances.

To explore the relationships between basic personality traits and PTSD among female civilians who have experienced war- related trauma.

To investigate whether women with current PTSD, PTSD in remission, and those who did not develop PTSD differ in neuroticism, extroversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness.

The research is a part of a larger study „Psychobiology of PTSD”. CAPS and NEO PI-R were administrated to 395 female participants: 61 participants have current PTSD, 124 PTSD in remission and 108 never developed PTSD after experiencing at least one civilian war related traumatic event. The control group consisted of 101 women with no war related trauma.

Four groups significantly differ on four out of five major domains of personality (one way ANOVA). Women with current PTSD and PTSD in remission have significantly higher scores on neuroticism (F = 25,170, p = ,000). Non PTSD group and controls show significantly higher scores on extroversion (F = 29,980, p = ,000) and on openness to experience (F = 18,421, p = ,000). Participants with current PTSD score have significantly lower scores on conscientiousness in comparison to the other three groups (5,672, p = ,001).

According to our results, personality traits are in significant relationship with PTSD development in female civilians with war related traumatization.