The top-100 cited articles on post-traumatic stress disorder: a historical bibliometric analysis.

This is a bibliometric analysis of the most-cited articles on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the objective of identifying citation patterns for researchers, journals, centers, periods, topics, and nations. A search was conducted in Thomson Reuters' WoS Core Collection employing the expression TI = (posttraumatic stress disorder OR post-traumatic stress disorder OR PTSD). The 100 most-cited articles were downloaded, and the relevant data were extracted and analyzed. These studies had a total of 69,649 citations, ranging from a minimum of 360 to a maximum of 6029 citations, with an average of 696.49, a standard deviation of 720.92, mode of 369, and a median of 512. Eighty-eight percent of the most-cited articles on PTSD originated from the USA, with just six cities accounting for 52% of the publications and the Boston area alone responsible for almost one-fifth of the total output. The universities of Yale and Harvard headed the ranking of institutions with larger numbers of highly-cited articles. Female researchers represented 42.3% of all authors, 51% of the first authors, and 48% of the corresponding authors. The proportion of M.D. authors decreased significantly between the 1980-1999 (42%) and the 2000-2019 (27.2%) periods while that of Ph.D. authors increased from 44% to 57.4%. The most studied population was military veterans (28%). Female victims of sexual or physical violence, traumatized children, and adult survivors of childhood abuse were assessed in only 6-7% of the most-cited publications. Ten clinical trials evaluated psychological interventions but only three investigated pharmacotherapy. We concluded that influential research on PTSD remains centralized in the USA. A balanced gender representation in publications was found. There was a heavy reliance on combat veterans as the study population. Few highly-cited studies on the pharmacotherapy for PTSD were identified. Focused efforts are needed to address these challenges.

The invisible scars of emotional abuse: a common and highly harmful form of childhood maltreatment.

BACKGROUND: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is unfortunately widespread globally and has been linked with an increased risk of a variety of psychiatric disorders in adults, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These associations are well established in the literature for some maltreatment forms, such as sexual and physical abuse. However, the effects of emotional maltreatment are much less explored, even though this type figures among the most common forms of childhood maltreatment. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the impact of each type of childhood maltreatment, both individually and conjointly, on revictimization and PTSD symptom severity using a nonclinical college student sample. METHODS: Five hundred and two graduate and undergraduate students participated in the study by completing questionnaires assessing lifetime traumatic experiences in general, maltreatment during childhood and PTSD symptoms. Bivariate and multivariate negative binomial regressions were applied to examine the associations among childhood maltreatment, revictimization, and PTSD symptom severity. RESULTS: Our results showed that using bivariate models, all types of CM were significantly associated with revictimization and PTSD symptom severity. Multivariate models showed that emotional abuse was the type of maltreatment associated with the highest incidence rates of revictimization and PTSD symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide additional evidence of the harmful effects of childhood maltreatment and its long-term consequences for individuals' mental health. Notably, the findings highlight the importance of studying the impacts of emotional abuse, which seems to be a highly prevalent, understudied, and chronic form of maltreatment that is as toxic as other maltreatment forms.

Peritraumatic tonic immobility in a large representative sample of the general population: association with posttraumatic stress disorder and female gender.

BACKGROUND: Tonic immobility is an involuntary response to inescapable life-threatening events. Peritraumatic tonic immobility has been reported in convenience samples of female victims of sexual assault and in mixed-gender victims of different types of trauma. This study evaluated peritraumatic tonic immobility in a representative general population sample and its association with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and gender. METHODS: 3231 victims of traumatic events aged 15-75 years responded to the Tonic Immobility Scale. PTSD and traumatic events were assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 2.1). We calculated the means and the standard deviations of Tonic Immobility Scale scores stratified by PTSD and gender. The association between tonic immobility scores and gender was explored controlling for potential confounders through a multiple linear regression model. RESULTS: Tonic immobility scores were more than double in those who met criteria for PTSD and were almost four points higher in women. Gender differences remained statistically significant even after adjustment for confounding variables. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional and retrospective design may have given rise to recall bias. Results presented here may not apply to small and medium rural areas and the CIDI 2.1 can lead to a certain degree of misclassification. CONCLUSIONS: We have expanded the scope of previous investigations on peritraumatic tonic immobility which were based on convenience samples only, showing its occurrence in victims of traumatic events using a large representative sample of the general population. Furthermore, we confirmed in an unbiased sample the association between peritraumatic tonic immobility and PTSD and female gender.

The different impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health of distinct health care worker categories.

The present study sought to explore the factors associated with the odds of having probable depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to traumatic COVID-19 experiences and their impact on health care workers in distinct categories. In this cross-sectional study, 1843 health care workers (nurses, nurse technicians, physicians, physical therapists, and other healthcare workers) were recruited via convenience sampling. A survey was administered to obtain information regarding sociodemographic, occupational, and mental health status. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used for the analyses. Being a nurse technician was associated with an odds ratio of 1.76 for probable PTSD. No relation was observed between health care worker categories and the odds of probable depression. Additionally, being female and not receiving adequate PPE were related to greater odds of having probable PTSD and depression.

To BDZ or not to BDZ? That is the question! Is there reliable scientific evidence for or against using benzodiazepines in the aftermath of potentially traumatic events for the prevention of PTSD? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Most international guidelines suggest that benzodiazepines (BDZs) may be inefficient or iatrogenic in the aftermath of a potentially traumatic event (PTE). The goal of this study was to assess the strength of the evidence on whether the use of BDZs in the aftermath of a PTE negatively affects the incidence and severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHODS: We systematically scrutinized the ISI Web of Knowledge, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and PTSDpubs electronic databases in addition to citation searching. We included original studies providing data about the development of PTSD in adults after BDZ administration in the aftermath of a PTE. We screened 387 abstracts and selected eight studies for the qualitative synthesis and seven for the meta-analysis. We performed two separate meta-analyses, one for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and the other for cohort studies. Heterogeneity between studies was evaluated with Higgins I² statistic and tested using the χ². This study was registered at PROSPERO (number 127170). RESULTS: The meta-analysis of the cohort studies showed an increased risk of PTSD in patients who received BDZs compared to those who did not (risk ratio (RR) = 1.53; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-2.23) with a modest heterogeneity among studies (I2 = 41.8, p = 0.143). Regarding the RCTs, the combined measure revealed a tendency toward an increased severity of the PTSD symptoms (standardized mean difference (SMD): 0.24; 95% CI: 0.32-0.79). CONCLUSION: The studies reviewed showed a possible harmful effect of BDZs when used immediately after a PTE. However, these conclusions were based on a small number of studies of poor to moderate methodological quality.

Tonic immobility is associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms in healthcare professionals exposed to COVID-19-related trauma.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed healthcare workers (HCW) to traumatic situations that might lead to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). An important vulnerability factor for PTSD is the peritraumatic tonic immobility (TI) reaction, an involuntary and reflexive defensive response evoked by an intense and inescapable threat. TI is largely understudied in humans and has not been investigated during trauma related to COVID-19. For HCW, the pandemic context might be experienced as an intense and potentially inescapable threat, i.e., an overwhelming situation. Here, we investigated if TI response occurred during traumatic events related to the pandemic and its association with posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). An online survey of 1001 HCW investigated COVID-19-related traumatic experiences, TI and PTSS. TI was reported for all types of traumatic events, and multivariate regression models revealed that TI was significantly associated with PTSS severity. HCW who reported high TI scores exhibited an increase of 9.08 times the probability of having a probable diagnosis of PTSD. Thus, TI was evoked by pandemic-related traumatic situations and associated with PTSS severity and higher odds of a PTSD diagnosis. Tonic immobility occurrence should be screened, and psychoeducation about its reflexive biological nature should be introduced.

Comorbidity in post-traumatic stress disorder: A population-based study from the two largest cities in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the patterns of comorbidity between PTSD and depression, other anxiety disorders, alcohol-related disorders using the DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria. The temporal sequence of the comorbid diagnoses was also investigated. METHODS: We used data from a large population-based survey carried out between 2007 and 2008 in the two largest cities in Brazil: São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. RESULTS: Diagnoses of depression, other anxiety disorders, and alcohol-related disorder were more prevalent in the people with PTSD than in those without PTSD. Using the DSM-IV criteria, approximately 67% of cases presenting PTSD were also diagnosed with another mental disorder. The diagnosis category of other anxiety disorders presented the highest proportion of comorbidity (53%). Depression was found in 34% person with PTSD whilst alcohol-related disorders were observed in 7%. Considering the temporal relationship, the onset of comorbid depression was uniformly distributed through the periods before, within the same year and after PTSD's onset. When other anxiety disorders were comorbid with PTSD, in almost 90% of the cases the other anxiety disorders preceded PTSD. For comorbidity between of alcohol-related disorders and PTSD, in 50% of the cases alcohol-related disorders preceded the diagnosis of PTSD. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design imposes limitations on establishing a temporal relationship between the onset of psychiatric disorders due to memory bias. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that among individuals presenting comorbid PTSD and other anxiety disorders, this diagnosis tend to precede PTSD. Comorbid cases are more frequent and more severe, and this should be taken into account in therapeutic research and clinical practice.

Violence and post-traumatic stress disorder in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: the protocol for an epidemiological and genetic survey.

BACKGROUND: violence is a public health major concern, and it is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric outcomes. Brazil is one of the most violent countries in the world, and has an extreme social inequality. Research on the association between violence and mental health may support public health policy and thus reduce the burden of disease attributable to violence. The main objectives of this project were: to study the association between violence and mental disorders in the Brazilian population; to estimate the prevalence rates of exposure to violence, post-traumatic stress disorder, common metal disorder, and alcohol hazardous use and dependence: and to identify contextual and individual factors, including genetic factors, associated with the outcomes. METHODS/DESIGN: one phase cross-sectional survey carried out in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A multistage probability to size sampling scheme was performed in order to select the participants (3000 and 1500 respectively). The cities were stratified according to homicide rates, and in Sao Paulo the three most violent strata were oversampled. The measurements included exposure to traumatic events, psychiatric diagnoses (CIDI 2.1), contextual (homicide rates and social indicators), and individual factors, such as demographics, social capital, resilience, help seeking behaviours. The interviews were carried between June/2007 February/2008, by a team of lay interviewers. The statistical analyses will be weight-adjusted in order to take account of the design effects. Standardization will be used in order to compare the results between the two centres. Whole genome association analysis will be performed on the 1 million SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) arrays, and additional association analysis will be performed on additional phenotypes. The Ethical Committee of the Federal University of Sao Paulo approved the study, and participants who matched diagnostic criteria have been offered a referral to outpatient clinics at the Federal University of Sao Paulo and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Sexual trauma is more strongly associated with tonic immobility than other types of trauma - A population based study.

BACKGROUND: Tonic immobility is an involuntary motor and vocal inhibition reaction, considered the last-ditch response of the defensive cascade model. It is elicited in context of inescapable threat and perception of entrapment. Our aim was to investigate the association between different traumatic events and peritraumatic tonic immobility (PTI) in a representative sample of the general population. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of general population from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo with 3231 victims of traumatic events aged 15-75 years who completed the Tonic Immobility Scale (TIS). We calculated the frequency of the different traumatic events and estimated the mean scores with 95% confidence intervals for each traumatic event, controlling for the potential confounders using multiple linear regression models. Finally, we calculated the proportion of individual scoring zero in TIS for the 16 traumatic events. RESULTS: PTI scores in child sexual abuse and adult sexual violence were almost twice as high as in other types of traumatic events, even when controlled for gender and educational level. Torture and war also showed high PTI scores, but these were based on very small number of cases and need to be interpreted with caution. Furthermore, victims of sexual trauma had the lowest proportion of individuals with total absence of PTI symptoms. LIMITATIONS: This is a cross-sectional study and causal inferences must be drawn with caution. CONCLUSIONS: Peritraumatic tonic immobility is more strongly associated with sexual trauma, particularly in childhood, than to other types of trauma in the general population.

Possible outcomes of cumulative trauma in mental-health: a case report / Possíveis desfechos para trauma cumulativo na saúde mental: um relato de caso

ABSTRACT To discuss the resilience factors that may have prevented a patient from developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after exposure to a variety of severe potentially traumatic events. A thirty-eight-year-old civilian has been exposed to at least ten dramatic situations of violence in his work and personal life. He developed only a few mild post-traumatic symptoms after being exposed to a particularly gruesome incident during work. Even though the number and severity of potentially traumatic events may be alarming, this does not determine that the patient will inexorably develop PTSD, or other disorders. The study of protective factors is mandatory so that we can acknowledge and develop more effective ways to prevent and treat disorders.

RESUMO Discutir fatores de resiliência que podem ter prevenido que um paciente desenvolvesse transtorno do estresse pós-traumático (TEPT) após a exposição a uma variedade de eventos potencialmente traumáticos severos. Um civil de 38 anos que foi exposto a, ao menos, 10 situações dramáticas de violência em seu trabalho e vida pessoal. Ele desenvolveu apenas alguns sintomas leves após o trauma de ter sido exposto a um evento particularmente desconcertante durante seu trabalho. Apesar de o número e a severidade dos eventos potencialmente traumáticos serem alarmantes, isso não determina que o paciente invariavelmente apresentará o TEPT ou outros transtornos. O estudo dos fatores protetivos é essencial para que possamos reconhecer e desenvolver maneiras efetivas de prevenir e tratar os transtornos mentais.

[Reliability of the Portuguese-language version of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) among adolescent students in the city of Rio de Janeiro]. / Confiabilidade da versão em Português do Inventário de Fobia Social (SPIN) entre adolescentes estudantes do Município do Rio de Janeiro.

It is believed that social phobia has its onset during adolescence and precedes other mental disorders; it is thus important to investigate the condition among young people. To date there is no self-reported scale validated for the Brazilian population. The present study investigated the reliability of the Portuguese-language version of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) among adolescent students from public schools in the city of Rio de Janeiro. After SPIN was translated into Portuguese, a test-retest reliability study was carried out with 190 students. Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and weighted kappa (kappaw2) were estimated, log-linear models were fitted, and Bland & Altman graphs were built. The Portuguese version showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.88) and good reliability for total score (ICC=0.78). Reliability for single items was not very good (kappaw2 between 0.32 and 0.65). The "semi-association" model fit most of the items best. Based on these findings we concluded that the Portuguese-language version of SPIN showed good reliability results, similar to those obtained with the original English-language version.

The impact of epidemic violence on the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Violence and other traumatic events, as well as psychiatric disorders are frequent in developing countries, but there are few population studies to show the actual impact of traumatic events in the psychiatric morbidity in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). AIMS: To study the relationship between traumatic events and prevalence of mental disorders in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey carried out in 2007-2008 with a probabilistic representative sample of 15- to 75-year-old residents in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. RESULTS: The sample comprised 3744 interviews. Nearly 90% of participants faced lifetime traumatic events. Lifetime prevalence of any disorders was 44% in Sao Paulo and 42.1% in Rio de Janeiro. One-year estimates were 32.5% and 31.2%. One-year prevalence of traumatic events was higher in Rio de Janeiro than Sao Paulo (35.1 vs. 21.7; p<0.001). Participants from Rio de Janeiro were less likely to have alcohol dependence (OR = 0.55; p = 0.027), depression (OR = 0.6; p = 0.006) generalized anxiety (OR = 0.59; p = 0.021) and post-traumatic stress disorder (OR = 0.62; p = 0.027). Traumatic events correlated with all diagnoses--e.g. assaultive violence with alcohol dependence (OR = 5.7; p<0.001) and with depression (OR = 1.7; p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our findings show that psychiatric disorders and traumatic events, especially violence, are extremely common in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, supporting the idea that neuropsychiatric disorders and external causes have become a major public health priority, as they are amongst the leading causes of burden of disease in low and middle-income countries. The comparison between the two cities regarding patterns of violence and psychiatric morbidity suggests that environmental factors may buffer the negative impacts of traumatic events. Identifying such factors might guide the implementation of interventions to improve mental health and quality of life in LMIC urban centers.

Resiliência a eventos traumáticos: conceito, operacionalização e estudo seccional / Resilience to traumatic events: concept, execution and cross-sectional study

Introdução: A resiliência pode ser conceituada como um processo dinâmico que leva à adaptação positiva diante de uma adversidade e que envolve a interação entre processos sociais e intrapsíquicos de risco e de proteção. Metodologia: Tese composta por trêsartigos independentes, que apresentam a resiliência como aspecto comum. O primeiro deles apresenta uma revisão sistemática sobre a operacionalização do conceito de resiliência em estudos epidemiológicos sobre o transtorno de estresse pós-traumático (TEPT) seguido a eventos de violência urbana e/ou íntima. O segundo artigo traz umarevisão sistemática sobre as propriedades psicométricas da Escala de Resiliência e de suas diferentes versões. As bases de dados nas duas revisões foram: ISI; MEDLINE; PILOTS e LILACS. O terceiro artigo investigou os fatores associados à resiliência a eventos traumáticos a partir dos dados de um inquérito epidemiológico domiciliarconduzido com uma amostra representativa da população com 15 anos ou mais residente na cidade de São Paulo. A associação foi investigada através de modelos logísticos multivariados hierárquicos, tanto para traumas intensos quanto para aquelesleves/moderados...

Confiabilidade da versão em Português do Inventário de Fobia Social (SPIN) entre adolescentes estudantes do Município do Rio de Janeiro / Reliability of the Portuguese-language version of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) among adolescent students in the city of Rio de Janeiro

Acredita-se que a fobia social teria início na adolescência e que precederia outros transtornos mentais, sendo importante a sua investigação nos jovens. Até o momento, não há nenhuma escala de fobia social validada para a nossa população. Neste estudo investigou-se a confiabilidade da versão em Português do Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) entre escolares adolescentes da rede pública do Município do Rio de Janeiro. Após a versão do SPIN para o Português, conduziu-se um estudo de confiabilidade teste-reteste com 190 adolescentes de duas escolas, estimando-se os coeficientes de correlação intraclasse (CCIC), kappa ponderado (kw²) e ajuste de modelos log-lineares. Foram ainda construídos gráficos Bland & Altman. Observou-se uma boa consistência interna (a de Cronbach = 0,88) e boa confiabilidade da pontuação total do instrumento (CCIC = 0,78). A confiabilidade das perguntas isoladas não foi tão boa (kw² variando de 0,32 a 0,65). O modelo log-linear de melhor ajuste aos dados na maior parte dos itens foi o de "semi-associação". Esses achados nos permitiram concluir que a versão em português do SPIN exibiu resultados de boa confiabilidade, semelhantes aos da versão original em Inglês.

Tradução, adaptação para o português e estudo da qualidade de uma escala para a identificação da fobia social em uma população de adolescentes / Translations, adaptation to portuguese and study of the quality of a scale to identification of the phobic disorders in population adolescent

Fobia social é definida como ansiedade extrema às situações sociais, que leva, em muitos casos, à sua esquiva, interferindo no funcionamento social, acadêmico e ocupacional do indivíduo. Vem sendo associada a pior qualidade de vida, abuso de substâncias, depressão e outros transtornos mentais. Freqüentemente, tem início na adolescência e curso crônico. Até o momento, não há nenhum instrumento de autopreenchimento para a identificação desse transtorno mental que tenha sido validado para a população brasileira. Objetivo: Traduzir, adaptar para o português e estudar a qualidade do social phobia inventory (SPIN) para a identificação de casos suspeitos de fobia social entre escolares adolescentes do município do Rio de Janeiro. Metodologia: 1) Versão do SPIN para o português. 2) Retrotradução. 3) Versão de consenso e realização de pré-teste. 4) Aplicação do questionário a 398 adolescentes de duas escolas do município do Rio de Janeiro. 5) Reteste com 190 alunos para estudo de confiabilidade, com estimativa do coeficiente de correlação intraclasse e Kappa ponderado, e análise de modelos log-lineares. 6) Validade de critério com aplicação do CIDI (Composite International Diagnostic Interview) - "padrão-ouro" - em uma amostra de 100 alunos. Resultados: A versão demonstrou boa consistência interna (alpha de cronbach=0,88); boa confiabilidade da pontuação total do instrumento, com coeficiente de correlação intraclasse igual a 0,78 e sem diferença estatisticamente significativa na estratificação pela maioria das variáveis. A confiabilidade das perguntas isoladas não foi tão boa (kappa ponderado variando de 0,32 a 0,65). Foram encontradas sensibilidade de 0,75 e especificidade de 0,57 para um ponto de corte no escore 19/20. Conclusão: A versão em português do SPIN exibiu propriedades psicométricas aceitáveis, com resultados de confiabilidade semelhantes aos obtidos na avaliação da versão original em inglês. Quanto a validade, observou-se uma menor especificidade.