Sexual victimization history predicts academic performance in college women.

College women frequently report having experienced sexual victimization (SV) in their lifetime, including child sexual abuse and adolescent/adult sexual assault. Although the harmful mental health sequelae of SV have been extensively studied, recent research suggests that SV is also a risk factor for poorer college academic performance. The current studies examined whether exposure to SV uniquely predicted poorer college academic performance, even beyond contributions from three well-established predictors of academic performance: high school rank, composite standardized test scores (i.e., American College Testing [ACT]), and conscientiousness. Study 1 analyzed longitudinal data from a sample of female college students (N = 192) who were assessed at the beginning and end of one semester. SV predicted poorer cumulative end-of-semester grade point average (GPA) while controlling for well-established predictors of academic performance. Study 2 replicated these findings in a second longitudinal study of female college students (N = 390) and extended the analyses to include follow-up data on the freshmen and sophomore students (n = 206) 4 years later. SV predicted students' GPA in their final term at the university above the contributions of well-established academic predictors, and it was the only factor related to leaving college. These findings highlight the importance of expanding the scope of outcomes of SV to include academic performance, and they underscore the need to assess SV and other adverse experiences on college campuses to target students who may be at risk of poor performance or leaving college. (PsycINFO Database Record

Neural communication in posttraumatic growth.

Posttraumatic growth (PTG), or positive psychological changes following exposure to traumatic events, is commonly reported among trauma survivors. In the present study, we examined neural correlates of PTG in 106 veterans with PTSD and 193 veteran controls using task-free magnetoencephalography (MEG), diagnostic interviews and measures of PTG, and traumatic event exposure. Global synchronous neural interactions (SNIs) were significantly modulated downward with increasing PTG scores in controls (p = .005), but not in veterans with PTSD (p = .601). This effect was primarily characterized by negative slopes in local neural networks, was strongest in the medial prefrontal cortex, and was much stronger and more extensive in the control than the PTSD group. The present study complements previous research highlighting the role of neural adaptation in healthy functioning.

DSM-5 personality traits discriminate between posttraumatic stress disorder and control groups.

The relevance of personality traits to the study of psychopathology has long been recognized, particularly in terms of understanding patterns of comorbidity. In fact, a multidimensional personality trait model reflecting five higher-order personality dimensions-negative affect, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition, and psychoticism-is included in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and represented in the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5). However, evaluation of these dimensions and underlying personality facets within clinical samples has been limited. In the present study, we utilized the PID-5 to evaluate the personality profile elevation and composition of 150 control veterans and 35 veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results indicated that veterans with PTSD endorsed significantly more personality pathology than control veterans, with scores on detachment and psychoticism domains most clearly discriminating between the two groups. When personality domain scores were considered as parts of each subject's personality profile, a slightly different picture emerged. Specifically, the PTSD composition was primarily characterized by detachment and negative affect, followed by disinhibition, psychoticism, and antagonism in that order of relative importance. The profile of the control group was significantly different, mostly accounted for differences in antagonism and psychoticism. Using these complementary analytic strategies, the findings demonstrate the relevance of personality pathology to PTSD, highlight internalizing features of PTSD, and pave the way for future research aimed at evaluating the role of shared maladaptive personality traits in underlying the comorbidity of PTSD and related disorders.

The Number of Cysteine Residues per Mole in Apolipoprotein E Is Associated With the Severity of PTSD Re-Experiencing Symptoms.

Apolipoprotien E (ApoE) is involved in critical neural functions and is associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders. ApoE exists in three isoforms that differ in the number of cysteine residues per mole (CysR/mole). This study evaluated associations between this informative ordinal biochemical scale (CysR/mole) and symptom severity in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or subthreshold PTSD. Results demonstrated a significant negative relationship between the CysR/mole and severity of PTSD re-experiencing symptoms, adjusted for trauma. The findings suggest a genetic influence on PTSD symptomatology and dovetail with recent advances regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying the differential effects of ApoE in the brain.

Social resources mediate the relations between attachment dimensions and distress following potentially traumatic events.

Insecure adult attachment dimensions are consistently related to poorer posttrauma adjustment, but these relations have rarely been examined prospectively or across a wide range of potentially traumatic events. In addition, the factors mediating these relations are not yet fully understood. Therefore, the first aim of this study was to assess whether anxious and avoidant attachment dimensions assessed preevent would predict changes in adjustment (e.g., distress) following a broad range of potentially traumatic events. The second aim was to determine whether postevent social resources mediated the relations between attachment dimensions and postevent adjustment. Undergraduate students (N = 1,084) completed preevent measures of attachment dimensions and psychological distress at Time 1 (T1); 73% (n = 789) completed a follow-up survey 2 months later assessing exposure to potentially traumatic events and social resources (Time 2; T2). Those who reported experiencing a potentially traumatic event between T1 and T2 and who completed a final follow-up survey assessing distress 2 months after T2 (Time 3) constituted the sample for the present analyses (n = 174). Individuals with more attachment avoidance and anxiety had greater increases in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and general psychological distress. These relations were mediated by social resources (i.e., positive and negative support, social withdrawal) at T2 such that anxious and avoidant attachment dimensions were associated with having fewer social resources following a potentially traumatic event, which in turn was associated with reporting more distress. Implications for research and practice with individuals exposed to potentially traumatic events are discussed.

Prevalence and effects of life event exposure among undergraduate and community college students.

The purposes of this study were to assess lifetime and recent exposure to various life events among undergraduate and community college students and to assess the relation between event exposure and a broad range of outcomes (i.e., mental and physical health, life satisfaction, grade point average). Undergraduate students from a midwestern university (N = 842) and a community college (N = 242) completed online measures of lifetime event exposure and outcomes at Time 1 and recent event exposure at Time 2 two months later. Life events assessed included events that did and did not meet the definition of a traumatic event (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder Criterion A1) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) as well as directly (e.g., own life-threatening illness) and indirectly (e.g., others' illness) experienced events. Students reported experiencing many lifetime and recent Criterion A1 and non-A1 events, and community college students reported more events than did university students. Generally, individuals who reported more lifetime events also reported poorer outcomes (e.g., poorer health). The number of non-Criterion A1 and directly experienced events tended to be more strongly correlated with negative outcomes than were the number of Criterion A1 and indirectly experienced events reported. These findings suggest that non-A1 events are important to assess and can be significantly related to outcomes for students.

Beyond Criterion A1: the effects of relational and non-relational traumatic events.

Trauma research has historically focused on Criterion A1 traumas, neglecting many other negative interpersonal events that have been shown to lead to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; S. L. Anders, P. A. Frazier, & S. Frankfurt, 2011 ). Trauma research has also focused primarily on PTSD and neglected other important outcomes, such as relationship functioning. This study aimed to assess a broader range of events, including many Criterion A1 interpersonal events; assess the cumulative impact of event exposure; and examine the relation between event exposure and a broad range of outcomes, including relationship functioning. A sample of 181 undergraduate students completed measures assessing exposure to a broad range of events, their worst lifetime event, and current psychological (e.g., psychological distress) and relationship (e.g., partner trust) functioning. Results suggested that non-Criterion A1 relational events were very common in our sample. The number of lifetime relational events experienced, whether Criterion A1 or non-Criterion A1, was strongly and consistently associated with all outcomes. The number of lifetime Criterion A1 non-relational events experienced was significantly associated with current PTSD symptoms but was not associated with other mental health and relationship outcomes. No differences were found between Criterion A1 relational, non-Criterion A1 relational, and Criterion A1 non-relational worst events on any of the mental health or relationship measures. Implications for further research and interventions are discussed.

Evaluating the dimensionality of PTSD in a sample of OIF/OEF veterans.

Both categorical and dimensional models of mental disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are useful for diagnostic and heuristic purposes; however, few empirical studies have compared categorical and dimensional models of PTSD side-by-side or compared these models to a hybrid (dimensional and categorical) model. In the present study, the dimensionality of PTSD was examined by fitting latent profile analytic, confirmatory factor analytic, and factor mixture models in 271 Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans 6 months after return from deployment. Latent profile analysis was used to identify subgroups of individuals with similar PTSD symptom profiles and predictors of subgroup membership, confirmatory factor analysis was used to identify the underlying continuous structure of PTSD in this sample, and factor mixture modeling was used to test whether a hybrid categorical and continuous model of PTSD best fit our sample. A factor mixture model consisting of a 4-factor dysphoria model of PTSD with 2 classes characterized by low and moderate symptom severity was the best-fitting model. Dissociation and deployment concerns emerged as significant predictors of membership in the moderate symptoms class. Implications for PTSD diagnostic conceptualization and treatment planning are discussed.

Variations in Criterion A and PTSD rates in a community sample of women.

We assessed PTSD prevalence and symptoms as a function of whether participants' worst lifetime event met Criterion A1 for PTSD (DSM-IV-TR; APA, 2000) and whether the event was directly or indirectly experienced in a community sample of adult women (N=884). Exposure to both non-Criterion A1 and Criterion A1 events was systematically assessed. PTSD was assessed with regard to participants' self-nominated worst event using the PTSD module of the SCID-I/NP (First, Spitzer, Gibbon, & Williams, 1997). There were no differences in PTSD prevalence rates between Criterion A1 and non-A1 events; however, directly experienced worst events were significantly more likely to meet PTSD criteria than were indirectly experienced worst events. Non-Criterion A1 and directly experienced worst events were associated with significantly more PTSD symptoms than were Criterion A1 or indirectly experienced events, respectively. Criterion A2 (experiencing fear, helplessness, or horror) had little effect on PTSD rates.

Assessing the psychometric properties of the World Assumptions Scale.

The notion that traumatic events shatter survivors' fundamental assumptions about the world has been accepted as a truism in the trauma literature, although tests of this hypothesis provide a somewhat mixed picture. Because this research has relied heavily on the World Assumptions Scale (WAS), it is unclear whether these inconsistent results are due to problems with assumptive world theory, improper tests of the theory, or problems with the WAS. Data were gathered from 742 undergraduate students at four universities to assess the psychometric properties of the WAS. Findings suggest several shortcomings of the WAS, including temporal instability, and mixed evidence regarding construct validity. Implications for trauma research are discussed.