A Prospective Study of the Relationship between Peritraumatic Distress and Attentional Avoidance of Trauma-Relevant Threat in the Prediction of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The purpose of this prospective study was to increase what is known about the relationship between peritraumatic distress and threat-related attentional bias to non-recovery from trauma exposure, with the goal of improving post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk identification in a hospital emergency department setting. To do so, attentional bias and peritraumatic distress were assessed in physical assault and motor vehicle accident survivors within six hours of hospitalization, and PTSD symptom assessment was then conducted at 1- and 3-months post- trauma exposure. Primary analyses examined the role of attentional bias and peritraumatic distress in the development of PTSD symptoms, whereas secondary analyses explored the relationship between peritraumatic distress and threat-related attentional bias to independent symptom clusters comprising PTSD as a syndrome, as well as the moderating effect of blood alcohol presence on symptom prediction. Key results revealed that peritraumatic distress predicted 1-month symptoms in the study’s sample, and provided some degree of indication that attentional threat avoidance following acute trauma exposure may be related to greater 1-month PTSD symptoms. Although these variables emerged to be independent of one another, results point to the need for further investigation into the potential utility of combining peritraumatic distress and attentional bias as a screening protocol in an emergency room setting. Further, results revealed that baseline PTSD symptoms predicted greater peritraumatic distress severity, thereby offering novel insight with respect to pathways by which prior trauma exposure increases PTSD risk. Finally, it was found that peritraumatic distress and attentional bias have distinct relationships with the individual PTSD symptom clusters, and that each of these may hold different implications with respect to PTSD symptom heterogeneity. Considered together, the results contribute to researchers’ and clinicians’ understanding of PTSD onset and chronicity.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Clinical Psychology

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Arts

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Thomas, Charmaine

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Sears, Christopher
• Bui, Eric

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Dyck, Richard
• Dobson, Keith

• Psychology--Clinical

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/24986

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/3433