Aversive imagery in posttraumatic stress disorder: trauma recurrence, comorbidity, and physiological reactivity.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized as a disorder of exaggerated defensive physiological arousal. The novel aim of the present research was to investigate within PTSD a potential dose-response relationship between past trauma recurrence and current comorbidity and intensity of physiological reactions to imagery of trauma and other aversive scenarios.

Methods

A community sample of principal PTSD (n = 49; 22 single-trauma exposed, 27 multiple-trauma exposed) and control (n = 76; 46 never-trauma exposed, 30 trauma exposed) participants imagined threatening and neutral events while acoustic startle probes were presented and the eye-blink response (orbicularis occuli) was recorded. Changes in heart rate, skin conductance level, and facial expressivity

SUBMITTER: McTeague LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3747632 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature