Module 3 Flashcards
(35 cards)
According to Giller (1999) what makes an event traumatic?
The event overwhelms the individual’s ability to cope and is perceived as threatening the persons’s life, safety, psychological integrity.
What are some factors that increase the risk of development vicarious trauma in psychologists?
Level of social support, training and workload, duration in role, previous experience, job satisfaction, interactions with clients.
According to Couineau (2014) what is the strongest risk factor for vicarious trauma?
A sense of isolation both at home and at work.
What are some warning signs of vicarious trauma?
Withdrawal from friends and family, increased irritability, sleeping difficulties including disturbing dreams, changes in patterns of work, increased use of alcohol.
What can an individual worker do to protect themselves from vicarious trauma?
C - Connection
A - Awareness
R - Resourcing
E - Effectiveness
What are some strategies to manage strong negative emotions?
- Be prepared - use mindfulness and grounding
- Keep accessing positive emotions
- Don’t use drugs and alcohol to cope or numb yourself
What is the Assumptive World Theory of trauma?
We all live with a number of cognitive schemas that can be challenged or shattered when an individual is exposed to a traumatic event.
- The idea of a benevolent world
- Meaningfulness of the world
- Worthiness of self
What is Brewin’s model of trauma?
Information processing occurs at two levels following a traumatic event
- Verbally accessible memories - involves conscious processing of the traumatic experience and its recall
- Situationally accessible memories - encoded with emotions but not necessarily with verbal access, cannot be deliberately accessed
How did Freud conceptualise trauma?
A failure of the fundamental regulation of humans to achieve pleasure over pain. Traumatic events are excitations from the outside which are powerful enough to break through the protective shield.
What are the biological impacts of trauma?
- Brain engages in allostasis, releasing various neurotransmitters
- When this reaction is sustained, there is a loop between hypothalamus + amygdala
- Triggers hormone release, immune response, inflammation and metabolic activity = allostatic load
What factors does Giller (1999) say are likely to increase psychological trauma?
- If it occurs in childhood
- Is repeated, unpredictable, multifaceted
- Is caused by a human, especially a caregiver
What is the 12-month and lifetime prevalence of PTSD in Australia?
4.4% and 7.2%
What are some risk factors for PTSD?
- Females twice as likely as men
- Military personnel experience rates of PTSD double the national rate
- Rates are 50% for victims of rape and torture
According to Brewin, Andrews & Valentine (2000), which factors carry the highest risk for PTSD?
Those associated with the event or after the trauma
What are the 3 important factors contributing to PTSD, as outlined by Sherin & Nemeroff (2011)
- Endocrine Factors - abnormal cortisol and thyroid hormone levels, disregulation of HPA-axis, low cortisol
- Neurochemistry - abnormal regulation of neurotransmitters
- Brain Circuitry - abnormalities in hippocampus, amygdala and corpus callosum
What changes were made to the diagnostic criteria for PTSD in the DSM-5?
- Exclusion of electronic exposure as a source of trauma
- Removal of the criteria for intense emotional reaction
- Inclusion of four rather than 3 symptoms cluster
What is the difference between ‘chronic’ and ‘acute’ PTSD?
Chronic - symptoms longer than 3 months
Acute - symptoms less than 3 months
According to Creamer & Carty (2016), what the rate of comorbidity with PTSD?
80-85% meet the diagnostic for atleast one other psychiatric diagnosis
What are the two treatments for PTSD considered as evidence-based by the APA?
- Trauma-focused CBT
- Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing
How does EMDR help in the treatment of PTSD?
It is thought that by recalling the traumatic event while engaging in REM, that brain is able to integrate and process the traumatic memories.
How does exposure therapy work?
Exposing client to memory over and over again to build their tolerance in dealing with it.
What are the prevalence rates for PTSD in police officers?
Approximately 7-26%, somewhere in the range of two to eight times higher than the general population
What factors have been shown to predict PTSD in first responders?
- Young and single
- Caucasian, less previous trauma, less critical incident
- Psychiatric impairment, social dysfunction
- Sustaining an injury during the incident
What three work-related factors are thought to increase stress-related reaction following traumatic events in first responders?
- Organisational characteristics
- Patient care
- Interpersonal environment
