Work

Prior Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Affect Autonomic Reactivity During Trauma Recall

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: To better understand the psychophysiological correlates of peritraumatic dissociation (PD), the present study examined the relationship between reports of prior PD and sympathetic and parasympathetic functioning in response to a laboratory stress paradigm in 39 traumatized female undergraduates. Participants were asked to talk about their most distressing traumatizing experience while continuous measures of heart rate, pre-ejection period, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia were taken. Overall, high dissociators had significantly larger increases in heart rate and larger decreases in pre-ejection period and respiratory sinus arrhythmia during trauma recall. In opposition to our hypothesis, these results suggest that female trauma victims reporting high levels of PD during a prior trauma may be more reactive to traumatic reminders than victims who report lower levels of PD.

Source: Journal of Trauma & Dissociation

DOI: 10.1080/15299732.2011.608628

Authors: Eve M. Sledjeski, Douglas L. Delahanty

Institutions: Kent State University, Rowan University, Northeast Ohio Medical University

Language: English

Topic: Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute of Mental Health