Work

The Interplay of Perceived Social Support and Posttraumatic Psychological Distress Following Orofacial Injury

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: Social support is believed to mediate psychosocial recovery in vulnerable populations after trauma. In this study, we examine the relationships between perceived social support and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in a cohort of 287 socio-economically disadvantaged adults with orofacial injury, using 3 waves of data collected over a period of 1 year after the injury. Using structural equation modeling process, we evaluated the cross-lagged effects between perceived social support (PSS) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. We found that PSS had a direct influence on PTSD only when examined concurrently. After controlling the covariates, the model supports the cross-lagged effect for PTSD symptoms on PSS at T2 and T3, which suggests a reciprocal contribution between symptoms and support as time progressed. Our data suggest that, over time, high rates of PTSD symptoms are related to a diminished perception of available social support.

Source: The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

DOI: 10.1097/nmd.0b013e3181b3b127

Authors: Anna Lui, Shirley Glynn, Vivek Shetty

Institution: University of California, Los Angeles

Language: English

Topic: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research