Chronic psychological and psychophysiological sequelae among adolescents following a traumatic bus crash

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dc.contributor.authorRibbe, David Paulen
dc.contributor.committeechairJones, Russell T.en
dc.contributor.committeememberClum, George A.en
dc.contributor.committeememberOllendick, Thomas H.en
dc.contributor.committeememberCooper, Robin P.en
dc.contributor.committeememberFrary, Robert B.en
dc.contributor.departmentPsychologyen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T21:23:39Zen
dc.date.adate2005-12-22en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T21:23:39Zen
dc.date.issued1993en
dc.date.rdate2005-12-22en
dc.date.sdate2005-12-22en
dc.description.abstractThis study examined chronic psychological and psychophysiological post-traumatic sequelae among eleven adolescent survivors of a fatal bus crash by means of a multimethod strategy. Measures included a structured DSM-m-R post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) interview using the Diagnostic Interview for Children and AdolescentsRevised (DICA-R), self-report measures of PTSD symptoms with the Reaction Index, and the Impact of Events Scale. Other measures of stress-related symptomatology included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Fear Survey Schedule-IT, Anxiety Sensitivity Index, Anxiety Frequency Index, and Beck Depression Inventory. In addition, heart rate (HR) reactivity to mental arithmetic (MA), demographic questions, and crash questions was assessed. Survivors were compared to control subjects matched for age, gender, race, and socioeconomic status, among other demographic characteristics. Multivariate analyses of the psychiatric interview data indicated that survivors evidenced significantly higher levels of past PTSD symptoms experienced after the crash, with a significant group by gender interaction, F (3,17) = 5.22, P = .01. Current (past month) levels of PTSD symptoms were also significantly higher among survivors four years after the crash, F (3,17) = 8.82, P < .01, although PTSD symptomatology decreased overall during that time, F (3,17) = 15.52, P < .01. Survivors and controls did not differ significantly on other measures of PTSD and other stress-related symptomatology. Repeated measures analyses of HR response scores revealed greater HR reactivity to questions about the crash among survivors, F (1, 14) = 18.55, P < .01, and by gender, F (1, 14) = 5.21, P = .04. Similar analyses found greater variability in survivors' HR standard deviations (an index of autonomic lability) F (1,14) = 5.21, P = .03 in response to the crash interview. Survivors' HR did not differ from controls' on the MA task. Findings are discussed theoretically and methodologically within the contexts of neurological and conditioning models of PTSD. No relationship between HR reactivity and psychiatric symptomatology was found. Furthermore, this investigation did not find support for the neurological kindling theory. Areas of future research using psychophysiological assessment are proposed to more specifically elicit autonomic arousal. Detailed case studies of four individual response patterns are included as a heuristic for further physiological research and for clinical applications with adolescent trauma victims.en
dc.description.degreePh. D.en
dc.format.extentviii, 178 leavesen
dc.format.mediumBTDen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.otheretd-12222005-090701en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-12222005-090701/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/40472en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartLD5655.V856_1993.R573.pdfen
dc.relation.isformatofOCLC# 29985532en
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subject.lccLD5655.V856 1993.R573en
dc.subject.lcshAdolescent psychopathologyen
dc.subject.lcshPost-traumatic stress disorder -- Physiological aspectsen
dc.subject.lcshTraffic accidents -- Psychological aspectsen
dc.titleChronic psychological and psychophysiological sequelae among adolescents following a traumatic bus crashen
dc.typeDissertationen
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
thesis.degree.disciplinePsychologyen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.leveldoctoralen
thesis.degree.namePh. D.en

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