Only a few studies have examined cortisol response to trauma-related stressors in relation to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We followed a sample of high-exposure survivors of the attacks on September 11, 2001 (9/11; 32 men and 29 women) and examined their cortisol response after recalling the escape from the attack, 7 and 18 months post-9/11. PTSD symptoms and saliva cortisol levels wer...

I n this issue, we are privileged to have 2 state-of-the-art reviews on the topic of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), written by preeminent authorities in the field. Dr Naomi Breslau provides a critical overview of the epidemiology of PTSD, highlighting sex differences and comorbidity. Dr Gordon Asmundson and colleagues’ insightful synthesis of the literature linking PTSD to chronic pain e...

Anger is a common problem among veterans and has been associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study aimed to improve understanding of how anger and PTSD co-occur by examining gender differences and differences by whether the triggering traumatic event is deployment-related vs. civilian-related in current service members. A representative cohort of Reserve and National Guard s...

BACKGROUND We examined patterns and correlates of speed of recovery of estimated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among people who developed PTSD in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. METHOD A probability sample of prehurricane residents of areas affected by Hurricane Katrina was administered a telephone survey 7-19 months following the hurricane and again 24-27 months posthurricane. The base...

Individual willingness to enter competitive environments predicts career choices and labor market outcomes. Meanwhile, many people experience competitive contexts as stressful. We use two laboratory experiments to investigate whether factors related to stress can help explain individual differences in tournament entry. Experiment 1 studies whether stress responses (measured as salivary cortisol...

This study examined relationships among demographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables in adult children of cancer patients. Two hundred and fourteen participants completed measures of posttraumatic growth (PTG), distress, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, social support, and family functioning. Significant gender differences in all PTG dimensions were found, as well as associat...

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to examine a possible trauma type related variance in the gender difference of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) prevalence. METHODS An analysis was conducted on 18 convenience sample studies including data from a total of 5220 participants. The studies all applied the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire - part IV to assess PTSD. Cohen's d was use...

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a response to trauma is repeatedly found to be more common among women than men. This article explores prevalence rates and gender differences. Explanations for this gender bias and examined and the literature on trauma types and resulting PTSD is reviewed. Other disorders that may result from trauma that also have gender biases are considered as a potent...

BACKGROUND Studies indicate that differences in trait anxiety and trauma-related distress may mediate the gender differences observed in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). OBJECTIVE We examined the contributions of gender, trait anxiety, and trauma-related distress to the development of PTSD after an industrial disaster. METHODS Three months after a massive explosion in a fireworks facto...

In our previous studies, psychological stress was shown to enhance operant escape responding of male and female rats. The stressors that produced hyperalgesia were physical restraint and social defeat. Nociceptive input also elicits stress reactions, generating the prediction that pain would facilitate pain under certain circumstances. For example, the usual method of evaluating stress in labor...