Disaster-Related Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Sustained Attention: Evaluation of Depressive Symptomatology and Sleep Disturbances as Mediators
Publication date
2005-08
Authors
Meewisse, M.L.
Nijdam, M.J.
Vries, G.L. de
Gersons, B.P.R.
Kleber, R.J.
Velden, P.G. van der
Roskam, A.J.
Christiaanse, B.
Drogendijk, A.J.
Olff, M.
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Document Type
Article
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Abstract
Research about attentional functioning following trauma has almost exclusively been performed
in patient populations with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this study the
relationship between sustained attention and PTSD symptoms was examined in a community sample
of survivors of a major disaster using the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT) and the Self-
Rating Scale for PTSD (SRS-PTSD) 2–3 years postdisaster. Analyses revealed low but significant
partial correlations between PTSD symptoms and the least difficult subtests, ruling out the effects of
age, education, depressive symptomatology, and sleep disturbances. These results demonstrate that
PTSD symptoms link to attentional dysfunction 2–3 years postdisaster.