Osnat Lavenda

From Hiroshima to Fukushima: PTSD symptoms and radiation stigma across regions in Japan

Stigma is known to be associated with poorer mental health (Raguram et al., 1996). Perceived radiation stigma is the belief that people who were exposed to radiation are contaminated and are discriminated against (Tone and Stone, 2014). Japan is the only country that experienced two major nuclear disasters: the first the A-bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WWII, the second the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011 (Ben-Ezra et al., 2012). In Japanese radiation exposure is “Hibaku”; this term, along with “Hibakusha” (an exposed individual), has been used to stigmatize A-bomb survivors and now it is used with respect to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011.

Do previous experience and geographic proximity matter? Possible predictors for diagnosing Adjustment disorder vs. PTSD

The minority of people who have experienced a traumatic event and were diagnosed as either suffering from PTSD or from Adjustment disorder, may suggest that victims of a traumatic event vary in risk factors for the disorders. The current research aimed at examining the association between reports of Adjustment disorder and PTSD symptoms (In accordance with the proposed revisions of the ICD-11) and several vulnerability variables: previous traumatic event, previous stressful event and physical proximity to the terror attack. Using an online survey, 379 adult participants were recruited, and filled out Adjustment disorder, PTSD symptomatology scales, as well as a previous exposure, magnitude of exposure and death anxiety scales. Findings revealed that previous experience of traumatic events was a significant predictor associated with both PTSD and Adjustment disorder symptoms. Previous experience of stressful events was a significant predictor associated with Adjustment disorder alone. Physical proximity to the site of the attack was a significant predictor associated with PTSD symptoms but not Adjustment disorder symptoms. The importance of previous traumatic events, previous stressful events and physical proximity to the terror attack as factors which are associated with Adjustment disorder and PTSD symptomatology is discussed.

Evoked Death-Related Thoughts in the Aftermath of Terror Attack: The Associations Between Mortality Salience Effect and Adjustment Disorder

Abstract ICD-11 has provided a revised definition for adjustment disorder (AjD). The current study examined whether mortality salience effect, a possible consequence of a terror attack, may serve as a significant predictor associated with each of the AjD subscales. Using an online survey, 379 adult participants were recruited and filled out self-reported questionnaires dealing with adjustment disorder symptoms as well as mortality salience effect. Findings revealed that mortality salience effect was a significant predictor of all AjD subscales. The importance of mortality salience effect for AjD is discussed in light of terror management theory.

Anxiety and defensiveness as predictors of maternal child-centrism:

Maternal child-centrism is widely regarded in Western societies as the ideal of being a good mother. However, it has recently been criticized for the toll it takes on mothers. This study examines the widespread maternal practice of child-centrism. It is the first, to our knowledge, to examine predictors of the tendency towards child-centrism. Nowadays, with the social unwritten imperative to prioritize childrens needs regardless of maternal standpoint, this study aims to focus and shed light on mothers and to explore which maternal characteristics predict maternal child-centrism. Self-reported questionnaires were completed by 320 Jewish-Israeli mothers, dealing with maternal child-centrism, maternal characteristics (i.e. attachment style, anxiety, defensiveness, and negative and positive affect), and socio-demographic context. The results of the Hierarchical Regression analysis revealed that stress-related maternal characteristics of anxiety and defensiveness predicted maternal child-centrism. These findings may imply that child-centrism serves as a mechanism for overcoming distress faced by mothers struggling with current Western societal norms. Its relationship to the feminist conceptualization of the Myth of Motherhood is discussed.

“A man's home is his castle and fortress”: Effect of age on the psychological distress associated with house damage following super typhoon Haiyan

The devastating impact of losing ones home as a consequence of a disaster is a well-known fact. Nevertheless this impact have not been examined in different age groups. The present study aimed at examining the psychological distress following the aftermath of super Typhoon Haiyan among 1001 adults in their 20s and 40s. Psychological distress was affected by house-damage among adults in their 40s only, namely, ones house remaining intact provided a buffer against experiencing high levels of psychological distress. Adults in their 20s reported the same high level of distress regardless of house-damage. Results are interpreted in light of developmental models focusing on Burden and Resources perspectives.

The perceived risk of pregnancy as a mediator of the association between prenatal depression and depression 5 years after giving birth

The present study examines a mothers perception of her pregnancy as risking herself and her fetus, as a mediator of the association between depressive symptoms during pregnancy and depressive symptoms 5 years after giving birth, regardless of actual objective risk. 290 Jewish Israeli mothers filled out self-reported questionnaires dealing with objective risk, subjective risk and depressive symptoms. The findings confirmed partial mediation effect, implying a potential negative impact of the preventive efforts usually made, by increasing risk perception with long-term costs for mothers, especially for those who have already developed depressive symptoms.

Truck attack: Fear of ISIS and reminder of truck attacks in Europe as associated with psychological distress and PTSD symptoms

Following an ISIS attack, the present study examined the association between psychological distress and severe stress symptoms with vulnerability variables: i.e. Physical proximity to the site of the terror attack, Associative memory of prior events, Danger perception and ISIS anxiety. Using an online survey, 397 adult participants were recruited, Seventy-two hours after an ISIS terror attack, and filled out Psychological distress Patient Health Questionnaire 4 and severe stress symptoms questionnaire as well as physical proximity to the site of the terror attack, associative memory of prior events, danger perception and ISIS anxiety scales. Physical proximity to the site of the terror attack and ISIS anxiety were found to be significantly associated of both psychological distress and severe stress symptoms. Regarding danger perception, only danger perception of terror attacks was associated with both psychological distress and with severe stress symptoms. Lastly, whereas being reminded of the 2014 Jerusalem tractor attack (tapping to association via location) was neither associated with psychological distress nor with severe stress symptom, the reminder of the truck attack in Berlin (tapping into association by recency and similarity) was associated with psychological distress but not with severe stress symptoms. The importance of the findings is discussed.

Screening of adjustment disorder: Scale based on the ICD-11 and the Adjustment Disorder New Module

In line with ICD-11 new conceptualization of Adjustment disorder (AjD), a self-report Adjustment Disorder-New Module (ADNM) was developed and validated. Nevertheless, the ADNM-20 is a long research tool and potentially problematic in the use in epidemiological and clinical studies. The present study introduces the brief ADNM-8 and the ultra-brief ADNM-4, examines their validity and establishes cut-off scores for their clinical use. The study used a representative national sample of 1003 Israelis who reported on the ICD-11 stress spectrum ranging from AjD, PTSD, complex PTSD and complicated grief. Construct validity was assessed via confirmatory factor analysis and cut-off scores were established through ROC analysis. The original and brief instruments were highly correlated (r > 0.918 or better). Cronbachs Alpha for the Brief ADNM-8 and the Ultra-Brief ADNM-4 were above 0.800. Correlations with stress related conditions indicated a good convergent and construct validity for both instruments as well. The ultra-brief ADNM-4 was found to have a very good fit with the data. These findings indicate that the brief ADNM-8 and the ultra-brief ADNM-4 can serve as a brief screening tools for assessing AjD symptoms according to the ICD-11 definition.

Exploring DSM-5 criterion A in Acute Stress Disorder symptoms following natural disaster

The present study examines the DSM-5 Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) diagnostic criteria of exposure, in the context of a natural disaster. The study is based on the reports of 1001 Filipinos following the aftermath of super typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Participants reported exposure to injury, psychological distress and ASD symptoms. Findings indicated the association of criterion A with the prevalence of meeting all other ASD diagnostic criteria and high psychological distress. The diagnostic properties of Criterion A are discussed.

Typhoon survivors' subjective wellbeing—A different view of responses to natural disaster

Objective Subjective well-being was evaluated three weeks after Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines. Based on the Conservation of Resources theory, which focuses on the role of resources in understanding adjustment following trauma, data was collected on lost resources. In line with the Conservation of Resources theory, four categories of resources were defined: objects—residential property; condition—gender health state and witness to injury; personal—coping strategies; energy–relationships. Design and settings Eight hundred thirty-four people from the Philippines filled out self-report measures using an online interview system regarding: socio demographics data, subjective well-being, using the Delighted Terrible Faces Scale (DTS), disaster related experiences, coping strategies, personal relationships, obtained through support sources (close family, relatives and friends, community) and assessing problems with those relationships after Haiyan. Results Subjective well-being was predicted by the following classes of resources: objects (home damage) condition (self-rated health and witness to injury), personal (positive reframing and self-blame coping strategies) and energy resources (relations and problems in relations). Conclusions The results imply the important role individual’s resources (i.e. objects, personal characteristics, conditions, and energies) might play in promoting subjective well-being, following natural disaster.