Richu Wang

The underlying dimensions of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in an epidemiological sample of Chinese earthquake survivors

The current study investigated the underlying dimensions of DSM-5 PTSD symptoms in an epidemiological sample of Chinese earthquake survivors. The sample consisted of 810 females and 386 males, with a mean age of 47.9 years (SD=10.0, range: 16-73). PTSD symptoms were assessed using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, and alternative models were evaluated with confirmatory factor analysis. Results indicated that a six-factor model comprised of intrusion, avoidance, negative affect, anhedonia, dysphoric arousal, and anxious arousal factors emerged as the best fitting model. The current findings add to limited literature on the latent structure of PTSD symptoms described in the recently released DSM-5, and carry implications for further trauma-related research and clinical practice.

Stathmin genotype is associated with reexperiencing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in Chinese earthquake survivors

Stathmin (STMN1) has been demonstrated as a regulator of fear processing across species, which implicates that it may be important in the etiopathogenesis of fear-related psychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study examined the association between STMN1 rs182455 genotype, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located within or close to the putative transcriptional control region of STMN1 gene, and PTSD symptoms. A total of 326 Chinese adults who suffered from a deadly 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and unexpectedly lost their children during the disaster participated in this study. PTSD symptoms were measured with the PTSD Checklist (PCL). The Sequenom iPlex chemistries and the MassARRAY system were used to genotype the STMN1 rs182455 SNP. Our results indicated that the STMN1rs182455 genotype was not associated with severity of total PTSD symptoms in either females or males; however, it could significantly predict severity of PTSDs reexperiencing symptoms in females. The findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the important role of STMN1 in the development of PTSD, and expand extant knowledge on the genetic underpinnings of PTSD and the sex-specific expression of PTSDs symptoms.

The dimensionality of PTSD symptoms and their relationship to health-related quality of life in Chinese earthquake survivors

The current study investigated the latent structure of PTSD symptoms with a sample of 326 Chinese survivors who lost their children during a deadly earthquake. The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a five-factor intercorrelated model comprised of intrusion, avoidance, emotional numbing, dysphoric arousal, and anxiety arousal provided significant better fit than both the four-factor numbing model of King, Leskin, King, and Weathers (1998) and the four-factor dysphoria model of Simms, Watson, and Doebbeling (2002). Further analyses with structural equation modeling showed that the PTSD factors were differentially associated with external measures of psychosocial and physical health-related quality of life. The findings provide further empirical support for the novel five-factor PTSD model, and carry implications for conceptualizing and assessing PTSD for the upcoming DSM-5.

The structure of acute stress disorder among Chinese adults exposed to an earthquake: Is dysphoric arousal a unique construct of acute posttraumatic responses?

As a diagnosis organized mainly on the basis of theoretical conceptualization, acute stress disorder (ASD) has been widely criticized for lack of empirical support since it was introduced into the DSM system. To address this issue, the present study investigated the latent structure of ASD symptoms measured by the Acute Stress Disorder Scale (ASDS). A total of 350 adults with a mean age of 32.9 years (SD = 14.0, range: 16-85) took part in this study 12 to 15 days after an earthquake. The results of confirmatory factor analyses showed that a five-factor intercorrelated model (dissociation, reexperiencing, avoidance, dysphoric arousal, and anxious arousal) demonstrated the best data fit. The findings provide preliminary empirical evidence in favor of a new reconceptualization of ASD symptoms, and are informative for the impending DSM-5.

Oxytocin is associated with PTSD’s anxious arousal symptoms in Chinese male earthquake survivors

Background Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex and severe mental disorder triggered by exposure to an extraordinarily traumatic event. Human and animal studies have implied the functional role of the oxytocin system in the development of PTSD (Cochran, Fallon, Hill, & Frazier, 2013; Koch et al., 2014; Olff, 2012). Specification of the role of the oxytocin system in the emergence and progression of PTSD symptomatology would provide evidence to inform both theory and clinical practice. Methods This study examined the association between oxytocin serum levels and PTSD symptoms. A total of 106 Chinese male adults who suffered from the deadly 2008 Wenchuan earthquake participated in this study. PTSD symptoms were measured with PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and serum oxytocin level was determined with ELISA oxytocin kits. Results The mean score on the PCL-5 was 19.30 (SD=14.50, range: 1–65) in this sample. The mean oxytocin level was 101.59 pg/ml (SD=55.89, range: 31.50–286.71). The results indicated that although the oxytocin was not associated with total PTSD symptoms, it was associated with PTSDs anxious arousal symptoms. Conclusion These findings support that the oxytocin may play an important functional role in the development of PTSD and contribute to the extant knowledge on the genetic basis of the PTSD symptoms.

TPH2 genotype is associated with PTSD's avoidance symptoms in Chinese female earthquake survivors

Genetic factors are important in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following exposure to traumatic events. However, the molecular genetic underpinnings of this disorder have not been definitive. This study examined the association between tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) rs11178997 genotype, a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located in the transcriptional control region, and PTSD symptoms. A total of 326 Chinese adults who suffered from the deadly 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and lost their children during the disaster participated in this study. PTSD symptoms were measured with PTSD checklist, and the SNP was successfully genotyped by the MassARRAY system. The results indicated that, although the rs11178997 genotype was not associated with total PTSD symptoms, it could significantly predict severity of PTSD’s avoidance symptoms in women. These findings support that TPH2 may play an important functional role in the development of PTSD and contribute to the limited literature regarding the genetic basis and the sex-specific expression of PTSD’s symptoms.

The COMT gene variant is associated with depression's decreased positive affect symptoms in Chinese adults

This study examined the association between the COMT Val(158) Met genotype and depression symptoms. A total of 326 Chinese adults who experienced the deadly 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and lost children during the disaster participated in this study. Depression symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was successfully genotyped using the MassARRAY system. Results indicated that although the Val(158) Met genotype was not associated with total depression symptoms, it was significantly correlated with decreased positive affect symptoms of depression in males. The findings indicated that COMT may play an important functional role in the development of depression, and contribute to the extant knowledge of the genetic basis and sex-specific expression of symptoms in depression.

Towards a dimensional model of depression: Evidence from Chinese samples

The categorical approach to classifying mental disorders canbe traced back to the late 19th century when it was firstsuggested by Emil Kraepelin (Moller, 2008, 2009). Themodern era of the category-based approach to mental disor-ders started from the late 1970s to early 1980s with thepublication of the ninth edition of the World Health Organi-zation’s