TY - JOUR
T1 - Difficulty identifying feelings predicts the persistence of trauma symptoms in a sample of veterans who experienced military sexual trauma
AU - O'Brien, Carol
AU - Gaher, Raluca M.
AU - Pope, Caryanne
AU - Smiley, Paul
PY - 2008/3
Y1 - 2008/3
N2 - The current study examined the prospective association between alexithymia and the persistence of trauma symptoms in a clinical sample of 175 male and female veterans who experienced sexual trauma during military service (military sexual trauma; MST). Trauma symptoms decreased significantly over the course of a specialized residential treatment program. Difficulty identifying feelings was related to persistence of the following trauma symptoms: overall symptoms, sexual abuse trauma symptoms, dissociative symptoms, and anxiety. Men exhibited more persistent symptoms overall, more persistent sexual problems, and more sexual abuse trauma symptoms compared with women (over and above controlling for symptoms at intake). The results speak to the significant role that difficulty identifying feelings has in the treatment of PTSD. In addition, the results suggest that MST has different implications for men compared with women. Specifically, men who were sexually abused in the military experienced greater persistence of symptoms compared with women, especially in the areas of sexual functioning.
AB - The current study examined the prospective association between alexithymia and the persistence of trauma symptoms in a clinical sample of 175 male and female veterans who experienced sexual trauma during military service (military sexual trauma; MST). Trauma symptoms decreased significantly over the course of a specialized residential treatment program. Difficulty identifying feelings was related to persistence of the following trauma symptoms: overall symptoms, sexual abuse trauma symptoms, dissociative symptoms, and anxiety. Men exhibited more persistent symptoms overall, more persistent sexual problems, and more sexual abuse trauma symptoms compared with women (over and above controlling for symptoms at intake). The results speak to the significant role that difficulty identifying feelings has in the treatment of PTSD. In addition, the results suggest that MST has different implications for men compared with women. Specifically, men who were sexually abused in the military experienced greater persistence of symptoms compared with women, especially in the areas of sexual functioning.
KW - Alexithymia
KW - Military sexual trauma
KW - PTSD
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=40949090191&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=40949090191&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/NMD.0b013e318166397d
DO - 10.1097/NMD.0b013e318166397d
M3 - Article
C2 - 18340263
AN - SCOPUS:40949090191
SN - 0022-3018
VL - 196
SP - 252
EP - 255
JO - Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
JF - Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
IS - 3
ER -