Psychology of PTSD and Psychotherapy Effectiveness

This document explores the psychology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the effectiveness of psychotherapy in treating it. It discusses risk factors, hypothesis, validity, and gender differences in severity. The document also provides resources and references on the topic.

Psychology

Table of Contents
Topic ...............................................................................................................................................1
Research question............................................................................................................................1
When you lose someone from a car accident.........................................................................1
We want to see if it validates in our culture (Bali).................................................................1
Risk or protective factors........................................................................................................2
Hypothesis........................................................................................................................................3
Internal consistency................................................................................................................3
Inter-rater reliability...............................................................................................................3
Convergent validity................................................................................................................4
Construct validity...................................................................................................................5
Gender differences in severity of PTSD.................................................................................5
Differences when you lose child and when you lose important others..................................5
References .......................................................................................................................................9

Topic
“The type of intervention is irrelevant when treating traumatized adults: Psychotherapy
effectiveness depends only on common factors.”
Research question
When you lose someone from a car accident
Most of the citizens who have gone through a technological or natural disaster is affected
by post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Car accidents are the major reason of trauma facing by
a large number of individuals (Seow and et. al. 2016). However, intervention would be not
needed for the people who lose their closed ones in car accidents as such kinds of traumas
directly hit on their mind and it is very difficult to get back to life again. Post traumatic stress
disorders are the critical psychological situation that could be impacted on accident unfortunate
person.
We want to see if it validates in our culture (Bali)
Intervention programs of individuals in Bali could use such assessment tools for
screening and to analyse the effect of trauma in individuals. PCL could be used for self
monitoring of symptoms associated with PTSD. However, there is no such evidences that such
kind of tools and assessment validates in Bali also (Reuveni and et. al. 2016). PCL-5 is use to
analyse the symptoms of traumatic situation sin the individuals. It consist of 20 items and four
sub-scales corresponding to the four symptom clusters.
Risk or protective factors
There are several risk factors for PSTD in the individuals that are going through such
kind of traumatic situations.
 Acute trauma include accidents or some natural calamities. Such kinds of trauma have a
short term effect on individuals. But in chronic trauma, the accidents occur more than one
time in individual's life. It includes sexual abuse, long term child abuse, from
domestically violent environment (Wichmann and et. al. 2017).
 If an individuals is present at the site of accident then there may be chances that he/she
could be effected by some traumatic situations. DSM 4 and DSM 5 could also occur.
Psychometric validation of PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5).: Balinese version
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The psychometric validation of PTSD for Bali people to help the victims. The some
doctors initiated the psychometric validation of PCL-5 to the Bali people by describing the
symptoms of PTSD. They make some questionnaire which consist of 14 questions to measure
the level of PTSD (Blaine and Brenchley, 2017).
Hypothesis
Internal consistency
1. If PCL-5 questionnaire is reliable: how well the items of PCL-5 measure the severity
of PTSD.
The PCL-5 has only one version of its items with this format but with the self report measure it
has 20 items of questionnaire. The three formats includes extended criterion A component, one
with a criterion A component, and one with the life event checklist for DSM-5 and one without a
criterion A component(Gross and McIlveen, 2016). These items score the severity of past events
by measuring through questions using 'not at all', 'moderately', 'a little bit' and 'extremely'.
2. Cronbach A
Cronbach alpha is used in PCL-5 to measure the PTSD symptoms. This makes the
consistency in questionnaire which are to be asked in questions. As it is easier to understand the
questions and respond effectively by respondents.
3. We are expecting that PCL-5 to have a good internal consistency: respondents
should answer the same for each similar question.
For the good consistency of PCL-5, the Cronbach's alpha can be used. To make the each
question reliable the Cronbach's alpha use which make it easier to understand the questions in
PCL-5. This Cronbach's applies when the questions are measuring in one dimension.
Inter-rater reliability
1. The degree of the agreement two or more raters.
If the PCL-5 has good reliability
If the two or more raters are in the degree of the agreement then use of interclass
correlation and intraclass correlation occur. It includes the homogeneity in the ratings which are
given by various people (Kopec, 2018). If the PCL-5 has good reliability then the chances of
same behaviour can be estimated from the questionnaire.
2. Percent Agreement for two raters.
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or Pearson r
The basic requirements to find the percent agreement for two rates are below.
 First is to count the numbers of ratings in agreement.
 Then, calculate the total number of ratings.
 After that, divide the total by the number to get a fraction.
 Lastly, convert it into percentage.
3. Because it is an established measurement will be a correlation
(But it depends: cultural influence).
The correlation measurement refers to the measure the strength between two variables. In
this the one is positive interlinked and the other one is negative interlinked and it is help in
measuring the agreement among raters.
Convergent validity
PCL-5 with LEC-5 and QUIS and TGI-RS
High positive correlation.
Pearson r
The LEC-5 is a self-report is used to measure the traumatic events in respondent's life. It
is linked with the PCL-5 with 17 item self report. With the use of this, it measure exposure to 16
events which show the symptoms of PTSD(Wells and et. al., 2016).
The PCL-5 is highly co-linked with the QUIZ as to help in the analysing the post
traumatic disorder and help the individual to seek the help from professionals.
Construct validity
Gender differences in severity of PTSD
The PTSD cause severity differences among gender as the female has a higher risk of
getting affected than males. The women are to suffer more than the male as they suffer more
situation in respect to male. In some cases men can affected from this disorder due to the changes
in their marital, financial problems. According to some evidence it is estimated that the women
suffer more PTSD symptoms for longer period. These trauma involve different types incidents
which include sexual assault or emotionally abuse.
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Differences when you lose child and when you lose important others.
When someone loses the child, it can highly impacted on the parents mind. The generally
a person can only suffer from PTSD when the person is highly emotionally attached to the lose
one. But in other case the lose one is important but not emotionally attached to the person then
the chance of getting affected from this disorder is lower.
Differences when you see the accident- or hear about the accident.
There is a difference occur between the witness and the hear about the incident. The
PTSD more occur when the individual witness the incidents or see any type of act which are
extremely disturbing. From the hear incident, the person can only hypothetically analysed the
situation which does not effect on mind's state.
Factor analysis
If the 20 questions create the 4 sub-scales. (Intrusion- avoidance – negative alterations in
cognition and mood- alterations in arousal and reactivity).
The 4 sub scales including intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and
mood alterations are much effective to make questions. It is helpful to gain responses from
respondents and gain more accurate information which is favourable to achieve appropriate
results. However, these four sub-scales are symptoms which are present in individuals suffering
from post PTSD.
True correlation between variables and factors.
With the help of factors, correlated variables can be described in term of possibly low
number of unobserved variables. The factors can cause the variability in the data. It is also use to
measure the errors (Woodhead, 2015). The work of factor is to make link between the variables.
Interrelationships among items
The questionnaire involves 25 items from each of the factor and each item are
differentiated into each of the personality factors. The each item have set of instruction which are
interlinked to each other. The characteristic of items include to follow rather than lead.
If the sample has an linear relationship between the questions.
If the linear relationship is occur in question then the one variable may be positive and
the other variable may be negative. The one variable is independent and the other one which is
dependent on the other is dependent variable. So, the benefit of linear combination is that it
makes the combination between questions.
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Divide the method part in
Participants: The people who are suffering from any mental or psychological disorder
regarded as the participants. The positive consent of each and every participants are required
when comes to the aim, system, environment and behaviour of the research. There are total 50
respondents who are involved during the research.
Procedures: Once the number of participants has been decided, the researcher conduct
several interviews and develop questionnaires for traumatised adults. During unstructured
interviews, the question are pre described whereas in structured interviews, the question are in
prearranged and exact order.
Measurements: The signs and symptoms of the traumatised adults where the
effectiveness of psychotherapy is being measured through some self analysed reports or by
prearranged structured interview. Direct and particular questions are asked to the participants,
focussing their daily schedule or routine in life.
Statistical analysis: For 50 participants the statistical analysis will be conducted. The
analysis aids in knowing the severity of the psychological disorder, which may have large effect
on some participants and some respondents may have less severity and can be treated with some
therapies.
From the above report it can be analysed that, the psychotherapies are only affected on
some common factors of PTSD. The individuals suffering from various disabilities throughout
their lifetime may get support by the psychotherapy. Various Intervention programs which are
conducted could be used for screening and to analyse the consequences of trauma in participants
as an assessment tools. It has been analysed that the emotional ability and intimacy action ranges
between the female and male as each have different experience in coping and handling the
various situation in day to day life.
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References
Books and journals
Blaine, B. E., & Brenchley, K. J. M. (2017). Understanding the psychology of diversity. Sage
Publications.
Gross, R., & McIlveen, R. (2016). Social psychology. Routledge.
Kopec, D. A. (2018). Environmental psychology for design.
Wells, N. M. &. et. al. (2016). Environmental psychology. Environmental health: From global
to local, 203.
Woodhead, M. (2015). Psychology and the cultural construction of children’s needs. In
Constructing and reconstructing childhood (pp. 54-73). Routledge.
Seow, L. S. E. & et. al. (2016). A systematic review on comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder
in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research. 176(2-3), 441-451.
Reuveni, I. & et. al. (2016). Anatomical and functional connectivity in the default mode network
of post‐traumatic stress disorder patients after civilian and military‐related
trauma. Human brain mapping. 37(2), 589-599.
Wichmann, S. & et. al. (2017). Cortisol stress response in post-traumatic stress disorder, panic
disorder, and major depressive disorder patients. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 83, 135-
141.
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