NCJ Number
195456
Journal
Forum on Corrections Research Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2002 Pages: 41-44
Date Published
2002
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a study to assess the impact of traumatic events and post-traumatice stress disorder among correctional nurses.
Abstract
This study examined three issues: whether or not the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) definition of the traumatic event (Criterion A) needs to be reconsidered; if the current emphasis on the physical threat component of the event is sufficient to explain to the of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms; and if nurses working in correctional institutions are at risk for developing PTSD symptomatology. Seventy-seven registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses working in Federal correctional institutions in Canada responded to a survey to determine whether emotional threat should be considered for inclusion in and redefinition of PTSD' Criterion A in the DSM-IV manual. The nurses responded that for the most distressing event, emotional threat was more prevalent than physical threat, and that previous occurrence of the event in the past year had neither a sensitization nor a toughening effect on subsequent perceptions of threat. It was also found that emotional threat and work environment contributed to PTSD symptoms, with emotional threat being the most important, and physical threat contributing nothing to the PTSD symptoms. In conclusion, it was suggested that the meaning that nurses attribute to an emotional threat may account for their responses to traumatic events and subsequent development of PTSD symptoms, thus indicating strongly that more studies should be done to determine if a redefinition is in order. 2 Tables, 13 notes