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Physiological arousal and dissociation in acute trauma victims during trauma narratives
Author(s) -
Nixon Reginald D. V.,
Bryant Richard A.,
Moulds Michelle L.,
Felmingham Kim L.,
Mastrodomenico Julie A.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.20019
Subject(s) - arousal , dissociation (chemistry) , narrative , psychology , emotional trauma , dissociative , clinical psychology , psychological trauma , medical emergency , psychotherapist , psychiatry , medicine , neuroscience , chemistry , linguistics , philosophy
The aim of the present study was to examine whether the finding of suppressed physiological activity in dissociative rape‐trauma victims (Griffin, Resick, & Mechanic, 1997) was replicable in a nonsexual assault trauma group. A sample of 17 high‐dissociating (HD) participants and 18 low‐dissociating (LD) participants who had experienced a motor vehicle accident or physical assault described their trauma while skin conductance, heart rate activity, and self‐reported mood were recorded. HD individuals demonstrated a trend for elevated heart rate during the experiment compared with LD participants, but both groups displayed comparable skin‐conductance levels. Curve estimation analysis indicated that the two groups had a similar pattern of physiological responding during the trauma narratives. These findings challenge the notion that dissociative reactions are associated with reduced psychophysiological arousal after trauma.