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Predicting PTSD Prospectively Based on Prior Trauma History and Immediate Biological Responses
Author(s) -
DELAHANTY DOUGLAS L.,
NUGENT NICOLE R.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1364.003
Subject(s) - posttraumatic stress , stressor , psychology , psychological resilience , clinical psychology , hormone , medicine , psychological trauma , neuroscience , psychotherapist
Studies examining the biopsychology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have suggested that PTSD is characterized by alterations of the primary stress pathways: the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). More recent investigations point to the presence of these alterations soon after a traumatic event, leading researchers to suggest that acute biological responses may serve as risk or resilience factors for the development of PTSD. The present article reviews the evidence for early biological predictors of PTSD, with a focus on the role of prior trauma as a contributor to both hormonal abnormalities and increased risk for the development of PTSD following a subsequent trauma.