title: The interplay of perceived social support and posttraumatic psychological distress following orofacial injury.
abstract: Social support is believed to mediate psychosocial recovery in vulnerable populations after trauma. In this study, we examine the relationships between perceived social support and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in a cohort of 287 socio-economically disadvantaged adults with orofacial injury, using 3 waves of data collected over a period of 1 year after the injury. Using structural equation modeling process, we evaluated the cross-lagged effects between perceived social support (PSS) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. We found that PSS had a direct influence on PTSD only when examined concurrently. After controlling the covariates, the model supports the cross-lagged effect for PTSD symptoms on PSS at T2 and T3, which suggests a reciprocal contribution between symptoms and support as time progressed. Our data suggest that, over time, high rates of PTSD symptoms are related to a diminished perception of available social support.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Welfare, Los Angeles School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. alui@ucla.edu
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lui
authors.forename: Shirley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Glynn
authors.forename: Vivek
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Shetty
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D005151:Facial Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008337:Mandibular Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life; D012938:Social Perception; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires