title: The effect of resilience on posttraumatic stress disorder in trauma-exposed inner-city primary care patients.
abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has previously been associated with increased risk for a variety of chronic medical conditions and it is often underdiagnosed in minority civilian populations. The current study examined the effects of resilience on the likelihood of having a diagnosis of PTSD in an inner-city sample of primary care patients (n=767). We measured resilience with the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, trauma with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and Trauma Events Inventory, and assessed for PTSD with the modified PTSD symptom scale. Multiple logistic regression model with presence/absence of PTSD as the outcome yielded 3 significant factors: childhood abuse, nonchild abuse trauma, and resilience. One type of childhood abuse in moderate to severe range (OR, 2.01; p = .0001), 2 or more types of childhood abuse in moderate to severe range (OR, 4.00; p < or = .0001), and 2 or more types of nonchildhood abuse trauma exposure (OR, 3.33; p < or = .0001), were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of PTSD, while resilience was robustly and significantly associated with a decreased likelihood of PTSD (OR, 0.93; p < or = .0001). By understanding the role of resilience in recovery from adverse experiences, improved treatment and interventional methods may be developed. Furthermore, these results suggest a role for assessing resilience in highly traumatized primary care populations as a way to better characterize risk for PTSD and direct screening/psychiatric referral efforts.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
authors: Glenda L
authors: GL
authors: Wrenn
authors: Aliza P
authors: AP
authors: Wingo
authors: Renee
authors: R
authors: Moore
authors: Tiffany
authors: T
authors: Pelletier
authors: Alisa R
authors: AR
authors: Gutman
authors: Bekh
authors: B
authors: Bradley
authors: Kerry J
authors: KJ
authors: Ressler
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult