Violence against women is a persistent problem with deleterious consequences, such as the onset and maintenance of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There is still little evidence-based...Show moreViolence against women is a persistent problem with deleterious consequences, such as the onset and maintenance of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There is still little evidence-based research done on the effects of peer support for people with symptoms of PTSD that have experienced domestic violence. Consequently, it is of great clinical interest to investigate if peer support groups are beneficial for this subgroup. This study investigated whether peer support groups are an effective treatment for reducing PTSD symptoms by increasing hopefulness among women who have experienced abuse. Thirteen female participants (Mage = 37.54 years at baseline) attended ten sessions of peer support groups led by an experience expert and completed questionnaires at a pre-measurement and a post-measurement. The methods used in this study were the Life Events Checklist, PTSD checklist for DSM-5, adult hope scale, and childhood trauma questionnaire. We found a reduction in the severity of PTSD symptoms (for intrusion symptoms and negative changes in cognitions and mood) and an increase in hopefulness after participation in the peer support sessions. This increase was seen for both participants' goal orientation and their ability to make plans to achieve their goals. Although we expected a relationship between PTSD symptomology and hopefulness, this was not found. The findings from this study suggest that peer support groups may be a beneficial addition for women with PTSD symptoms who are not in treatment (yet) or have tried established PTSD treatment.Show less
Adults who have experienced trauma in their childhood risk having a wide range of mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there may be protective factors...Show moreAdults who have experienced trauma in their childhood risk having a wide range of mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there may be protective factors that could explain why not all victims develop psychopathology in adulthood. One of these potential factors is ‘psychological resilience’: a cognitive process that determines if an individual is able to bounce back from a negative experience through flexible adaptation. The current study aims to examine the relationship between childhood trauma and PTSD symptoms, along with the possible moderating impact of psychological resilience on this relationship. This was investigated with a cross-sectional design, by means of an online selfreport questionnaire performed by 26 Dutch women aged 25 to 62 years of whom most had experienced some type of trauma. The data was collected using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SR), the PTSD Checklist for DSM-V (PCL-5) and the Resilience Evaluation Scale (RES). The results of a multiple regression analysis demonstrated that, as expected, women who experienced more childhood trauma showed an increased amount of PTSD symptoms (R² = .614, p ≤ .000), and that women with a higher level of resilience showed a lower amount of PTSD symptoms (R² = .74, p ≤ .000). However, resilience cannot be considered as a moderator of the relationship between childhood trauma and PTSD symptoms, as the interaction between childhood trauma and resilience was not significant (p = .179). Instead, the study did find that women who experienced more childhood trauma show lower levels of resilience (r = -.574, p = < .005). The current study recommends future studies to examine what exact role resilience has in the relationship between childhood trauma and PTSD symptoms. In addition, it emphasizes to boost resilience in victims of childhood trauma, because it may decrease the likelihood of developing PTSD symptoms in adulthood.Show less
