Concurrent Session 12

Presenters are underlined and discussants are italicized:

If serving in both roles, they are both underlined and italicized.

Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire (Kubany, 2004). Participants

reporting a PTE between Time 1 and Time 2 (N = 264) were
selected for prospective analyses. Greater risk of reporting
having experienced a PTE between Time 1 and Time 2 was
predicted by female gender and lower life satisfaction, and higher
levels of previous trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, distress,
negative affect, openness to experience, and extraversion at
T1. Trauma exposure was not predicted by T1 positive affect,
self-esteem, optimism, conscientiousness, neuroticism or selfreported growth from a previous trauma. Further analyses will
explore predictors of exposure to different types of events.

Papers

Disaster-Exposure and PTSD 18 Months

After the Dawson College Shooting in 2006
(Montral, Canada)

(Abstract # 579)
(Child, Disaster)
Dyb, Grete, A., MD, PhD; Jensen, Tine, PhD; Nygard, Egil, Clin
Psych

University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec
3
Centre de Recherche Fernand-Seguin, Montreal, Canada.
1
2

Universite du Quebec En Outaouais, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

The Dawson College shooting occurred on September 13, 2006
in Montral, Canada. A single gunman randomly attacked a
crowd of students, faculty and staff, killing one student and
seriously wounding 19 others before killing himself. The current
study aimed to evaluate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
symptoms 18 months after the shooting among 949 students,
faculty and staff according to their level of disaster-exposure.
PTSD symptom severity and diagnosis were measured with the
PCLS. Level of disaster-exposure was assessed with 12 yes/no
questions regarding specific types of exposure to the disaster
(e.g., was injured by the shooter, saw the shooter, witnessed
the college tragedy on television or the Internet, etc.). The mean
overall total PCLS score was relatively low (25.13; SD = 10.38).
However, using a cut-off point of 44 on the PCLS, 7.1% of the
participants were identified as currently having a PTSD. Being
inside the college at the time of the shooting was associated
with a significantly higher prevalence of PTSD [8.7% ; 95%CI =
6.4-11.0] compared to being outside [1.2%; 95%CI = -0.5-2.9]. A
relatively linear association between symptom severity and level
of disaster-exposure was found. Clinical implications of these
results will be presented and discussed.

Roswell - 8th Floor

Chair: Egil Nygard, Clin Psych

Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, Oslo, Norway

PTSD in Children and Adolescents:

The Role of Parental Distress

Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, Oslo, Norway

This study examined the association between parental distress

and childrens posttraumatic stress reactions after the tsunami
disaster in Southeast Asia. Parents of 319 Norwegian children
and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years reported on childrens
exposure to the tsunami and childrens immediate subjective
reactions. The Child Stress Disorder Checklist was used to
measure childrens posttraumatic stress reactions 6 to 10
months after the tsunami, and The Impact of Event Scale Revised
measured parental distress. Parental distress significantly
predicted the level of childrens posttraumatic stress reactions.
The strongest association was found for parental intrusive
reactions and hyperarousal. Highly exposed children seemed to
be more vulnerable to parental distress compared to children
with lower levels of exposure. The study demonstrates that
parental distress can endure and worsen the impact of a disaster
in children. The findings underscore the need to expand the focus
of trauma-related consequences to include the parents, both
when conducting assessments and in therapeutic work.

Saturday: 11:00 a.m. 12:15 p.m.

(Abstract #790)
(Disaster, Assess Dx)
Guay, Stephane, PhD1; Boyer, Richard, PhD1; Bleau, Pierre; MD2
Lesage, Alain, MD3; Seguin, Monique, PhD4

Child Studies II

Early Parental Loss and Interpersonal Functioning in Child and Adolescent Inpatients
(Abstract #981)
(Child, Assess Dx)
Szymanski, Kate1; Springer, Carolyn, PhD1; McCarthy, James,
PhD2
Apelphi University, Garden City, New York, USA
Queens Childrens Psychiatric Center, Queens, New York, USA

1
2

A number of authors have emphasized the importance of early

childhood experiences in psychological adjustment, stating that
the onset of trauma at this particular developmental stage may
have the most detrimental mental health consequences. Seeking
social support in the face of stress is an adaptive way of coping.
The aim of the study was to assess if the early childhood trauma
(death of a caregiver, sexual/physical abuse, homelessness
etc.) has an impact on interpersonal functioning of inpatient
children and adolescents, therefore leaving them much more
vulnerable to pathology. All of the data utilized in the study were
archival in nature. 65 child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients
(ages 7-17) with the history of trauma were administered the
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) as part of larger assessment
battery. All TATs were analyzed using Social Cognition and Object
Relations Scale (SCORE). Four independent judges rated all TAT
stories on the following SCORE dimensions: 1. Complexity of
representation of people, 2. Affective quality of representations,
www.istss.org

International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies 25th Silver Anniversary Annual Meeting

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