Posttraumatic stress and physical health among adults: The role of coping mechanisms |
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Authors: | Güler Boyraz J. Brandon Waits Victoria A. Felix Danita D. Wynes |
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Affiliation: | Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, Louisiana, USA |
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Abstract: | The purpose of the present study was to examine whether coping mechanisms predict physical health, after controlling for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters in a non-clinical sample of adults. Data were collected from 483 adults through an online survey. Most of the participants (66.7%) reported lifetime exposure to at least one traumatic event. The final sample of this study included 319 trauma-exposed individuals. Results indicated that PTSD symptoms on the avoidance and hyperarousal clusters had significant positive relationships with self-reported physical health symptoms. After controlling for gender and PTSD, denial, behavioral disengagement, and self-blame significantly and positively predicted physical health symptoms. |
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Keywords: | Trauma exposure posttraumatic stress disorder coping mechanisms physical health symptoms |
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