Accession Number:

ADA582862

Title:

PTSD and Sensation Seeking Tendency to Risk Behavior as Protective or Risk Factor

Descriptive Note:

Corporate Author:

LEIPZIG UNIV (GERMANY)

Personal Author(s):

• Hauffa, Robin
• Brahler, Elmar
• Biesold, Karl-Heinz
• Tagay, Sefik
• Roth, Marcus

Report Date:

2011-04-01

Pagination or Media Count:

15.0

Abstract:

The present study analyses the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder PTSD and sensation seeking in a sample of 292 members of the German armed forces. 131 soldiers had been on duty in Afghanistan and were thus at high risk for psychological traumatisation. The remaining 161 soldiers were conscripts currently in basic training. The following questionnaires were employed Need Inventory of Sensation Seeking NISS, Essen Trauma Inventory, Posttraumatic Symptom Scale and Impact of Event Scale-Revised. The study primarily aimed to examine the sensation seeking disposition of German soldiers in order to establish a baseline for further sensation seeking research. We therefore compared our sample of soldiers with various population samples investigated in other studies using the NISS. A further aim of the study was to examine the connection between psychological traumatisation and sensation seeking. The soldiers had a surprisingly low sensation seeking disposition. Subjects with a higher symptom load on trauma associated scales obtained significantly higher sensation seeking scores.

Descriptors:

• *POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
• MILITARY FORCES(FOREIGN)
• QUESTIONNAIRES
• RISK

Subject Categories:

• Psychology
• Medicine and Medical Research
• Military Forces and Organizations

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE