TY - JOUR
T1 - Autonomic reactivity and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis dysregulation in spouses of Oklahoma City bombing survivors 7 years after the attack
AU - Pfefferbaum, Betty
AU - Tucker, Phebe
AU - North, Carol S
AU - Jeon-Slaughter, Haekyung
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported in part by the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT) and the Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice, Department of Justice (DOJ) Award Number MIPT106-113-2000-020 (B Pfefferbaum) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Grant Number MH40025 (CS North). Dr North discloses employment by VA North Texas Health Care System, Dallas, Texas. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not represent the official position of MIPT; DOJ; NIMH; the Department of Veterans Affairs; or the US Government.
PY - 2012/10
Y1 - 2012/10
N2 - Objective: The objective of this exploratory pilot study was to examine autonomic reactivity and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis dysregulation in spouses of highly exposed survivors of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Methods: This study compared psychiatric diagnoses and biological stress markers (physiological reactivity and cortisol measures) in spouses of bombing survivors and matched community participants. Spouses were recruited through bombing survivors who participated in prior studies. Individuals with medical illnesses and those taking psychotropic medications that would confound biological stress measures were excluded. The final sample included 15 spouses and 15 community participants. The primary outcome measures were psychiatric diagnoses assessed with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for DSM-IV (DIS-IV). Biological stress markers were physiological reactivity and recovery in heart rate and blood pressure responses to a trauma interview and cortisol (morning, afternoon, and diurnal variation). Results: Compared to the community participants, spouses evidenced greater reactivity in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure; delayed recovery in systolic blood pressure; and higher afternoon salivary cortisol. Conclusions: The results support the need for further research in this area to clarify post-disaster effects on biological stress measures in the spouses of survivors and the potential significance of these effects and to address the needs of this important population which may be overlooked in recovery efforts.
AB - Objective: The objective of this exploratory pilot study was to examine autonomic reactivity and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis dysregulation in spouses of highly exposed survivors of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Methods: This study compared psychiatric diagnoses and biological stress markers (physiological reactivity and cortisol measures) in spouses of bombing survivors and matched community participants. Spouses were recruited through bombing survivors who participated in prior studies. Individuals with medical illnesses and those taking psychotropic medications that would confound biological stress measures were excluded. The final sample included 15 spouses and 15 community participants. The primary outcome measures were psychiatric diagnoses assessed with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for DSM-IV (DIS-IV). Biological stress markers were physiological reactivity and recovery in heart rate and blood pressure responses to a trauma interview and cortisol (morning, afternoon, and diurnal variation). Results: Compared to the community participants, spouses evidenced greater reactivity in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure; delayed recovery in systolic blood pressure; and higher afternoon salivary cortisol. Conclusions: The results support the need for further research in this area to clarify post-disaster effects on biological stress measures in the spouses of survivors and the potential significance of these effects and to address the needs of this important population which may be overlooked in recovery efforts.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.comppsych.2012.03.009
DO - 10.1016/j.comppsych.2012.03.009
M3 - Article
C2 - 22520087
AN - SCOPUS:84866503483
VL - 53
SP - 901
EP - 906
JO - Comprehensive Psychiatry
JF - Comprehensive Psychiatry
SN - 0010-440X
IS - 7
ER -