Locus of control + Neurochemical PTSD

discuss bio and/or cog etiologies of one disorder

PTSD defined

• mental disorder triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event

• symptoms include - affective (emotion), behavioural (repetitive), cognitive (disruptions to memory/learning), somatic (physical symptoms)

• Classification is called DSM 5 criteria (survey) which discusses symptoms of PTSD

Biological etiology - Neurochemical

• neuropeptide Y (NPY)

• amino acid that maintains homeostasis, specifically the stress response

• pp with PTSD have lower levels of NPY

Cognitive etiology - Locus of control (LOC)

• concept about whether people believe they have control over their own lives (internal LOC) or if external forces (luck fate) dictate life outcomes (external LOC)

• pp with internal LOC take responsibility for actions, less influenced by others, and have strong self-efficacy

• pp with external LOC blame others for success or failure, credit luck/chance for success, and are more prone to experiencing learned helplessness

• pp with external LOC are more likely to develop PTSD

Morgan et al

• discusses neuropeptide Y (NPY) and PTSD

aim of morgan

• to investigate why some military. personnel experience severe PTSD as a result of combat situations, while others do not

method of morgan

• 70 healthy pp from US army

• two conditions; survival training experience or prisoner of war experience (potential PTSD)

• levels of NPY were assessed before the start of the experiment and 24 hours after

results of morgan

• NPY levels went up in soldiers blood within hours of the prisoner of war experience

• correlation between soldiers responses to the two conditions and their level of NPY, those who responded to the prisoner of war experience negatively were those with lower levels of NPY

conclusion of morgan

• people with lower NPY have a higher chance of developing PTSD from a traumatic experience because the soldiers with lower NPY had a more negative experience with the prisoner of war condition compared to those that did the survival training condition

morgan eval

• analog observation instead of naturalistic observation - allowed researchers to stimulate realities of combat without live combat

• analog observation could also decrease ecological validity as combat experiences may lack emotional realities of true combat

• sampling bias as soldiers voluntarily do their job as men could potentially have personality or physical traits that may explain their level of resistance

• NPY examined before and after experiment which allowed for the data to be analysed with same individuals for potential change

Ratzer et al

• examined locus of control and PTSD

Aim of ratzer

• to see if the type of LOC is a predictor of PTSD

method of ratzer

• 52 pp who were admitted to intensive care unit following traumatic injury

• longitudinal study of six months

• pp given surveys to measure both the level of PTSD and to find their LOC

results of ratzer

• 19.2% of pp developed PTSD symptoms over the six months

• Additionally, there was a significant correlation between those with external LOC and the onset of these symptoms

conclusion of ratzer

• external locus of control is a predictor of PTSD because there was a significant correlation between the patients who had an external locus of control and the development of PTSD

eval of ratzer

• pp were not actually diagnosed with PTSD but instead researchers relied on the results of a questionnaire, meaning it is possible that other traumas experienced by the individuals prior to the accident may have played a role in the onset of PTSD symptoms.

• it was a longitudinal study of six months which is the same as the amount of time that is required in the PTSD DSM 5 criteria before diagnosing PTSD

• This meant that the researchers were able to follow the participants for long enough to get a good understanding of whether they had onset PTSD symptoms or not

bio etiology eval

• animal research has been found to support these theories. This is a strength because animal research is experimental and thus has better control of the environment which shows a stronger cause and effect relationship

• animal studies not generalizable to humans due to the difference in cognition between animals and humans and that humans have culture which could also cause a lack of generalizability with animals.

• biological explanations cannot explain a variety of PTSD symptoms which means that biology alone cannot be the reason that PTSD is developed by certain people and not others.

cognitive etiology eval

• high ecological validity as the research tends to be on pp who have already experienced a traumatic event

• generalizability as most traumas experienced are individual and impossible to replicate

• correlational meaning they cannot establish causation so there is no cause and effect relationship which means there could be other factors that influence the development of PTSD

• ow internal validity as there is no control over pp daily activity and experiences so some pp could discuss their trauma more often than others which may increase or decrease the likelihood of PTSD

conclusion of essay

Thus, two etiologies of PTSD are locus of control (cognitive) and neurochemicals, specifically neuropeptide Y (biology). An individual with an external locus of control and an individual's with less neuropeptide Y are more likely to develop PTSD after experiencing a traumatic event, as supported by Morgan et al and Ratzer et al.