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Understanding Pathways from Traumatic Exposure to Physical Health

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Evidence Based Treatments for Trauma-Related Psychological Disorders

Abstract

Exposure to a traumatic event is strongly linked to adverse physical health. This chapter reviews the evidence on the physical health consequences of traumatic exposure by using a model that conceptualizes PTSD as the primary mediator through which exposure affects physical health. PTSD is associated with more health problems and medical disorders, decreased physical functioning and overall health, and greater service utilization and mortality. Biological, psychological, behavioral, and attentional changes associated with PTSD are the proposed mechanisms through which PTSD could affect physical health, with the concept of allostatic load as an explanation for how even subtle changes could combine to adversely affect health. The literature showing that PTSD is associated with poor health is highly consistent across self-reported and objective indicators, although there is relatively less evidence on objective indicators of morbidity other than cardiovascular disease and on mortality. Nevertheless, recognizing the physical health effects of traumatic exposure has important implications for research, practice, and society as a whole.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for PTSD and Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, White River Junction, VT, USA

    Paula P. Schnurr

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA

    Paula P. Schnurr

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  1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Ulrich Schnyder

  2. Dissemination & Training Division, National Center for PTSD, San Franciso, California, USA

    Marylène Cloitre

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Schnurr, P.P. (2015). Understanding Pathways from Traumatic Exposure to Physical Health. In: Schnyder, U., Cloitre, M. (eds) Evidence Based Treatments for Trauma-Related Psychological Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07109-1_5

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