PTSD and Sensation Seeking Tendency to Risk Behavior as Protective or Risk Factor
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.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA582862
Entities
People
- Elmar Brahler
- Karl-heinz Biesold
- Marcus Roth
- Robin Hauffa
- Sefik Tagay
Organizations
- Leipzig University