Knowing Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of these events would not typically be considered as potentially traumatic?

Answer: Failing an important test

Traumatic events typically involve death or injury, either to self or another, and are often shocking and surprising. When an experience overwhelms the ability to cope physically and/or emotionally with that experience, it becomes traumatic.

2. Janice was walking home alone after a night out, and suffered a vicious assault in a dark alley from behind. Months later, she still refuses to go out at dark alone and will only sit where her back is to the wall. She crosses the road when she sees suspicious people, and is constantly on red alert. What symptom of PTSD does this best indicate?

Answer: Hypervigilance

Hypervigilance is indicated by increased sensitivity to potential traumatic cues. Checking the surroundings constantly for danger, moreso than the average person, is a common sign. This symptom also ties in somewhat with the avoidance symptoms, however hypervigilance causes arousal and tenseness, and it is hard to relax.

3. Alison witnesses a potentially traumatic event. Whilst it seems like she is functioning normally for a while, 9 months after the incident, she experiences PTSD-associated symptoms and is diagnosed with PTSD. According to DSM-IV criteria, what type of PTSD would Alison have?

Answer: Delayed onset

Delayed onset is when symptoms of PTSD first appear after 6 months. Acute PTSD is when symptoms last less than 3 months, and chronic PTSD is when symptoms last more than 3 months. Denial affected is made up.

4. Horowitz's "Stress Response Theory" really kick-started the growing interest in PTSD. He argued that the combination of outcry at the trauma and the need to reconcile this new information with past information caused an information overload. Defence mechanisms pace the recall rate, causing trauma memories to break through into consciousness every so often. What did he suggest must be done to avoid posttraumatic reactions?

Answer: Work through memories as they emerge into consciousness

Horowitz suggested that once long-term structures representing the future or self were adjusted to become consistent with the new information, trauma processing was complete. Failure to work through the emerging memories to integrate them into these long-term structures would lead to posttraumatic reactions.

This theory did not provide a complete explanation of PTSD, yet provided explanation for a basic mechanism of PTSD.

5. Janoff-Bulman's "Shattering Assumptions Theory" proposes that a traumatic event shatters deeply held, basic and probably unquestioned beliefs about the world. He suggests three of the most significant beliefs in trauma response are: Seeing the world as benevolent, seeing the world as meaningful, and which other belief?

Answer: The self is worthy

Whilst it is outlined that a fair, just world is an important belief, it was not one of the three most important beliefs outlined in Janoff-Bulman's theory. Recovery is suggested as being similar to Horowitz's "Stress Response Theory", although only a certain aspect of PTSD has been explained, and thus is not a complete explanation.

6. In 1989, which psychologist, whose first name is shared with a fictional character from the children's TV show "Arthur", developed the controversial "Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing" (EMDR) treatment for PTSD in 1989, reportedly discovering the concept whilst walking in a park?

Answer: Francine Shapiro

Eye movements mirroring the REM eye movements in sleep are said to help unblock these memories in a way they can be worked through. One method: A trained professional will move a light stick from left to right whilst the patient talks about their traumatic experience and trains their eye on the light stick. Some researchers have argued that the eye motion is not even necessary to gain the desired effects, and motions such as tapping hands left and right will mirror the results.

It has been claimed EMDR has no scientific basis, and whilst some evidence suggests it is helpful, some leans on the contrary as well.

7. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), used in treating several affective disorders including PTSD, focuses mainly on issues involving which time period, relative to the patient?

Answer: Present

CBT focuses mainly on the here and now, and usually lasts around 8 sessions, give or take. Whilst the past may be referred to, the present is the focus. CBT in PTSD does not adhere to one technique, yet it is often suggested that patients will have to come face to face with their traumatic experiences in order to deal with them, and a therapist will help facilitate this in a controlled environment.

8. A ferry experiences problems mid-journey, and starts sinking. One passenger dies and the experience is highly unsettling for the survivors. Two days after they reach dry land, a professional talks to the survivors and encourages expressing how they feel about the incident. What is this prevention method of PTSD?

Answer: Psychological debriefing

Psychological debriefing has not been shown to be effective. Whilst several studies have been carried out to this end, there is not much support for its efficacy. A couple of studies even report that debriefing is harmful e.g. Mayou & Ehlers, (2000), perhaps because it takes time to get over the initial shock of the trauma and those high at risk for PTSD may already be overwhelmed enough.

9. Michael has undergone treatment for PTSD, and is told that he no longer meets the criteria for PTSD. Which of these answers most effectively describes whether or not Michael is cured of PTSD indefinitely?

Answer: It's hard to say - there are several factors and unknowns involved

Firstly, "no longer meets criteria" does not mean cured, but rather, he does not meet all diagnostic criteria for PTSD as according to DSM-IV. Secondly, a meta-analysis by Bradley et al. (2005) indicates there are not many follow-up studies on treatment research papers, meaning it is hard to say even in a controlled setup whether PTSD has been overcome, or whether relapses have occured.

Whilst it is a positive sign someone no longer meets criteria for PTSD at the time, its effects may not be thorough or permanent.

10. All potentially traumatic experiences lead to negative outcomes, including PTSD.

Answer: False

Whilst PTSD and other negative symptoms can occur after a potentially traumatic experience, it is not always all bad (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). Whilst the majority of people will be able to go on with a normal life, some people who have come close to death but survived have reported feeling that there is more to live for, and that their motivation and drive have increased. Risk/vulnerability factors such as child abuse and previous traumatic experiences, and resilience factors such as strong social support and good coping strategies, may affect whether a traumatic experience will cause the onset of PTSD.

Source: Author malik24

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a fairly modern classification, yet more research and information is becoming known. This quiz will ask general questions about PTSD.

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