SEVERITY OF TRAUMA AS PREDICTOR OF LONG-TERM PSYCHOLOGICAL STATUS IN SURVIVORS OF TORTURE

Severity of trauma as a predictor of long-term psychological functioni ng was examined in 55 tortured political ex-prisoners in Turkey. The a ssessments included semistructured interviews and measures of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The severity of tortur e was assessed by measures of number of types of torture, number of ex posures to torture, duration of captivity, and perceived distress. The survivors reported a mean of 23 different forms of torture and a mean total of 291 exposures to torture during their captivity. Despite sev erity of trauma, the number of exposures to torture did not predict po sttorture psychological problems, whereas ratings of perceived distres s did. implications of these findings for theory and classification of psychological trauma and for legal practices concerning torture survi vors are discussed.