M. Basoglu et al., PSYCHOLOGICAL PREPAREDNESS FOR TRAUMA AS A PROTECTIVE FACTOR IN SURVIVORS OF TORTURE, Psychological medicine, 27(6), 1997, pp. 1421-1433
Background. Although much research has focused on mechanisms of trauma
tization and factors related to post-trauma psychological functioning
in survivors of trauma, there have been few studies of survivors of to
rture despite the widespread practice of torture in the world. The aim
of this study was to examine the role of 'psychological preparedness'
for trauma in post-traumatic stress responses in survivors of torture
. Method. Thirty-four torture survivors who had no history of politica
l activity, commitment to a political cause or group, or expectations
of arrest and torture were compared with 55 tortured political activis
ts, using structured interviews and measures of anxiety, depression, a
nd posttraumatic stress disorder. Results. Compared with tortured poli
tical activists, tortured non-activists were subject to relatively les
s severe torture but showed higher levels of psychopathology. Less psy
chological preparedness related to greater perceived distress during t
orture and more severe psychological problems, explaining 4% of the va
riance in general psychopathology and 9% of the variance in posttrauma
tic stress disorder symptoms. Conclusions. The study findings lend sup
port to the role of prior immunization to traumatic stress and to unpr
edictability and uncontrollability of stressors in the effects of trau
matization. Further research aimed at identifying the behavioural and
cognitive components of psychological preparedness that play a role in
traumatization may provide useful insights into effective treatment s
trategies for survivors of torture.