User:Vinisha Rana/sandbox

'''Article Evaluation '''

Article Evaluation: Psychological Trauma

1.Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?

The article was well written and was relevant to the article’s topic. I didn’t find anything distracting

2. Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a position?

The article had a neutral tone and was not biased. It covered many areas within psychological trauma clearly.

3. Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?

Discussing psychological trauma’s causative discourses section was underrepresented. There are many more reasons for trauma to occur versus the three that were given. In the section, the in psychoanalysis was underrepresented by a lack of information.

4. Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?

Yes, they work and the source does support the claims in the article.

5. Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?

Yes, each fact is referenced with a proper source. The sources are mostly journal articles from Journal of Psychiatry or other journals.

6. Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?

I believe there is more information that could be added in the causative discourses section.

7. Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?

There is a discussion on adding the subsection of Betrayal trauma, of the working abilities of the sources, of expanding some sections on culture and adding of some interwiki sites.

8. How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?

It received a B class in WikiProject Physiology, a B class in WikiProject Psychology and a B class in WikiProject Medicine.

9. How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?

The topic is much more concise and explained in easier to understand language than how we discussed in class. It is also less biased and more information based.

Trauma Related Physical Symptoms and Illnesses

The effects of trauma can be very distressing and may result in poorer health outcomes. This includes poorer psychological outcomes, such as anxiety, fear, and suicidal ideation and behaviors. The nature of the trauma has been demonstrated to have specific health outcomes. For example, female rape survivors may experience trauma-related sleep disturbances. Further, males who were sexually abused as a child have been demonstrated to be at a higher risk for experiencing a disturbance in sexual functioning. Individuals who have experienced childhood trauma are more likely to have shorter leukocyte telomere lengths, an indicator of one's biological age. Consequently, the nature of the trauma itself may influence the types of symptoms that persist throughout the individual's life.

Past history of trauma may result in changes in one’s biological functioning, specifically their stress hormones. Trauma can also increase one’s allostatic load related to the stress response, which can increase the wear on vital organs and systems. Research indicates that trauma may even result in heart complications. Specifically, adults who had been formally diagnosed with PTSD were found to be at an increased risk for developing cardiovascular illnesses. Consequently, chronic PTSD is linked to alterations in major stress response systems, or one’s “fight or flight” response. Further, a PTSD diagnosis is also associated with disorders such as arthritis, as well as digestive disorders like ulcers. There is also evidence to suggest that PTSD may be associated with diabetes, heart disease, and strokes. There a positive relationship between interpersonal trauma and addiction behaviors, including addiction to alcohol. The nature of this addiction can range from alcohol addiction to food addiction. These findings indicate that addiction behaviors may be a coping strategy in response to experiencing trauma.

Long Term Impact of Trauma

There has been research conducted supporting the negative long term impact trauma has on one’s physical health. Victims of a serious motor vehicle accident who also had previous exposure to a traumatic event had an increased risk for physical health problems than victims without prior trauma exposure. In a separate study, trauma related symptoms were found to mediate the relationship between childhood/adolescent sexual victimization and current physical health symptoms in a study of 970 Undergraduate women.

Trauma in Childhood

Childhood trauma may affect individuals on a biological level. Specifically, individuals diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder were found to be at a greater risk for age-related diseases and early mortality. Those who experienced childhood trauma were assessed to have shorter leukocyte telomere lengths than their counterparts who did not experience such trauma Experiencing childhood adversities is associated with shorter telomere lengths, a biological marker of one's true age, even after controlling for factors such as age, gender, as well as life factors including sleep and exercise. Therefore, experience adversities and trauma during one's childhood has long-lasting biological and health consequences, potentially shortening one's lifespan. Early stress appears to impact one's aging on a cellular level.

Impact in Veterans

Longitudinal research has demonstrated that U.S. servicemen who experienced sexual trauma were more likely to also have poorer health and occupational outcomes, including higher rates of post traumatic stress disorder and depression, and multiple physical symptoms.

Suicide

Exposure to interpersonal violence in childhood and adolescent ages is associated with future suicidal behaviors. Additionally, child sexual abuse and bullying contribute to an increased likelihood for suicide attempts. Consequently, childhood appears to represent a window of vulnerability in which being exposed to violence can have very serious psychological consequences that last into adulthood. It is important to note that other factors are associated with the number of suicide attempts, including violence in one’s community, dating violence, and emotional abuse or neglect.

Cultural Variation in Trauma

Individuals from different cultural backgrounds respond to trauma differently. In fact, what is considered traumatic for one individual may not be especially traumatic for another. Physical punishment is commonly used in many cultures as a form of discipline. A recent meta analysis demonstrated a significant positive association between childhood physical abuse and mental health outcomes in Chinese populations. Specifically, these poorer mental health outcomes resulted in such diagnoses as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, depression, conduct disorder, and personality disorders. Of note, childhood physical abuse resulted in worse mental health outcomes in a Chinese population as compared to children in a Western population. Contrary to the widely held belief in China that physical punishment is a safe way to discipline children, these findings suggest that there is actually potential harm to mental health and highlights how this parenting practice may have unintended long term mental health consequences. This suggests that individuals respond to physical discipline different, resulting in differing mental health outcomes.

It is important to consider the response of ethnic minority individuals who have experienced trauma. Ethnic minorities who have experienced childhood abuse were found to be a greater risk for attempting suicide. There are several possible explanations for this, including the possibility that collectivist cultures, of which many minorities belong to, may be villainized. This may threaten the victim’s sense of safety, compounding the trauma the affected person has already experienced. This may serve to isolate and alienate the victim even further, leading to increased likelihood for attempting suicide. Additionally, help seeking behaviors vary across cultures as protecting the family name is a significant barrier to help-seeking among minorities. Consequently, ethnic minorities may not engage in help-seeking behaviors. Additionally, ethnic minorities who had experienced child abuse also experienced higher levels of avoidance, shame, and self-blame.

2602:304:B3BE:C6D0:654D:9D65:DD85:A7FE (talk) 06:35, 18 October 2017 (UTC)