Mental Health and Psychology Trauma and Stress-Related Disorders 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy for PTSD involves:
- Gradual medication tapering
- Repeated confrontation with trauma memories and avoided situations to reduce fear (Correct answer)
- Exclusively cognitive restructuring without any exposure
- Relaxation training paired with trauma processing
Correct answer: Repeated confrontation with trauma memories and avoided situations to reduce fear
PE uses imaginal exposure to the trauma memory and in-vivo exposure to avoided trauma reminders to reduce PTSD symptoms through habituation and fear extinction.
Question 2: Adjustment Disorder is best described as:
- A permanent personality change following stress
- Emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to an identifiable stressor within 3 months of onset (Correct answer)
- A subtype of major depression
- A trauma disorder requiring specific traumatic exposure
Correct answer: Emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to an identifiable stressor within 3 months of onset
Adjustment Disorder involves disproportionate distress or functional impairment in response to an identifiable stressor, developing within 3 months of the stressor.
Question 3: The HPA axis is central to the stress response because it regulates the release of:
- Insulin and glucagon
- Cortisol and stress hormones via the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal chain (Correct answer)
- Dopamine and serotonin
- Thyroid hormones
Correct answer: Cortisol and stress hormones via the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal chain
The HPA axis governs the stress response by triggering cortisol release from the adrenal glands, which mobilizes energy, suppresses immunity, and modulates brain function.
Question 4: Research shows that which pre-trauma factor is the strongest predictor of developing PTSD?
- Age at time of trauma
- Prior trauma history and pre-existing mental health conditions (Correct answer)
- Socioeconomic status
- Gender alone
Correct answer: Prior trauma history and pre-existing mental health conditions
Prior trauma exposure and pre-existing mental health conditions significantly increase the risk of developing PTSD following subsequent traumatic events.
Question 5: Trauma-informed care primarily means:
- Treating only PTSD diagnoses
- Understanding the widespread impact of trauma and integrating that knowledge into all aspects of service delivery (Correct answer)
- Conducting trauma assessments at every contact
- Using EMDR with all clients
Correct answer: Understanding the widespread impact of trauma and integrating that knowledge into all aspects of service delivery
Trauma-informed care involves recognizing trauma's pervasive effects and embedding principles of safety, trustworthiness, peer support, collaboration, and empowerment across services.
Question 6: What is 'hypervigilance' in the context of PTSD?
- Excessive sleeping after trauma
- An exaggerated state of alert scanning for threat even when no danger is present (Correct answer)
- Inability to recall traumatic events
- Emotional numbness after trauma
Correct answer: An exaggerated state of alert scanning for threat even when no danger is present
Hypervigilance is a state of persistent threat scanning in which trauma survivors remain on high alert even in safe environments, representing dysregulation of the threat detection system.
Mental Health and Psychology Trauma and Stress-Related Disorders 2
Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy for PTSD involves: