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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2014;15(4):420-35.
doi: 10.1080/15299732.2013.873376.

The relationship between sexual trauma, peritraumatic dissociation, posttraumatic stress disorder, and HIV-related health in HIV-positive men

Themis A Yiaslas  1 , Charles Kamen, Ana Arteaga, Susanne Lee, Allison Briscoe-Smith, Cheryl Koopman, Cheryl Gore-Felton
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The relationship between sexual trauma, peritraumatic dissociation, posttraumatic stress disorder, and HIV-related health in HIV-positive men

Themis A Yiaslas et al. J Trauma Dissociation. 2014.

Abstract

This study tested a novel extension of P. P. Schnurr and B. L. Green's (2004) model of the relationships between trauma symptoms and health outcomes with specific application to HIV-positive men. A diverse sample of 167 HIV-positive men recruited from San Francisco Bay Area HIV clinics completed demographic, medical, trauma history, and symptom questionnaires. Mediation analyses were conducted using the method proposed by R. Baron and D. Kenny (1986). Regression analyses found that sexual revictimization (SR) significantly mediated the relationship between child sexual abuse and peritraumatic dissociation (PD), and PD mediated the relationship between SR and current posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptom severity. PTS symptoms partially mediated the relationship between SR and current HIV symptom severity. The findings indicate that among HIV-positive men, sexually revictimized men constitute a vulnerable group that is prone to PD, which places them at risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and worsened HIV-related health. Furthermore, traumatic stress symptoms were associated with worse HIV-related symptoms, suggesting that PTS symptoms mediate the link between trauma and health outcomes. This study highlights the need for future research to identify the biobehavioral mediators of the PTSD-health relationship in HIV-positive individuals.

Keywords: HIV; child sexual abuse; dissociation; posttraumatic stress disorder; revictimization; sexual abuse of males.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hypothesized mediation models being tested (“a” and “b” are hypothesized indirect pathways, and c’ are hypothesized direct pathways).
Figure 1
Figure 1
Hypothesized mediation models being tested (“a” and “b” are hypothesized indirect pathways, and c’ are hypothesized direct pathways).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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