Exposure to extreme and the adverse psychological consequences that often follow this exposure are widespread in our society Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), estimated to affect nine percent of the U.S. population, is the psychiatric disorder most commonly associated with exposure to a traumatic experience. Major depression, substance abuse, generalized anxiety disorder and a range of dissociative disorders have also been noted following disasters and trauma. It is particularly troubling that exposure to traumatic events is not randomly distributed throughout the population. Instead, a small subset of the population experience a disproportionate number of traumatic events. Exposure to one high magnitude stressor increases an individual's risk of being exposed to additional traumatic events over his or her lifespan. Additionally, evidence suggests that the negative psychological consequences associated with exposure to multiple traumas are cumulative in nature. That is, individuals who report multiple traumatic experiences show increasingly higher levels of post-trauma symptomology. Given that trauma-related disorders such as PTSD may be chronic, recurrent and treatment resistant efforts to prevent trauma exposure in at-risk groups is extremely important. Towards that end, the primary aim of the current study is to explore constructs that distinguish multiply traumatized individuals from their singly traumatized and nontraumatized counterparts. Of particular interest are differences between these groups that may increase multiply traumatized individuals' risk for suture traumatization. Specifically, the current study will examine affect dysregulation, alexithymia, risk evaluation and extrication from risky situations. These constructs will be evaluated using both self-report measures and laboratory-based psychphysiological and behavioral assessments, allowing for the examination of differences in cross-system responding. Identification of risk factors that may increase risk for future traumatization will allow for the inclusion of these constructs in """"""""trauma prevention"""""""" programs increasing the effectiveness of these programs for survivors of multiple traumatic events.
