Goldine C. Gleser’s research while affiliated with University of Cincinnati and other places

This study investigated the second-decade effects of the Buffalo Creek dam collapse and flood that occurred in West Virginia in 1972. One hundred twenty-one survivors who had participated in an earlier lawsuit against the coal company that built the collapsed dam were compared to 78 nonlitigant survivors on self-reported symptoms, clinical ratings, and diagnoses. A nonexposed sample from a geographically and culturally similar neighborhood was investigated as well. Findings showed no differences between the litigant and nonlitigant survivor groups. The survivor groups together showed higher rates of anxiety, depression, and hostility symptoms and diagnoses than the nonexposed sample. The findings were discussed in the context of the nature of the traumatic event, social and cultural influences on recovery, and the constellation of symptoms which differentiated the groups.

To examine the psychological impact of living near a nuclear waste disaster that involved ongoing threat of radioactive contamination. Participants were an exposed sample (residence within a 5-mile radius of the nuclear plant) of 120 children (7-15 years old) and their parents and a nonexposed comparison sample of 60 children and their parents. Parent and self-ratings of the children's psychological functioning and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were obtained, along with cognitive variables. Minimal differences between the 2 samples were found. In the exposed sample, stress responses for the child self-reports showed several age group by gender interactions. Girls' PTSD symptoms tended to increase with age while boys' symptoms decreased, with intrusion showing the strongest effects. While child and parent PTSD symptom ratings were correlated, children reported approximately twice as many symptoms. Cognitive understanding increased with age and was greater in boys. Exposure and parent functioning significantly predicted outcome. Age and gender effects after disaster might best be explored as an interaction. While disaster effects were mild, the psychological health of the parents may be an important determinant of psychological health in children in this type of disaster.

This chapter focuses on a series of studies of survivors of the Buffalo Creek (West Virginia) dam collapse and flood which our research group had the opportunity to conduct over nearly 2 decades. Both child and adult survivors were assessed 2 yrs after the disaster, and followed up in the 2nd decade to assess any continuing impact of that event. This chapter synthesizes the results, focusing on how the impact of such an event may change over time, as well as how the particular life stage of the person, both at exposure to the disaster, and at follow-up may affect their adaptation to the event. The overall findings of the study are compatible with the hypothesis that individuals may be more vulnerable to the impacts of earlier traumatic events at certain points in their lives than at other points, regardless of the age at the time of exposure, suggesting that psychopathology is not necessarily continuous. Further, the particular nature of the response may vary as a function of current age as well. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

In this manual we present a preliminary classification of standard score profiles obtained with the Defense Mechanisms Inventory (DMI) and our current understanding of their implications for emotionally disturbed non-psychotic adult outpatients. This includes the clinical picture that emerges from a review of the correlates of the primary score(s) defining the profile and from our own observations. In addition we provide dynamic formulations and recommendations for therapeutic interventions and to contraindicated interventions corresponding to the major profiles obtained. To use this manual, clinicians should be familiar with the psychoanalytic theory of defense mechanisms, which forms the conceptual basis underlying the construction of the DMI, and the psychometric properties of the five defense styles measured by the DMI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

To conduct a long-term follow-up of child survivors of a devastating human-caused disaster. Child survivors (2-15) of the Buffalo Creek dam collapse, first evaluated in 1974, 2 years postdisaster, were reevaluated 17 years postdisaster when they were adults. Of the original 207 children, 99 were located and reevaluated using ratings on the Psychiatric Evaluation Form, the Impact of Event Scale, and the SCL-90 and lifetime and current diagnoses from the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R. Ratings of psychiatric symptoms at the two points in time showed significant decreases in overall severity ratings and in anxiety, belligerence, somatic concerns, and agitation. A few symptoms, not present in the child sample, increased over time (substance abuse, suicidal ideation). The current rate of disaster-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was 7%, down from a postflood rate of 32%. There were no differences by age group in current psychological status; however, women evidenced more PTSD-related symptoms than did men. All current PTSD cases were women. Comparisons with similar subjects from a nonexposed community showed no differences. The findings indicated that the children studied, although having shown earlier effects, had "recovered" from the event by the time of long-term follow-up.

Psychiatric reports of 179 children aged 2 to 15 who were exposed to the Buffalo Creek dam collapse in 1972 were rated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms 2 years after the disaster. Age and gender effects and the impact of the level of exposure and parental functioning were examined according to a conceptual model addressing factors contributing to adaptation to a traumatic event. Results showed fewer PTSD symptoms in the youngest age group and higher symptom levels for girls than boys. Approximately 37% of the children were given a "probable" diagnosis of PTSD. Multiple regression analysis showed that life threat, gender, parental psychopathology, and an irritable and/or depressed family atmosphere all contributed to the prediction of PTSD symptomatology in the children.

This study focused on delineating aspects of war stressors associated with risk for posttraumatic stress disorder in Vietnam veterans. Findings from 191 Vietnam war veterans are presented, addressing which elements of the war experience predicted PTSD in remission or persistent PTSD. Some experiences, like loss and injury, predicted having had PTSD symptoms in the past, while other experiences, such as exposure to grotesque death, predicted current (persistent) PTSD. Discriminant analysis showed that the more extreme/intense the stressor experiences, the higher the risk for developing PTSD and for persistent symptoms. These findings provide empirical support for the PTSD diagnosis and additional data for refining the PTSD stressor criterion.

This study examined the contribution of premilitary, military, and postmilitary risk factors to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other postwar diagnoses in a sample of Vietnam veterans. PTSD was explained primarily by war stressors, including threat to life and exposure to grotesque death, but premilitary and postmilitary factors also contributed to the likelihood of a current diagnosis of PTSD. Panic disorder was also highly predicted by war experiences, whereas prewar functioning played a stronger role in several non-PTSD diagnoses. The study supported the notion that PTSD is specifically linked to intense stressors. Mechanisms for interactions among risk factors are discussed.