Mary C. Grace’s research while affiliated with University of Cincinnati and other places

Vietnam veterans (N = 232) recruited from three sources were assessed for suicidal thinking and behaviors, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Findings support the notion that suicidal thoughts are prevalent in this group, with veterans in psychotherapy reporting a greater likelihood of such symptoms (82.6%) than veterans in the community (35.7%) or those seeking assistance through a veteran's outreach center (66.7%). Thoughts of ending one's life and a previous suicide attempt were significantly correlated with a diagnosis of PTSD (r = .53, p < .001; and r = .33, p < .001, respectively). Veterans with a diagnosis of PTSD and depression or dysthymia were also more likely to report suicidal thinking and behaviors than veterans with only one of the diagnoses.

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.

This chapter discusses the results of a long-term study of survivors of a West Virginia dam collapse that produced death and injury and led to physical relocation for the survivors. Early reports on the disaster aftermath indicated that some children exhibited moderate to severe psychological stress. This chapter, written 17 years after the dam collapse, summarizes evidence indicating that children's postdisaster reactions were influenced by various characteristics, such as age, gender, family environment, and parental responses to the disaster. Symptom severity ameliorated over time and as the children developed, but the authors found that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remained present among the survivors at a higher than normal rate. This study is significant for being one of the few to follow disaster survivors longitudinally. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

This study compared the discovery of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) with a semistructured, psychodynamic clinical interview in a long-term follow-up of the survivors of the Buffalo Creek (W.Va.) flood. Videotaped semistructured, psychodynamic clinical interviews of a small group of survivors (N=6) were compared with the results obtained in a prior group-level SCID investigation. Seventy-two percent of the total PTSD symptoms for the subjects studied were elicited exclusively by the psychodynamic clinical interview. PTSD cluster C symptoms of avoidance and numbing of general responsiveness were especially sensitive to discovery by this method. The psychodynamic clinical interview should be included in the design of studies that seek to investigate long-term effects of trauma, which are especially likely to be manifest in negative symptoms and subtle character change.

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)

Vietnam veterans (N = 232) recruited from three sources were assessed for suicidal thinking and behaviors, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Findings support the notion that suicidal thoughts are prevalent in this group, with veterans in psychotherapy reporting a greater likelihood of such symptoms (82.6%) than veterans in the community (35.7%) or those seeking assistance through a veteran's outreach center (66.7%). Thoughts of ending one's life and a previous suicide attempt were significantly correlated with a diagnosis of PTSD (r = .53, p < .001; and r = .33, p < .001, respectively). Veterans with a diagnosis of PTSD and depression or dysthymia were also more likely to report suicidal thinking and behaviors than veterans with only one of the diagnoses.

describe, clinically and empirically, the nature of the symptom picture [the Informed of Radioactive Contamination Syndrome] that emerged following residents' receipt of information about their exposure to radioactive contamination from a nuclear weapons plant in Fernald, Ohio / the data from 50 individuals [ages 26–69 yrs] who were active participants in a class action lawsuit were used for these purposes / focus on the types of symptoms which were relatively prominent, and which of these decreased over time and which remained more chronic (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)