Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that arises following exposure to traumatic events such as natural disasters, forced displacement, or severe accidents. It significantly impairs individuals' ability to cope with daily activities and disrupts their emotional and psychological equilibrium.
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events,...

Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative disorders represent complex psychological conditions characterized by disruptions in consciousness, memory, identity, or perception. These disruptions cause individuals to experience a disconnection from their thoughts, emotions, and memories. The phenomenon is not merely an occasional lapse in attention but a profound alteration in mental functioning that can severely impact daily life.
Dissociative Fugue
A hallmark feature of dissociative disorders is the dissociative fugue...

Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle

Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle

Stress is a multifaceted response to events perceived as challenging or threatening, highlighting physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions. Physically, stress can lead to fatigue, sleep disruptions, and various health issues such as frequent colds, chest pains, and nausea. Emotionally, it can manifest as anxiety, depression, irritability, and anger triggered by both minor and major life events. Cognitively, it may result in difficulty in concentration, memory, and...

Applications of GIS: Disaster Management and Emergency Response

Applications of GIS: Disaster Management and Emergency Response

Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is essential for risk identification, action prioritization, and resource optimization in critical situations like flooding and earthquakes. By integrating spatial and demographic data, GIS provides a comprehensive framework for emergency response.GIS integrates data layers, like rainfall intensity, topography, elevation profiles, and river levels, to model high-risk flood zones. These layers assess areas susceptible to flooding based on their...

Psychological Responses to Stress

Psychological Responses to Stress

Psychological responses to stress encompass the various cognitive and emotional reactions individuals experience when faced with challenging or threatening situations, such as a job loss. Prolonged exposure to stressors can disturb emotional balance, increasing negative emotions (e.g., anxiety and sadness) and diminishing positive emotions (e.g., joy and satisfaction). These persistent emotional shifts are associated with an increased risk of both physical illness and mental health issues, such...

Dissociative Identity Disorder

Dissociative Identity Disorder

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), previously termed multiple personality disorder, is a complex psychological condition characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states. Each identity exhibits unique patterns of behavior, voice, and mannerisms and may possess separate memories and emotional responses. The alternating control between identities can result in memory gaps and challenges in recalling daily activities, often exacerbating the individual's...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Mental imagery and its role in the psychopathology and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Journal of anxiety disorders·2026

Same author

Spatial encoding of a traumatic virtual reality scene reduces intrusive memories.

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience·2026

Same author

A novel person-reported measure of safety-seeking behaviours: a preliminary study in older victims of community crime.

Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy·2025

Same author

Memory and identity processes in ICD-11 complex posttraumatic stress disorder: Tests of a new theory.

Journal of anxiety disorders·2025

Same author

People Likely Aren't as Susceptible to False Memories as Researchers Thought: New studies underscore the difficulty of implanting entirely fictional events in a person's recollection.

Scientific American·2025

Same author

The International Trauma Interview (ITI): development of a semi-structured diagnostic interview and evaluation in a UK sample.

European journal of psychotraumatology·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 29, 2025

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder

Published on: March 8, 2018

Feelings, Thoughts, and Behaviors During Disaster.

Alessandro Massazza¹, Chris R Brewin¹, Helene Joffe¹

¹Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.

Qualitative Health Research

|November 24, 2020

Summary

Survivors described diverse peritraumatic reactions to trauma, including common responses like dissociation and novel ones such as cognitive overload. These insights enhance understanding of trauma

Keywords:

2016-2017 Central Italy earthquakes Italy PTSD disaster earthquake peritraumatic qualitative trauma

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mechanisms of Stress Resilience - Significant Findings, Advancements, and Future Research

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mechanisms of Stress Resilience - Significant Findings, Advancements, and Future Research

Published on: December 15, 2023

Polar Histogram Visualization of Acute Stress Disorder Scale Scores for Comprehensive Clinical Assessment

Polar Histogram Visualization of Acute Stress Disorder Scale Scores for Comprehensive Clinical Assessment

Published on: December 6, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 29, 2025

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder

Published on: March 8, 2018

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mechanisms of Stress Resilience - Significant Findings, Advancements, and Future Research

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mechanisms of Stress Resilience - Significant Findings, Advancements, and Future Research

Published on: December 15, 2023

Polar Histogram Visualization of Acute Stress Disorder Scale Scores for Comprehensive Clinical Assessment

Polar Histogram Visualization of Acute Stress Disorder Scale Scores for Comprehensive Clinical Assessment

Published on: December 6, 2024

Area of Science:

Psychology
Trauma Studies
Disaster Mental Health

Background:

Peritraumatic reactions (thoughts, feelings, behaviors during trauma) are critical in developing post-trauma psychopathology.
Existing quantitative methods may not fully capture the complexity of survivor-described peritraumatic experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

To qualitatively investigate the range and complexity of peritraumatic reactions as described by trauma survivors.
To compare survivor accounts with commonly studied peritraumatic reactions and identify novel experiences.

Main Methods:

Conducted semi-structured interviews with 104 earthquake survivors.
Analyzed qualitative data to identify and categorize peritraumatic reactions and related phenomena.

Main Results:

Survivors reported a wide range of peritraumatic reactions (mean = 21, range = 6-43).
Confirmed common reactions (dissociation, distress, mental defeat, immobility) and identified novel ones (cognitive overload, hyperfocus, emotion regulation, positive affect).
Identified cross-cutting themes: social nature of reactions and difficulty articulating experiences.

Conclusions:

Survivor accounts reveal a broader spectrum of peritraumatic reactions than typically studied.
Findings necessitate revisions in conceptualizing peritraumatic reactions.
Implications for trauma-focused interventions and disaster survivor wellbeing.