Postural Responses in Trauma-Experienced Individuals.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Kinesiology

Background:

• Balance and proprioception are crucial for postural control and preventing injuries.
• Proprioceptive dysfunction, linked to trauma, can manifest as heightened muscle tone and altered sensory processing, impacting balance.
• Dissociation, a common trauma response, may further disrupt the body's sense of position and movement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between trauma experiences, dissociation, and postural control.
• To examine how emotional stimuli affect balance in individuals with a history of trauma.
• To identify potential therapeutic targets for improving balance and reducing injury risk in trauma survivors.

Main Methods:

• 48 young adults (18-25) completed questionnaires on emotional regulation, dissociation, and childhood trauma.
• Participants underwent postural sway assessment using a BTrackS Balance Plate while viewing emotionally evocative images.
• Postural sway was quantified by measuring total sway, sway area, root mean square (RMS) in mediolateral (ML) and anteroposterior (AP) directions, and excursion in ML and AP directions.

Main Results:

• Dissociative experiences correlated with increased postural sway (RMS ML, RMS AP, Excursion ML) during emotional image viewing.
• Physical abuse history was associated with significant alterations in sway area, RMS AP, and Excursion ML when viewing positive images.
• Physical neglect history significantly impacted sway area, RMS AP, Excursion ML, and Excursion AP during viewing of negative images.

Conclusions:

• Dissociation significantly disrupts balance in trauma survivors, especially under emotional load.
• Specific trauma types (physical abuse, neglect) demonstrably affect postural control.
• Findings suggest motor-based interventions may be beneficial for improving balance and reducing injury risk in this population.