BackgroundTo date no validated instrument in the French language exists to screen for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in survivors of torture and organized violence.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to adapt and validate the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) to this population.MethodThe adapted version was administered to 52 French-speaking torture survivors, originally from sub-Saharan African countries, receiving psychological treatment in specialized treatment centers. A structured clinical interview for DSM was also conducted in order to assess if they met criteria for PTSD.ResultsCronbach's alpha coefficient for the HTQ Part 4 was adequate (0.95). Criterion validity was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis that generated good classification accuracy for PTSD (0.83). At the original cut-off score of 2.5, the HTQ demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity (0.87 and 0.73, respectively).ConclusionResults support the reliability and validity of the French version of the HTQ.
Context processing abnormalities may explain thought disorder in schizophrenia/schizotypy. This study aimed to assess predictive and integrative context processing in subjects with high or low scores on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). The N400 amplitude was recorded during semantic judgment of sentence pairs ending with a lateralized expected or unexpected word from the same or a different category (related and unrelated violation). In both groups, the N400 amplitude was less negative for expected words versus unrelated violations, regardless of which hemisphere received the stimulus, and for related versus unrelated violations, but only for left-hemisphere stimuli. The N400 amplitude for unrelated violations was less negative in subjects with high SPQ scores for both hemispheres. These results indicate that subjects with schizotypal traits use context to predict or integrate congruent words, but fail to inhibit incongruent words.
In this paper we examined the influence of repetition of weight-related sentences on the involuntary pressure forces of the forearms, when in a relaxed state. These forces were involuntary oscillations, exerted by muscle movements of the breathing-cycle and muscle movements of the arm on force sensors. We constructed a linguistic bio-mechanical system (Ablasmi), where in each arm of a padded relaxation chair contained special sensors that were specifically designed to detect the pressure forces of each forearm while participants listened to the specific recorded weight-related sentences. In this experiment we used some classic sentences, such as "your right/left arm is heavy," inspired by Autogenic Training (Schultz in Le training autogene. Paris, PUF, 1974) and some sentences, such as "your right/left arm is made of lead," inspired by Grossmann's relaxation technique. We observed that when the recorded sentences were directed to the right arm there was a significant increase of involuntary pressure forces on the right forearm. Additionally, we observed the same effect on the left forearm for the sentences directed to the left forearm. Thus, we believe we have provided experimental evidence of a definite linguistic effect of weight-related sentences on the involuntary pressure forces of the forearms. The implications of these findings are discussed.
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