@article{WeberMaihoferJaksicetal.2022,
  author    = {Weber, Heike and Maihofer, Adam X. and Jaksic, Nenad and Bojic, Elma Feric and Kucukalic, Sabina and Dzananovic, Emina Sabic and Uka, Aferdita Goci and Hoxha, Blerina and Haxhibeqiri, Valdete and Haxhibeqiri, Shpend and Kravic, Nermina and Umihanic, Mirnesa Muminovic and Franc, Ana Cima and Babic, Romana and Pavlovic, Marko and Mehmedbasic, Alma Bravo and Aukst-Margetic, Branka and Kucukalic, Abdulah and Marjanovic, Damir and Babic, Dragan and Jakovljevic, Miro and Sinanovic, Osman and Avidbegović, Esmina and Agani, Ferid and Warrings, Bodo and Domschke, Katharina and Nievergelt, Caroline M. and Dzubur-Kulenovic, Alma and Erhardt, Angelika},
  title     = {Association of polygenic risk scores, traumatic life events and coping strategies with war-related PTSD diagnosis and symptom severity in the South Eastern Europe (SEE)-PTSD cohort},
  series = {Journal of Neural Transmission},
  volume    = {129},
  journal   = {Journal of Neural Transmission},
  number    = {5-6},
  issn      = {1435-1463},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00702-021-02446-5},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-268541},
  pages     = {661-674},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Objectives Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is triggered by extremely stressful environmental events and characterized by high emotional distress, re-experiencing of trauma, avoidance and hypervigilance. The present study uses polygenic risk scores (PRS) derived from the UK Biobank (UKBB) mega-cohort analysis as part of the PGC PTSD GWAS effort to determine the heritable basis of PTSD in the South Eastern Europe (SEE)-PTSD cohort. We further analyzed the relation between PRS and additional disease-related variables, such as number and intensity of life events, coping, sex and age at war on PTSD and CAPS as outcome variables. Methods Association of PRS, number and intensity of life events, coping, sex and age on PTSD were calculated using logistic regression in a total of 321 subjects with current and remitted PTSD and 337 controls previously subjected to traumatic events but not having PTSD. In addition, PRS and other disease-related variables were tested for association with PTSD symptom severity, measured by the Clinician Administrated PTSD Scale (CAPS) by liner regression. To assess the relationship between the main outcomes PTSD diagnosis and symptom severity, each of the examined variables was adjusted for all other PTSD related variables. Results The categorical analysis showed significant polygenic risk in patients with remitted PTSD and the total sample, whereas no effects were found on symptom severity. Intensity of life events as well as the individual coping style were significantly associated with PTSD diagnosis in both current and remitted cases. The dimensional analyses showed as association of war-related frequency of trauma with symptom severity, whereas the intensity of trauma yielded significant results independently of trauma timing in current PTSD. Conclusions The present PRS application in the SEE-PTSD cohort confirms modest but significant polygenic risk for PTSD diagnosis. Environmental factors, mainly the intensity of traumatic life events and negative coping strategies, yielded associations with PTSD both categorically and dimensionally with more significant p-values. This suggests that, at least in the present cohort of war-related trauma, the association of environmental factors and current individual coping strategies with PTSD psychopathology was stronger than the polygenic risk.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{NandiCrombachElbertetal.2020,
  author    = {Nandi, Corina and Crombach, Anselm and Elbert, Thomas and Bambonye, Manass{\´e} and Pryss, R{\"u}diger and Schobel, Johannes and Weierstall-Pust, Roland},
  title     = {The cycle of violence as a function of PTSD and appetitive aggression: A longitudinal study with Burundian soldiers},
  series = {Aggressive Behavior},
  volume    = {46},
  journal   = {Aggressive Behavior},
  number    = {5},
  doi       = {10.1002/ab.21895},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-218235},
  pages     = {391 -- 399},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {During deployment, soldiers face situations in which they are not only exposed to violence but also have to perpetrate it themselves. This study investigates the role of soldiers' levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and appetitive aggression, that is, a lust for violence, for their engaging in violence during deployment. Furthermore, factors during deployment influencing the level of PTSD symptoms and appetitive aggression after deployment were examined for a better comprehension of the maintenance of violence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 468 Burundian soldiers before and after a 1-year deployment to Somalia. To predict violent acts during deployment (perideployment) as well as appetitive aggression and PTSD symptom severity after deployment (postdeployment), structural equation modeling was utilized. Results showed that the number of violent acts perideployment was predicted by the level of appetitive aggression and by the severity of PTSD hyperarousal symptoms predeployment. In addition to its association with the predeployment level, appetitive aggression postdeployment was predicted by violent acts and trauma exposure perideployment as well as positively associated with unit support. PTSD symptom severity postdeployment was predicted by the severity of PTSD avoidance symptoms predeployment and trauma exposure perideployment, and negatively associated with unit support. This prospective study reveals the importance of appetitive aggression and PTSD hyperarousal symptoms for the engagement in violent acts during deployment, while simultaneously demonstrating how these phenomena may develop in mutually reinforcing cycles in a war setting.},
  language  = {en}
}