TITLE:
The Relationship between Sustained Attention and PTSD Symptoms in Chinese Earthquake Orphans
AUTHORS:
Yan Wang, Xingli Zhang, Jiannong Shi
KEYWORDS:
Pre-Earthquake Orphans, Post-Earthquake Orphans, Sustained Attention, PTSD Symptoms
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.4 No.7,
July
26,
2017
ABSTRACT: The authors examined sustained attention performance and PTSD symptoms in a sample of 281 orphans and non-orphans who experienced the Sichuan Earthquake in China. They hypothesized that the orphans had a higher possibility to risk for PTSD than non-orphans, and the former also might even tend to be more impulsive, allergic which might affect their basic cognitive skill-attention. The findings showed evidence of cognitive developmental stages, from vigilance to numbness and avoidance, in the continuous performance test (CPT) task by including pre-earthquake orphans. The post-earthquake orphans were still in a high level of vigilance and performed well in the CPT task when compared with the pre-earthquake orphans. The non-orphans with high possibility to risk for PTSD were the most concentrated and least impulsive. Given the potentially mutual relationship between sustained attention and posttraumatic stress disorder, careful consideration must be given to the treatment of traumatized children who present with PTSD symptoms. In accordance with practice guidelines, a duplex informant, duplex measure approach in the decision of educational plans for these children is strongly recommended.