Gershuny Beth S, Keuthen Nancy J, Gentes Emily L, Russo Amanda R, Emmott Elizabeth C, Jameson Mariko, Dougherty Darin D, Loh Rebecca, Jenike Michael A
Department of Psychology, Skidmore College, 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, USA.
J Clin Psychol. 2006 Dec;62(12):1521-9. doi: 10.1002/jclp.20303.
Though some researchers and clinicians postulate that trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be implicated in the etiologic underpinnings of trichotillomania (TTM), very little research to date has examined such postulations. To address this gap in the literature, the current study assessed the prevalence of trauma and PTSD in 42 individuals seeking treatment for TTM. Relations between symptoms of PTSD and TTM also were examined, as were differences in TTM symptoms between those with and without PTSD. Findings revealed that approximately 76% reported a history of at least one traumatic event, and 19% met criteria for PTSD. Furthermore, negative correlations were demonstrated between symptoms of PTSD and characteristics of TTM, and the PTSD group reported less severe TTM characteristics. Findings suggest that the prevalence of PTSD in TTM may be higher than in the general population and that a history of greater number of types of traumas is associated with a longer duration of hair pulling as well as the scalp as the primary pulling site. The authors also speculate that in traumatized individuals, TTM may represent a form of coping vis-à-vis self-soothing or self-harm.
尽管一些研究人员和临床医生推测,创伤和创伤后应激障碍(PTSD)可能与拔毛癖(TTM)的病因基础有关,但迄今为止,很少有研究检验这些推测。为了填补文献中的这一空白,本研究评估了42名寻求TTM治疗的个体中创伤和PTSD的患病率。还研究了PTSD症状与TTM之间的关系,以及有PTSD和无PTSD者在TTM症状上的差异。研究结果显示,约76%的人报告至少有过一次创伤事件史,19%符合PTSD标准。此外,PTSD症状与TTM特征之间存在负相关,PTSD组报告的TTM特征不那么严重。研究结果表明,TTM中PTSD的患病率可能高于一般人群,更多类型的创伤史与更长的拔毛持续时间以及以头皮为主要拔毛部位有关。作者还推测,在受过创伤的个体中,TTM可能是一种自我安慰或自我伤害的应对方式。