Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine factors that may influence the perceived severity of traumatic events. Perceived severity scores were examined in a 2x2 factorial ANOVA with the factors of gender and trauma exposure. A qualitative measurement of the most feared trauma was also investigated. Participants were a convenience sample of 98 Northwestern College Students ranging from ages 17 to 22. Perceived severity scores and the most feared trauma were obtained using an adapted version of the Trauma History Questionnaire. A Trauma History Screener was used to divide participants into trauma exposure groups. It was hypothesized that females would have higher perceived severity scores than males. It was also hypothesized that those with previous trauma exposure would have higher scores than those with no trauma exposure. An interaction between gender and trauma exposure was predicted. Lastly, it was hypothesized that males would have a most feared trauma of physical violence compared to females most feared being sexual violence. The first hypothesis was supported, females had higher perceived severity scores than males. There was no significant difference between trauma exposure groups, and no interaction was found. The final hypothesis was partially supported with a significant chi-square and females having a top feared trauma of sexual violence. This study suggests that perceived severity may impact the traumatic experience and should be considered during treatment. Due to the limitations of this study, it is recommended that scales are reevaluated to do further research on a more diverse sample.
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Perceived Severity of Trauma: The Impact of Gender and Exposure
The purpose of this study was to examine factors that may influence the perceived severity of traumatic events. Perceived severity scores were examined in a 2x2 factorial ANOVA with the factors of gender and trauma exposure. A qualitative measurement of the most feared trauma was also investigated. Participants were a convenience sample of 98 Northwestern College Students ranging from ages 17 to 22. Perceived severity scores and the most feared trauma were obtained using an adapted version of the Trauma History Questionnaire. A Trauma History Screener was used to divide participants into trauma exposure groups. It was hypothesized that females would have higher perceived severity scores than males. It was also hypothesized that those with previous trauma exposure would have higher scores than those with no trauma exposure. An interaction between gender and trauma exposure was predicted. Lastly, it was hypothesized that males would have a most feared trauma of physical violence compared to females most feared being sexual violence. The first hypothesis was supported, females had higher perceived severity scores than males. There was no significant difference between trauma exposure groups, and no interaction was found. The final hypothesis was partially supported with a significant chi-square and females having a top feared trauma of sexual violence. This study suggests that perceived severity may impact the traumatic experience and should be considered during treatment. Due to the limitations of this study, it is recommended that scales are reevaluated to do further research on a more diverse sample.