Appraisal of self, social environment, and state authority as a possible mediator of posttraumatic stress disorder in tortured political activists

Basoglu M., Paker M., Ozmen E., Tasdemir O., Sahin D., Ceyhanli A., ...More

JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY, vol.105, no.2, pp.232-236, 1996 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 105 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 1996
  • Doi Number: 10.1037//0021-843x.105.2.232
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.232-236
  • Istanbul University Affiliated: No

Abstract

This study examined appraisal of self and others, as measured by semantic differential ratings of Police, State, Society, Family, Friend, Myself as a Man/Woman, and Myself as a Political Person, in 55 tortured political activists in Turkey, 55 nontortured political activists, and 55 nontortured, politically noninvolved controls. There were no remarkable;differences between tortured and nontortured political activists; both groups differed from controls in having a more negative appraisal of the police and the state and stronger perceptions of danger, mistrust, and injustice in relation to state authority. Lack of beliefs concerning a ''benevolent state'' may have protected the survivors from the traumatic effects of state-perpetrated torture. Further research into the possible protective role of belief systems in posttraumatic stress disorder is needed.