| Author(s) | Orth, Ulrich and Maercker, Andreas |
| Title | Posttraumatic anger in crime victims: Directed at the perpetrator and at the self |
| Source | Journal of Traumatic Stress, April 2009. Vol. 22 Iss. 2, pp.158-161. |
| Date | 2009 |
| Document type | Journal article |
| Coverage | Germany |
| Summary | This study investigated the level of posttraumatic anger and association with PTSD symptoms, using a sample of 218 crime victims in Germany. One question considered was what were the typical targets where anger was directed. The study showed that the different targets of anger that are most commonly involved in posttraumatic anger were the perpetrator and the self. The level of anger at those targets was high and strongly associated with PTSD symptoms. Other targets, such as the criminal justice system were of lower importance. The limitations of the study were discussed, including the self-report methodology, the lack of information on co-morbidity and the low response rate which restricts generalisations of the findings. It is suggested that future research on posttraumatic anger explores whether anger at others versus anger at the self has differential consequences for the individual. |
| Keywords | Posttraumatic stress disorder; PTSD; anger |
| Topic | Psychological affects and treatment |