Moderators of PTSD-related psychophysiological effect sizes - Results from a meta-analysis

Though many studies have reported psychophysiological differences between individuals with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there have been inconsistencies in the magnitude of observed effect sizes across studies. Following a meta-analysis of the effect of current PTSD on psychophysiology during resting baseline, startle, standard trauma cue, and idiographic trauma cue studies, the author examined moderators of the obtained effect sizes. Results revealed that, among several moderators examined, greater PTSD effects on psychophysiology were most consistently associated with trauma-free control groups, greater PTSD symptom severity, and studies using earlier rather than more recent diagnostic criteria for PTSD (e.g., DSM-III versus DSM-IV).