Date of Completion

2016

Thesis Type

College of Arts and Science Honors

Department

Psychological Science

First Advisor

Matthew Price

Abstract

Dietary intake is strongly associated with physical and mental health. Diets that stray from standard nutrient recommendations have been connected to disease, depression, and related illnesses. Although there is a clear relationship between stress and diet, the connection between dietary intake and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is unclear. PTSD is a trauma-related disorder that has a lifetime prevalence of 7.8 percent within the general population. This observational study examined a 24-hour recall diet in 20 trauma-exposed individuals. Results supported a negative correlation between calorie consumption, carbohydrates, protein and PTSD symptoms. These results support the hypothesis that those with more severe PTSD symptoms have altered and poorer diets than those with less severe symptoms.

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