Book Review: Violanti, J. M., & Paton, D. (Eds.). (2006). Who Gets PTSD? Issues of Posttraumatic Stress Vulnerability. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas. 203 pp

• Author: Elana Newman,Tracy Harrington
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016807305972
• Published date: 01 September 2007
• Date: 01 September 2007
• Subject Matter: Articles

their intent and purpose, and because there is a dearth of well-constructed alternate treatment

programs, this book fulfills its function well. For all those treatment providers who have desired

options beyond the traditional orientations of treatment, this book is highly recommended.

Robert D. Hanser

University of Louisiana at Monroe

Violanti, J. M., & Paton, D. (Eds.). (2006). Who Gets PTSD?

Issues of Posttraumatic Stress Vulnerability. Springfield,

IL: Charles C Thomas. 203 pp.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016807305972

Who Gets PTSD? Issues of Posttraumatic Stress Vulnerability is a collection of well-written,

accessible chapters discussing susceptibility to posttraumatic stress reactions among individ-

uals engaged in high-risk occupations, such as law enforcement, health professions, and

fire/emergency services. Violanti and Paton emphasize the occupational reality of exposure

to critical incidents among protective services professionals, the ways in which negative out-

comes are linked to vulnerability, and the need for organizational management strategies to

facilitate positive outcomes and minimize negative outcomes. Ultimately, Violanti and Paton

conceptualize vulnerability as arising from two sources: the event and the capacity to resolve

the challenges the event poses. The overall objective of the book is to promote the develop-

ment of evidence-based strategies to support officers’mental health and work performance.

The editors have organized the book with a preface and 13 chapters from an interdisciplinary

and international panel of authors, thus representing a range of perspectives. The majority of

chapters review various individual, contextual, and organizational vulnerability factors follow-

ing trauma exposure. Although there is occasional content overlap among chapters, the minimal

repetition is useful, and the chapters work well together. The preface and Chapter 1 introduce

the focus and content of this book to the reader by defining vulnerability, discussing the profes-

sional context of protective services professionals, and outlining the topic areas covered in the

remaining chapters. Subsequent chapters discuss PTSD vulnerability among police officers,

including individual differences (e.g., preemployment traumatic experiences, family support,

personality, gender, and coping strategies) and organizational factors (e.g., organizational has-

sles and climate). The latter chapters describe theoretical frameworks of PTSD vulnerability and

associated topics, including a review of the communication equilibrium theory and a proposed

methodology for vulnerability measurement. This work serves as a foundation for further elab-

oration, as theories from industrial and organizational psychology such as human factors, train-

ing, and selection with respect to vulnerability may enhance this important argument.

Unfortunately, a few fascinating chapters, which stand well on their own, do not align

with the overall aim of the book. Chapter 2, for example, discusses the essential need for

increased understanding of physiological arousal, stress, and trauma exposure among

high-risk occupational groups. Although biological vulnerability is a growing area of

emphasis in traumatic stress studies (e.g., gene–environmental interaction), this particular

chapter focuses on outcomes associated with trauma exposure rather than specifying

physiological vulnerabilities. Similarly, Castello and Everly (Chapter 8) provide 10 useful

suggestions derived from “religious connotations” for responding to the psychological

300 Criminal Justice Review