Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41334082›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2025

Executive functions in post-traumatic stress disorder: their relation to PTSD severity and daily functioning.

Nehal Safi, Elias Jahjah, Eyal Bergmann, Eyal Fruchter, Yael Caspi, Udi Oren, Naomi Josman, Evelyne Klinger, Batya Engel-Yeger

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Nehal SafiDepartment of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Elias JahjahDepartment of Psychiatry, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
Eyal BergmannDepartment of Psychiatry, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
Eyal FruchterDepartment of Psychiatry, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
Yael CaspiDepartment of Psychiatry, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
Udi OrenEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Israel Association, Ra'anana, Israel.
Naomi JosmanDepartment of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Evelyne KlingerPresence & Innovation Laboratory, Laval, France.
Batya Engel-YegerDepartment of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Executive function difficulties may be prevalent in people with PTSD, and they might negatively affect their behavior and daily functioning. However, knowledge about the implications of executive function deficits on daily functioning and the assessments that reflect functional limitations is limited. This study aimed to measure how executive function difficulties affect daily functioning in PTSD using ecologically valid assessments that imitate daily activities. Methods: The participants were 66 individuals aged 18-65 years: 26 diagnosed with PTSD and 40 healthy controls. All participants completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions-BRIEF-A, a self-reported tool to assess the impact of executive functions on daily activities. The participants also performed a virtual shopping activity to assess executive functions while performing in a daily activity using the Virtual Action Planning Supermarket (VAP-S 2), a novel, ecologically valid, performance-based tool. Results: Difficulties in executive functions were significantly more prevalent in PTSD patients: the BRIEF-A reflected how executive function difficulties manifested in behavioral dysregulation, restricting daily functioning. The VAP-S 2 revealed difficulties in executive functions, expressed as higher impulsivity, lower strategy use, and decreased performance efficiency while shopping in the virtual supermarket. Correlations were found between BRIEF-A and VAP-S 2: more collisions and lower inhibition in VAP-S 2 were correlated with worse BRIEF-A scores. Difficulties in executive functions correlated with PTSD severity. Conclusions: Executive function difficulties in PTSD may correlate with PTSD severity and restrict daily functioning. Therefore, executive functions in PTSD should be evaluated using ecologically valid assessments to illuminate the implications of real-life activities. VAP-S 2 uniquely enables an objective assessment of executive functions in real-life scenarios for PTSD, complementing self-report and enhancing the ecological validity of findings. It is recommended to combine self-reports that reflect the person's authentic perspective with performance-based assessments, such as the VAP-S 2, to focus intervention on people's real-life context and, by that, improve their function and well-being.

Indexed as

and severity of PTSD symptomsbehavioral regulationdaily functioningexecutive functionsposttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)virtual shopping task performance

Identifiers

PMID41334082
PMCPMC12667252

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.