PTSD and Impaired Eye Expression Recognition: A Preliminary Study

This preliminary study examined whether posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was related to difficulties in identifying the mental states of others in a group of refugees. Sixteen Bosnian refugees, referred to treatment in an outpatient treatment center for survivors of torture and war-related trauma in Denmark (CETT), were compared to 16 non-PTSD Bosnian refugees and 50 non-PTSD Danish volunteers. PTSD was assessed by the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and a clinical interview, and the ability to identify mental states was tested using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (revised version) (Eyes Test). PTSD was found to be associated with lower scores on the Eyes Test, supporting the hypothesis that PTSD is related to an impaired ability to recognize displays of mental states as expressed by the eyes. We discuss the limitations of the study and implications for future research and therapeutic strategies.