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A disturbed beta-endorphin system can be a part of the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression allostasis. Study subjects (N=392) included those with PTSD and/or (stress-induced) depression, and healthy controls with and without traumas. The aim of the study was to examine the network of relations centered around plasma beta-endorphin. The network included anxiety (as a personality trait), traumatic events, pain, aggressiveness, depressive symptoms, and three clusters of PTSD symptoms: intrusions, avoidance, and hyperarousal. Beta-endorphin was represented by individual mean from 13 time points (BEmean), reflecting the total amount of the peripherally secreted hormone, and the coefficient of variation (BEvar), calculated as the ratio of standard deviation to the mean, reflecting the hormone's dynamics. BEvar correlated with all other variables, BEmean had no correlations. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine all interrelations (including their directions) of BEvar and the state/trait variables in the context of their entirety. The model revealed that hyperarousal and anxiety were the only direct agents of peripheral beta-endorphin fluctuations, mediating the effects of other variables. Traumatic events and intrusions act on BEvar via hyperarousal, while depressive symptoms, avoidance, and pain act via anxiety. Hyperarousal should be emphasized as the main agent not only because its effect on BEvar is larger than that of anxiety, but also because it increases anxiety itself (via avoidance and pain). All influences on BEvar are positive and they indicate long-term (sensitizing) effects (as opposed to direct stimulation, for example, by acute pain, anger, etc.). Relations apart from beta-endorphin are also discussed.

Uvod/Cilj. Tortura, kao poseban vid političkog nasilja, predstavlja ekstremnu primenu nasilnog ponašanja u interpersonalnim odnosima, koji za posledicu mogu imati ne samo akutne psihijatrijske poremećaje, već, veoma često snažne i dalekosežne negativne posledice po ukupno psihosocijalno funkcionisanje žrtve. Cilj ovog rada bio je ustanovljavanje međupolnih razlika kod osoba koje su pretrpele ratnu torturu, s obzirom na vrste pretrpljenog mučenja i karakteristike psihičkih posledica. Metode. Ispitanike (410 osoba muškog i 76 ženskog pola) činili su korisnici 'Centra za rehabilitaciju žrtava torture' - IAN, koji su pretrpeli mučenje u zatvorima i koncentracionim logorima za vreme građanskih ratova u bivšoj Jugoslaviji 1991-1995. i 1999. godine. Za evidentiranje vrsta mučenja korišćen je Upitnik o vrstama mučenja sa 81 stavkom. Za procenu karaktera i intenziteta psiholoških tegoba korišćena je skala provere simptoma-revidirana verzija (SCL-90-R), a za procenu posttraumatske simptomatologije korišćena je Skala uticaja (traumatskog) događaja - IES. Rezultati. Ustanovljena je međupolna razlika prema tipu pretrpljenog mučenja kod 33 vrste torture; 28 su bili češće zastupljeni kod osoba muškog pola, a 5 kod osoba ženskog pola. Faktorska analiza pokazala je postojanje tri faktora koja objašnjavaju 29% ukupne varijanse i protumačeni su kao 'obična tortura', 'sadistička tortura' i 'seksualna tortura'. Diskriminativna analiza ukazala je na značajno razlikovanje među polovima s obzirom na dobijene faktore: kod muškaraca bili su značajno češće prisutni 'obična tortura' i 'sadistička tortura', a kod žena 'seksualna tortura'. Analizom SCL-90-R ustanovljeno je da su aktuelne psihološke tegobe značajno veće kod osoba ženskog pola u dimenzijama somatizacije, depresivnosti, anksioznosti, opsesivnosti i interpersonalne senzitivnosti. Generalni skor na IES i skor na supskalama 'nametanja' traumatskih događaja i 'izbegavanja' socijalnih interakcija bio je značajno veći kod žena nego kod m, Background/Aim. Torture for political reasons is an extreme violence in interpersonal relations resulting in not only acute psychiatric disorders but also very often in very severe and far reaching negative consequences for the overall psychosocial functioning of a victim. The aim of this study was to investigate gender differences in types of torture and psychological consequences in subjects who experienced war torture. Methods. A sample (410 men and 76 women) included clients of 'Centre for rehabilitation of torture victims - IAN, Belgrade' who experienced torture in prisons and concentration camps during civil wars in ex-Yugoslavia 1991-1995 and 1999. Types of Torture Questionnaire with 81 items was used for collecting data about forms of torture. Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90- R) was used for assessing type and intensity of psychological symptoms, and Impact of Event Scale (IES) was used to estimate posttraumatic complaints. Results. A gender difference was found for 33 types of torture: 28 more frequent in men, and 5 in women. Factor analysis of torture types revealed three factors explaining 29% of variance: 'common torture', 'sadistic torture', and 'sexual torture'. Discriminant analysis revealed significant gender difference concerning the factors. 'Common torture' and 'sadistic torture' were more prominent in men, and 'sexual torture' was more present in women. Higher scores on depression, anxiety, somatization, interpersonal sensitivity and obsessive-compulsive dimensions on SCL-90-R were found in women. General score and scores of subscales (intrusion and avoidance) on IES were significantly higher in women. Conclusion. Women exposed to war torture experienced less torture techniques and shorter imprisonment than men, but had more frequent and severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and other psychological symptoms. Gender differences in posttraumatic symptomatology can not be explained exclusively by gender differences in types of tortur