Does the Biblical character Job meet the criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

This project involved asking a group of clinicians experienced in working with trauma to rate (among other things) how well descriptions from the Book of Job matched current DSM diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This research found high ratings of congruence between descriptions of Job’s reactions and symptoms of PTSD described in DSM-IV-TR. However, the congruence with the traumatising events was less certain. These findings are discussed in relation to the construct validity of PTSD diagnostic criteria. While symptoms of trauma are consistent and robust over millennia of observation of the human condition, the nature of the events required in criterion A (1) is likely flawed on a number of levels.

Source: “The Book of Job: Implications for construct validity of posttraumatic stress disorder diagnostic criteria ” from Mental Health, Religion & Culture, Volume 12, Issue 8 December 2009 , pages 833 – 845

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