European Journal of Psychotraumatology最新文献

Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and life satisfaction phenotypes are inversely related on a phenotypic level. Given these established relations, researchers have begun to examine possible shared genetic contributions to these outcomes, though the existing genetic literature is sparse and examines these relations via univariate methods. We sought to examine the genetic architecture of PTSD and six life satisfaction and well-being phenotypes (i.e. subjective well-being, friend satisfaction, life satisfaction, family satisfaction, work satisfaction, and financial satisfaction) using a multivariate approach.Method: We used Genomic Structural Equation Modeling (gSEM) to analyze summary-level genetic data from large-scale GWAS of the European Ancestry.Results: Findings show that a two, correlated factors model fit the data best, in which PTSD and life satisfaction phenotypes load on separate but correlated factors.Conclusions: Findings suggest that, using multivariate methods, a latent factor capturing many different positive phenotypes is genetically related to PTSD. This finding confirms and extends prior phenotypic work demonstrating that PTSD and positive phenotypes are inversely related.

Background: Early trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy may help reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms in individuals recently exposed to sexual assault. In Norway, specialized Sexual Assault Centres (SACs) provide psychosocial support to survivors of sexual assault, yet the effectiveness of these services remains uncertain. The Early Intervention after Rape (EIR) study is a multisite randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of modified prolonged exposure therapy (mPE) compared to treatment as usual (TAU) in alleviating post-traumatic stress symptoms shortly after rape.Objective: This qualitative study explores patients' experiences with participating in the EIR study and receiving mPE as early psychosocial intervention at three SACs in Norway.Method: We interviewed 15 patients, 10 receiving mPE and five receiving TAU.Results: Thematic analysis revealed that patients found participation in the EIR study beneficial and meaningful, and that it was facilitated by a respectful and a trauma-competent research team. Patients favoured psychosocial support that directly addressed the traumatic event over non-specific focus on everyday concerns and recommended integrating mPE into the SAC's psychosocial support services.Conclusion: This study provides insights into the experiences of women receiving psychosocial support at SACs after recent sexual assault. It highlights clinical and practical challenges in implementing a novel intervention and conducting a multisite RCT, whilst at the same time identifying opportunities to enhance evidence-based support, ensuring alignment with survivors' preferences and recovery process.

Background: Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) is characterised by persistent longing or preoccupation with a deceased loved one, accompanied by intense emotional pain that lasts six-months or more and significantly impairs functioning. While Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with a grief focus is effective, access is limited due to high costs and therapist shortages. Guided digital therapy, which delivers psychological support via an app or website with professional guidance, may offer a scalable solution. Building on the success of a guided digital intervention for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this study evaluates a similar intervention for PGD in a UK-based randomised controlled trial (RCT).Objective: This study aims to assess the acceptability and feasibility of Spring PGD, a co-produced guided digital therapy for PGD, in preparation for a future definitive RCT.Methods: This exploratory, randomised, parallel-group controlled trial will allocate 42 participants in a 1:1 ratio to either immediate access to Spring PGD or a waiting list control group. After 11 weeks, control participants will cross over to receive Spring PGD. The primary outcome measure is the Prolonged Grief 13 Revised (PG-13-R). A nested process evaluation will explore fidelity, adherence, and programme theory through interviews with purposively sampled participants and therapists.Results: Findings will provide preliminary data on the acceptability, engagement, and feasibility of Spring PGD, informing the design of a future definitive RCT.Conclusions: If Spring PGD shows promise, it could offer an accessible, scalable treatment for PGD, particularly in areas with limited access to specialised mental health services. The results will contribute to understanding the potential of guided digital therapy in addressing gaps in PGD treatment.

Background: Social media (SM) has become ubiquitous among youth. However, which SM activities are beneficial or detrimental for the wellness of children and adolescents is still under debate. While some reports highlight positive outcomes of SM in learning, social interaction, and wellbeing, other investigations suggest that the overuse of SM induces decreased attention, cognitive, and emotional control, and increases mental-health related disorders (e.g. depression and anxiety). Interestingly, the cognitive and emotional functions negatively affected by the intense use of SM, as well as some of its neural underpinnings, have been previously and consistently reported to benefit from music and arts-based interventions.Objectives: The protocol for the 'Social Media Artistic tRaining in Teenagers (SMART)' project (ClinicalTrial: NCT06402253) is presented here: digital art-based interventions will be used to teach adolescents how to use SM in more goal-oriented and stimulating ways, in the context of learning music or photography composition/editing through specific open-source software.Methods: Participants (aged 13-16) will be evaluated before and after completing a 3-month music or photography composition/editing intervention programme. Participants will also provide weekly measures of SM usage and mood. A matched passive control group will also be recruited, evaluated, and followed for 3 months. Evaluations will include cognitive (attention), mood, and mental-health (depression, stress, anxiety, self-esteem) measures, as well as functional and structural connectivity and morphological biomarkers obtained via MRI and MEG techniques.Discussion: We expect observable changes in self-reported use and attitudes towards SM, and benefits in attention, mood, and mental-health measures, as well as in the neural substrates supporting these processes. The data we plan to collect will confirm or challenge these expectations, aiming to improve our understanding of the impact of SM overuse on brain function, cognitive state, and mental health. Our findings could also inform potential strategies to mitigate SM negative effects.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06402253..

Background: Individuals bereaved by cancer face significant emotional challenges, often experiencing prolonged grief disorder (PGD), PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Effective interventions are needed to target these mental health problems. This study evaluates the outcomes of the specialist bereavement charity, The Loss Foundation's therapeutic group intervention designed for individuals grieving a cancer-related loss.Methods: A total of 68 participants, enrolled across five cohorts, received a short-term group intervention targeting cognitive-behavioural factors and self-compassion. Due to recruitment limitations, randomized analyses were underpowered, therefore a broader service evaluation was performed, combining data from 2016 and 2018 cohorts. The primary outcome was PGD symptoms measured by the PG-13, with secondary outcomes examining PTSD, depression, anxiety, and self-compassion. Process measures were memory characteristics, grief appraisals, maladaptive coping strategies, and social disconnection. Data were analysed using linear mixed-effects models.Results: Significant reductions were observed in symptoms of PGD (d = 0.65 at 3-month follow-up), PTSD, depression, and anxiety, with improvements in self-compassion (d = 0.53). Cognitive-behavioural process measures also showed significant changes, particularly in memory characteristics and negative appraisals, though social disconnection did not significantly change. Exploratory analyses indicated that lower baseline negative appraisals predicted better treatment outcomes. Attrition was minimal after the intervention began, though approximately 25% of participants did not provide follow-up data.Conclusions: The group intervention demonstrated positive effects on grief-related and mental health outcomes, supporting the use of cognitive-behavioural approaches in cancer bereavement. However, further randomized trials with larger samples are needed to confirm these findings and address limitations related to randomization and data completeness.

Introduction: Postmigration stress has been recognised as a significant factor negatively impacting the psychological well-being of forcibly displaced people (FDP), even independently of pre-migration trauma exposure. However, there is no study yet investigating its detrimental effects on psychological and somatic indicators of mental health in the daily life of FDP. Here, we present a study protocol to investigate the impact of postmigration stress in the daily lives of Arabic- and Farsi-speaking FDP living in Austria, using an ambulatory assessment (EMA) design.Methods: Sixty Arabic- and Farsi-speaking adult FDPs with a maximum of three years of stay in Austria will complete daily questionnaires on smartphones for 14 days. Participants will be prompted to report experienced postmigration stressors, perceived momentary stress levels, transdiagnostic symptoms of psychological distress, and positive and negative affect, at three fixed timepoints each day (i.e. 11 am, 3 pm, and 7 pm). In addition to subjective stress assessment, participants will provide saliva samples to measure somatic stress system functioning, indicated by salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase. Furthermore, participants will be asked to complete a self-initiated end-of-day questionnaire before going to bed. Our hypotheses will be tested using multilevel analysis and biochemical analyses of the human probes.Discussion: This study will advance understanding of how postmigration stress affects psychological and somatic aspects of mental health in FDP. Using a multimodal EMA approach, findings may guide the development of scalable, smartphone-based, just-in-time interventions for this highly mobile, underserved population.

Background: Since 2020, modern youth in Ukraine have faced an exceptionally challenging period, first enduring the burdens of the COVID-19 pandemic and then being thrust into the full-scale war, characterized by persistent traumatic exposure. Given the profound and lasting psychological consequences of such crises, it is essential to monitor the long-term impact of war on youth mental health. However, despite the urgency of this issue, longitudinal studies with large, diverse samples remain scarce.Objective: This study aims to track changes in anxiety, depression, and stress and explore their associations with demographic and educational variables among university students in Ukraine, from the COVID-19 pandemic through two years of full-scale war.Method: Data were collected online at three time points over four years from independent samples of students from 27 higher education institutions across 12 Ukrainian cities. A total of 757 students participated in 2020, 2,592 in 2023, and 838 in 2024, all completing anonymous questionnaires. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a General Linear Model were used to analyse the results.Results: The findings revealed a significant increase in anxiety, depression, and stress levels among university students during the transition from the pandemic to wartime conditions. Women reported higher levels of anxiety, depression, and stress, while students aged 15-25 exhibited poorer mental health than those aged 26-55. Although students across all fields of study experienced heightened distress in 2023, those in technical disciplines were the only group to show a decline in 2024.Conclusions: Ukrainian youth have been living under high levels of distress for more than four years, with little indication of improvement. The results highlight the urgent need for targeted strategies in prevention, intervention, and treatment of anxiety, depression, and stress among university students and other vulnerable young adults.

Background: Research on bullying and child PTSD has traditionally been conducted separately. This study examines the association between bullying and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in three international samples, comparing its impact to other potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and assessing whether bullying predicts PTSS when controlling for other PTEs.

Method: We analyzed three large clinical samples of children and adolescents referred for mental health care in Norway (N = 3370, 63.4% female, Mage = 14.0), the Netherlands (N = 952, 68.7% female, Mage = 15.57), and Germany (N = 707, 39.0% female, Mage = 13.25), using the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS or CATS-2) to measure bullying, PTEs, and PTSS. Two linear regression models were compared per sample: one with variable regression weights and one with constrained weights. We also evaluated unique R² shares to determine the distinct variance each PTE contributed to PTSS.

Results: Bullying was reported by 56.2% (Norway), 53.2% (the Netherlands), and 52.6% (Germany); cyberbullying was reported by 17.0% (Germany). Moderate correlations with PTSS severity were found (r = .17-.37 for bullying; r = .36 for cyberbullying). Clinically elevated PTSS were reported by 57.4%-73.1% of those bullied and 78.3% of cyberbullied youth. Bullying remained a significant predictor of PTSS, explaining 3.8% to 22.9% of variance after controlling for other PTEs, age, and gender.

Conclusions: From a socio-emotional developmental perspective, bullying is a significant risk factor for child PTSS. This association was stronger when bullying items included threat-based language. Specifying the nature of bullying is crucial in determining whether it meets trauma criteria.

Background: Anxiety Sensitivity (AS), the belief that anxiety experiences have negative implications, is a prospective predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and has been linked to changes in PTSD in experimental studies. AS is comprised of three sub-components: cognitive, physical, and social concerns. PTSD is moderately heritable and parental PTSD may increase risk for these AS facets both directly and through environmental influences like reduced social support.Objective: The present study will examine whether Parent PTSD is associated with reduced social support and in turn facets of AS.Method: Participants were recruited from an ongoing longitudinal study of college student mental health; 94 individuals with current alcohol use disorder (AUD), PTSD, both, or neither (i.e. trauma-exposed controls) were included.Results: Cross-sectional analyses revealed that offspring of parents with PTSD reported less social support in their families of origin, which was associated with higher AS-cognitive concerns. There was a direct effect of parent PTSD on physical concerns, but no effects of parent PTSD or support on social concerns.Conclusions: Offspring of parents with PTSD who perceive less family support may be at higher risk for internalising problems via increased negativity, and may not feel that their caregivers are reliable sources of emotional regulation. Therefore, reduced support may explain the path between parent PTSD and cognitive AS concerns. In contrast, it is possible that simply having a parent with PTSD who perhaps displays outward symptoms of anxiety increases risk for more AS physical concerns. Together, these findings suggest that offspring of parents with PTSD are a high-risk group on whom family-based interventions bolstering social support and AS (cognitive)-based interventions ought to be focused.

Background: Machine learning approaches are being increasingly tested as a potential means of identifying mental health conditions. Narrative features of trauma memories are proposed to play a significant role in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), meaning that trauma narratives provide an excellent context in which to test machine learning capabilities. The potential for children's trauma narratives to predict post-traumatic stress remains particularly poorly studied. Here, we tested whether the application of machine learning to trauma narrative characteristics can predict PTSD symptoms in young individuals exposed to trauma.Study methodology: Two pre-trained large language models and two benchmark models were fine-tuned and trained to predict PTSD symptom severity from children's autobiographical narratives of a traumatic event. Data comprised narratives collected one month post-trauma from 400 individuals aged 7-17 years old who experienced a psychological trauma that led to attendance at emergency departments in the United Kingdom (N = 178) and South Africa (N = 222), as well as self-reported PTSD symptoms and trauma memory features.Findings: Both pre-trained and benchmark models demonstrated poor predictive performance across trauma narratives in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and the combined datasets (e.g. RoBERTa R²  =  -.05; LASSO R² ≈ 0). However, adding self-reported trauma memory features, disorganisation, and sensory vividness improved the benchmark models' performances, especially in the UK dataset (e.g. LASSO R² = .57; XGBoost R² = .45).Conclusions: These findings indicate that while trauma narratives alone offer limited predictive value, incorporating self-reported trauma memory characteristics substantially enhances model performance, highlighting the importance of focusing on subjective reports to develop scalable automated tools for PTSD risk prediction in youth.