Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy最新文献

Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder and depression occur at high rates among college students, making it critical to identify modifiable factors that confer risk or protective effects. Psychological inflexibility (PI; a rigid pattern of thinking and behavior) predicts worse posttraumatic stress and depression (PTS-D) symptoms, whereas perceived social support (PSS) is a robust protective factor. No studies have examined interrelationships among PI, PSS, and PTS-D, which was the aim of this study.

Method: College students (n = 1,184) who endorsed experiencing a potentially traumatic event completed an online survey assessing trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, depression symptoms, PI, and PSS. Due to the high correlation between measures, a PTS-D symptoms factor was created using principal components analysis.

Results: An indirect effects model using Hayes PROCESS Model 4 (mediation; 5,000 bootstrapped samples) was conducted, controlling for sex, to evaluate both the direct effects of PI on PTS-D and the indirect effect of PI on PTS-D through its influence on worse PSS. A significant direct effect was observed between PI and PTS-D (b = 0.055, SE = .002, p < .001). There was a significant indirect effect, demonstrating higher PI was associated with lower PSS, which was associated with higher PTS-D (b = 0.003, SE = 0.001, 95% CI [0.002, 0.004]). Thus, the potential positive effects of PSS on PTS-D were diminished by the negative influence of PI on lowering PSS.

Conclusions: Future longitudinal studies are needed to prospectively test mediation and whether PI and PSS should be addressed as concurrent treatment targets to positively impact PTS-D symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Serving as a health care worker (HCW) during war exposes individuals to increased risks of moral distress (MD) and moral injury (MI), capturing these phenomena encourages further exploration of their causes and consequences and informs the development of tailored interventions. This study aimed to validate two comprehensive tools for measuring MD and MI experienced by Arabic-speaking HCWs in the context of Gaza war, namely, the Moral Distress Instrument (MDI) and the Moral Injury Events Scale (MIES).

Method: Our research team conducted a cross-sectional study over 3 months (January-April 2025). The recruitment of participants took place at primary health care centers and hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

Results: A two-factor structure of the MIES ("perceived transgressions" and "perceived betrayals") yielded acceptable fit indices, with excellent α coefficient values for the total score (.95) and the two factors (0.93-0.94). As for the MDI, we were able to replicate the two-factor structure of the original instrument ("frequency" and "discomfort"). Additionally, reliability findings indicated an excellent Cronbach's α for the two subscales of the MDI (.84-.87). Measurement invariance of the MDI and the MIES was established across sex categories. Greater levels of MD and MI were positively associated with more severe depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms and suicidal ideation, supporting good concurrent validity.

Conclusions: The two scales now made available to clinicians and researchers should encourage future endeavors to identify, assess, monitor, and mitigate MD and MI in professionals of diverse disciplines working in different settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Dissociative disorders (DDs) are trauma-related conditions marked by disruptions in memory, identity, and consciousness. Despite high prevalence, DDs are underdiagnosed and undertreated. This study explores the experiences of adults with DD participating in a 31-week Finding Solid Ground psychoeducational group.

Method: Participants (N = 72) were mostly women (81%) who experienced a DD or posttraumatic stress disorder dissociative subtype, along with multiple mental health comorbidities. Eight groups (seven virtual, one in-person) completed 31 weekly 90-min sessions based on the Finding Solid Ground curriculum as adjunctive to individual psychotherapy. Thematic qualitative analysis was used to analyze participants' hopes, challenges, helpful and unhelpful aspects, and perceived changes in self during group participation.

Results: Participants noted improved self-awareness, internal system communication, self-compassion, emotion regulation, hope, and overall functioning, as well as reductions in isolation, shame and self-blame, dissociative symptoms, and trauma symptoms.

Conclusions: These findings emphasize the potential benefits of Finding Solid Ground and suggest that trauma-informed group interventions should be further researched, as they could be a scalable method of providing treatment for this underserved population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Embarrassment, guilt, and shame are negative self-evaluations (NSEs) implicated in a number of psychiatric conditions, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite their conceptual differences, evidence suggests that each NSE shares considerable variance, complicating efforts to understand their unique contribution to psychopathology and treatment progress. To address this limitation, we developed the Embarrassment, Guilt, and Shame Scale (EGSS), a brief tool designed to assess all three NSEs simultaneously for use in clinical and research settings.

Method: One hundred one veterans referred for PTSD treatment completed the EGSS as part of a standard intake process, which included both clinician- and self-reported measures of PTSD symptom severity. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to identify and then validate the best fitting model.

Results: Controlling for age and sex, results supported a three-factor model, confirming the distinctiveness of embarrassment, guilt, and shame. Each NSE yielded significant correlations with PTSD symptoms at intake. Significant but moderate correlations with other validated measures provided evidence for convergent validity.

Conclusions: The EGSS shows promise as a psychometrically sound measure that assesses three distinct NSEs linked to PTSD symptoms. It also offers promise for improving treatment planning by identifying emotional barriers to recovery. However, findings are based on a single veteran sample. Replications with more diverse populations are necessary to strengthen the generalizability and reliability of the EGSS across psychiatric conditions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: This research identifies the promotive and protective factors at different systemic levels that facilitate psychological and social well-being when young people are living as migrants with an indeterminant status.

Method: Informed by a social-ecological understanding of multisystemic resilience, 50 Ukrainian migrants to Canada aged 12-19 were interviewed twice over a 12-month period to investigate their experience of resettlement under a temporary visa program. All participants were forced migrants, residing in Canada for up to 3 years in two regions of the country (Nova Scotia and Alberta) with different size diaspora. Interview questions focused on a range of psychological, social, institutional, and environmental contextual factors associated with well-being. For the analysis, constructivist grounded theory was used to identify factors that could explain young people's developmental outcomes in a specific context of temporariness.

Results: Results show that forcibly displaced immigrant youth navigate the spaces, places, and their relationships with people to support positive developmental trajectories after exposure to potentially traumatizing events. Young people discussed multiple systems that became crucial during their transition to life in Canada, among them communication with peers, family, dependency on the diaspora, mentorship, and the quality of housing.

Conclusions: Findings help to broaden theories related to forced migration, specifically theories that emphasize the cocreation of meaning attached to person-in-environment interactions and the resulting potential for positive development even under conditions of temporariness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: The Child and Adolescent Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist (CAPC) for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-fourth edition-Text Revision (Amaya-Jackson et al., 1995) has been validated and internationally used for assessing symptoms of PTSD. In response to community clinicians' requests for an equitably accessible measure, collaborative research methods were used to develop the Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences Survey. The CAPC was also revised to reflect changes in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, add a caregiver-report version, and incorporate items to assess International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 11th revision (ICD-11) PTSD, ICD-11 complex PTSD, and functional impairment (CAPC-5; Pane Seifert et al., 2022). The present study examined psychometric properties of the Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences Survey and CAPC-5 to validate their assessment of PTSD symptoms among youth.

Method: Analyses were conducted using data from a sample of 374 racially and economically diverse, trauma-exposed, treatment-seeking youth (7-19 years) and their caregivers.

Results: On average, youth endorsed 8.58 (3.35) traumatic experiences and 75% met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, PTSD criteria, 82% met ICD-11 PTSD criteria, and 69% met ICD-11 complex PTSD criteria. Providing evidence for convergent validity, meeting criteria for any of the three self-reported PTSD conceptualizations was positively correlated with number of traumatic experiences (all ps < .05) and depressive symptoms (all ps < .05). Measure psychometrics were further supported by caregiver-reported assessments and internal reliabilities.

Conclusions: The Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences Survey more thoroughly assesses traumatic experiences endorsed by today's youth, including potentially traumatic experiences related to identity-based discrimination, while the CAPC-5 goes beyond extant measures to assess for complex PTSD. The strong psychometric properties of both measures support their utility in assessing PTSD symptoms among children and adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: The processing of positive memories technique (PPMT) capitalizes on the content of positive autobiographical memories (AMs) to reduce posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. To advance research on how and why PPMT is effective, this study examined whether and how changes in self-reported positive AM characteristics (vividness, coherence, accessibility, sensory details, visual perspective, emotional intensity, sharing, valence, psychological distance) associated with changes in PTSD symptom severity across PPMT sessions.

Method: Seventy individuals were recruited from the community (M_age = 30.44 ± 12.78; 71.4% of participants identified as White, 72.9% identified as female) and received four sessions of PPMT. They completed surveys at baseline (pre-PPMT), at each PPMT session (Sessions 1-4), and 1 week after attending all PPMT sessions (post-PPMT).

Results: Paired samples t tests indicated a decrease in PTSD symptom severity pre- to post-PPMT (p < .001, g = -0.91). Linear regression models indicated that improvements in participants' ease of accessing positive AMs (β = -0.29, p = .015) and in the coherence of the positive AM narratives (β = -0.29, p = .013) from PPMT Sessions 1 to 4 were associated with decreases in PTSD severity pre- to post-PPMT.

Conclusions: Further studies should investigate whether targeting improved access to positive AMs and improved abilities to construct coherent narratives of those events could mechanistically reduce PTSD symptoms among participants receiving PPMT. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Sexual violence is associated with a greater risk of several mental health disorders and an increased risk of revictimization. Poly-victimization heightens the risk of adverse mental health outcomes. Nevertheless, some individuals demonstrate resilience following such experiences. Research on malleable psychological strengths is needed to inform interventions, particularly in the Nordic context. Accordingly, we conducted the first study in Iceland to examine factors associated with positive adaptation through the lens of the resilience portfolio model and the cumulative effects of psychological strengths (poly-strengths). Additionally, we explored the moderating effect of poly-strengths on the relationship between poly-victimization and mental health.

Method: Participants included 563 Icelandic adults (76% women) who had experienced sexual violence, drawn from a nationally representative sample; data were collected through a phone survey assessing psychological strengths and positive (well-being and happiness) and adverse mental health outcomes (distress and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms).

Results: Substance use and negative social reactions undermined resilience after sexual violence, while older age, financial security, physical exercise, better anger management, social support, and posttraumatic growth facilitated resilient outcomes. Poly-strengths were more strongly associated with positive aspects of mental health, while poly-victimization related more strongly to adverse mental health outcomes. Both poly-victimization and poly-strengths had unique relationships with all mental health outcomes. Furthermore, poly-strengths moderated the relationship between poly-victimization and all mental health outcomes, showing that higher levels of poly-strengths reduced the adverse effects of poly-victimization.

Conclusions: Poly-strengths appear to significantly shape mental health outcomes following sexual violence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: First responders are at greater risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to constant exposure to potentially traumatic events. Studies have shown that both insecure attachment and emotion dysregulation contribute to more PTSD symptom severity. However, it is unclear whether emotion dysregulation explains relationships between insecure attachment and PTSD symptoms, especially among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) first responders.

Method: A total of 188 trauma-exposed BIPOC first responders (M_age = 35.40; 71.80% men) residing in Canada completed research questionnaires. The direct and indirect effects of attachment insecurity (i.e., attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) on PTSD symptom clusters (intrusions, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, alterations in arousal and reactivity) via emotion dysregulation were examined via PROCESS macro Model 4.

Results: Results showed that emotion dysregulation mediated the relations between attachment anxiety/avoidance and all four PTSD symptom clusters (B_s = .02 to .16; R² = 19.79% to 38.15%).

Conclusions: Trauma-exposed BIPOC first responders with insecure attachment styles are more likely to experience difficulties regulating emotions, which increases the severity of all four PTSD symptom clusters. Culturally congruent, trauma-informed treatments may benefit from targeting emotion regulation among BIPOC first responders to improve posttrauma well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Racial trauma is, understandably, associated with negative emotionality and particularly depression and anxiety for Black Americans. To inform trauma-related intervention, insights into mechanisms associated with racial trauma, depression, and anxiety are paramount. One potential mechanism is alexithymia, or one's capacity to identify and describe emotions. The purpose of this study was to examine alexithymia as a possible influence in the association of racial trauma and negative emotionality among Black adults.

Method: Study participants were 133 Black American adults (M = 35.02 years; SD = 14.43 years) who reported at least one racially traumatic event. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire battery.

Results: As predicted, the association of racial trauma and negative emotionality was statistically significant though only for respondents who reported heightened levels of alexithymia.

Conclusion: These findings provide insights into the importance of emotional expression for influencing responses to race-based traumatic events. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).