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

Objective: In wartime, civilians are frequently exposed to trauma both directly (e.g., missile attacks) and indirectly (e.g., distressing stories). Responses to trauma differ among individuals; some exhibit increased negative emotional reactions, while others can maintain their psychological well-being. This variability may stem from differences in affective and cognitive empathy levels. Research indicates that under stressful conditions, heightened affective empathy often increases negative emotions. Conversely, cognitive empathy typically alleviates distress. The present study has explored the potential conflict between these forms of empathy and their impact on anxiety symptoms in cases of direct and indirect cumulative trauma exposure during war.

Method: One hundred twenty-two civilians (M = 26.80, SD = 7.43) were evaluated for trauma exposure, empathy, and the severity of anxiety symptoms during the first month of a distressing war.

Results: The findings revealed differential patterns based on both the nature of exposure and the form of empathy. In conditions of indirect trauma exposure, cognitive empathy moderates the relationship between trauma exposure and anxiety. Specifically, individuals with low cognitive empathy exhibited heightened symptoms as exposure increased. In contrast, those with high cognitive empathy maintained low anxiety levels regardless of exposure. Affective empathy, however, consistently correlated with higher anxiety. Conversely, in conditions of direct trauma exposure, anxiety remained elevated regardless of the type or level of empathy.

Conclusions: These findings emphasize the necessity of distinguishing between types of exposure and support the development of cognitive empathy-focused interventions to enhance civilian mental health during continuous conflict situations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT) is the gold standard treatment for traumatized children and their parents that shows robust positive impacts for children. However, it is not clear how parents may benefit from the therapy. This systematic review synthesizes the current evidence relating to the impact of TF-CBT for parenting and parent mental health.

Method: APA PsycInfo, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science were systematically searched, and empirical articles were eligible for inclusion if they evaluated TF-CBT delivered to a child and their parent and reported at least one mental health or parenting outcome for the participating parent. Narrative synthesis was conducted on 10 studies, published across 14 eligible articles.

Results: Small-to-medium positive effects were evident for both parenting and parent mental health, including improved depression, posttraumatic stress symptoms and cognitions, emotional reactivity, and lower distress.

Conclusions: These findings are promising but emerging, as the evidence base is currently small. Given the reciprocal relationship between child and parent mental health and the potential negative impact of child trauma on both parent mental health and parenting, improving parent outcomes can help meet the dual aim of supporting parents and enabling them to help their child recover. Further research is required to understand which parents benefit from TF-CBT, the process by which they benefit, and how this relates to child outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: It is common for adolescents who recently disclosed sexual abuse to report significant levels of trauma symptoms. Many experience improvement in these symptoms shortly thereafter, even without formal intervention, but little is known about why this happens. This study examines whether adolescent perceptions of caregiver emotional support and adolescent optimism relate to trauma symptoms among adolescents who are on a wait-list for treatment after having disclosed sexual abuse.

Method: Participants were 223 adolescents who experienced sexual abuse (98% female; M_age = 13.49 years; 52.9% identified as Hispanic/Latine). All participated in a screening assessment at a Children's Advocacy Center and were then placed on a wait-list for treatment. Adolescents reported on caregiver emotional support, optimism, and trauma symptoms at the screening assessment (T1). They reported on trauma symptoms again prior to the initiation of treatment (T2).

Results: Caregiver emotional support was positively related to adolescent optimism (r = .25, p < .001). In a regression analysis, after controlling for T1 trauma symptoms, adolescent age and sex, and time on wait-list, adolescent optimism was related to T2 trauma symptoms, β = -.15, t(217) = -2.65, p = .009; caregiver emotional support was not.

Conclusions: Understanding adolescent optimism among adolescents who have been sexually abused may have predictive value and implications for interventions for youth who are reporting trauma symptoms after experiencing sexual abuse. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Oncology nurses frequently experience both vicarious trauma (VT) and vicarious posttraumatic growth (VPTG). However, the precise relationship and structure of symptomatic levels of VT and VPTG has not been well understood. Understanding these links is essential for improving nurse well-being and patient care quality. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the connections between VT and VPTG in oncology nurses.

Method: Four hundred one oncology nurses were recruited from multiple hospitals. They completed the VT Questionnaire and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. The graphical Gaussian model was used to estimate the network model. Central and bridge components were identified based on "expected influence" and "bridge expected influence" indices, respectively.

Results: The network analysis showed "Feel mentally fatigued at work" and "Whenever I think about the patient, I feel distressed or sad" as the most influential components in the VT network, and "Do better things with life" and "More likely to try and change things" as the most influential elements in the VPTG network. Five bridge components emerged between the VT and VPTG, namely "Life is fragile makes me scared," "Feel distressed or sad," "Can handle difficulties better," "New life path," and "More compassion for others."

Conclusions: Targeted interventions such as cognitive restructuring and emotion regulation training that focus on central and bridging symptoms in the combined network of VT and VPTG may help reduce VT severity and enhance VPTG among oncology nurses. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Over the past two decades, positive psychology research has identified correlates of resilience. Although a range of strengths have been explored, there is a need to identify specific strengths that best support individuals to thrive after interpersonal trauma and adversity. This study assessed the contribution of 24 strengths from the Values in Action (VIA) positive psychology survey, alongside five other measures of strengths identified from resilience research, to identify those that show most promise.

Method: In total, 1,440 adults from the United Kingdom and Ireland completed the online VIA survey, and questions on five psychosocial strengths (ecoconnections, mindfulness, psychological endurance, sense of purpose, and social support), adversities (interpersonal victimization and institutional betrayal), and current functioning (subjective well-being, posttraumatic growth, and health-related quality of life).

Results: In the first U.K. and Ireland study to assess institutional betrayal alongside other interpersonal adversities and a range of resiliency factors, participants reported high rates of victimization and other trauma. Strengths accounted for greater proportions of variance in all three outcomes compared to adversities. Hope and zest were significantly and positively associated with all three outcomes. Sense of purpose, gratitude, social support, mindfulness, psychological endurance, spirituality, and self-regulation were positively related to at least one outcome. Humor, spirituality, fairness, and leadership were associated with worse functioning in some analyses.

Conclusions: Some strengths are more helpful than others for overcoming adversity, and could serve as useful targets for intervention to mitigate the burden of interpersonal adversity. Further work is needed to understand the complexities of strengths on resilience in global contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: The study's major objective was to explore the role of social workers in building resilience after climate change-related disasters in Zimbabwe.

Method: The study used the descriptive qualitative design, which allowed participants to verbalize the felt distress. Purposive sampling technique was used, and the sample size of 14 participants was determined by the saturation level which occurred when responses were continuously repeated. Semistructured interview questions and focus group guides were used to collect data.

Results: It was found that the loss of lives, property, and infrastructure elicited terrible emotions, memories, and resentment among the survivors. Social workers play a critical role in mobilizing resources and making referrals in the best interest of the clients. The study found that participating in cultural aligned festivals allowed community members to appreciate the beauty of life and dispel the experienced traumatic and depressive episodes.

Conclusion: The survivors, particularly the vulnerable groups such as the children, the elderly, and the disabled, were left in a state of despair and mentally disoriented. Participating in cultural festivals allowed community members to appreciate the beauty of life and dispel the depressive episodes. Social support and connectedness gave the survivors a sense of safety, belonging optimism, and encouragement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: In response to the growing need for cross-cultural perspectives on mental health, this study investigates and compares childhood trauma, rejection sensitivity, experiential avoidance, loneliness, and social anxiety in Canadian and Turkish general population samples to gain insights into potential cultural variations in mental health outcomes.

Method: The present study included 1,735 participants from the general population in Canada (n = 959; M_age = 20.82; 73.83% female) and Türkiye (n = 776; M_age = 25.01; 80.80% female). Data were collected using self-report measures. Zero-order correlations, two-way multivariate analysis of covariance and analysis of covariance, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to test research questions.

Results: Our findings indicate positive associations among childhood trauma, social anxiety, rejection sensitivity, experiential avoidance, and loneliness in both samples. Notably, participants from Canada scored significantly higher on all these constructs compared to their Turkish counterparts. Furthermore, female participants scored higher on all main variables than males, except for physical abuse, where males reported higher scores.

Conclusion: In the Canadian sample, younger age, female gender, childhood traumas, rejection sensitivity, experiential avoidance, and loneliness were significant predictors of social anxiety. Conversely, in the Turkish sample, younger age, emotional neglect, rejection sensitivity, experiential avoidance, and loneliness were significant predictors of social anxiety. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: The South Asian American (SAA) community often encounters substantial traumas and reports distress after these experiences. Simultaneously, many SAAs underutilize mental health services. Two significant factors contributing to such disparities in access to care are the lack of (a) culturally responsive traumatic stress interventions for SAAs and (b) SAA-specific methodological structures to be used in traumatic stress intervention research.

Method: Thus, we outline a methodological protocol article based on process-oriented insights to develop culturally responsive traumatic stress interventions for SAAs, focusing on centering community voices to understand the experience of trauma and its impacts within the cultural context of this community.

Results: We delineated steps, considerations, and lessons that we learned in the process, specifically how to (a) develop a collaborative team with a specific range of stakeholders and to integrate their input, (b) create and implement a study protocol and data management plan, and (c) devise and roll out a culturally informed participant recruitment and retention protocol.

Conclusions: Using our work in this community as an example, we highlight the strengths of the methodological approach taken and areas that would be important to address in future work with SAAs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: This study aimed to investigate parenting factors that contribute to their children's distress during wartime. Parental distress, war-related dialogue styles, and emotional socialization were examined as potential predictors of children's traumatic stress.

Method: The study included 404 Israeli parents and their children (under 18), utilizing self-report questionnaires and parent-reported measures. Key constructs measured included parental distress (anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, perceived stress), war-related dialogue styles (modulated disclosure, unfiltered speech, silencing), and emotional socialization (supportive and unsupportive responses).

Results: Findings revealed strong correlations between parental and children's distress. Parents with higher distress showed increased unfiltered speech about the war, associated with elevated traumatic stress symptoms in children. Modulated disclosure predicted lower child traumatic stress symptoms, but only when parental distress was high. Supportive emotional socialization responses were linked to reduced traumatic stress symptoms in children, while unsupportive responses heightened them.

Conclusions: Parental war-related dialogue style and emotional socialization play critical roles in mitigating the psychological impact of war on children. Modulated disclosure and supportive emotional socialization serve as protective factors, particularly in high-stress parental environments. These findings underscore the need for interventions that support parents in adopting effective communication and emotional support strategies during crises. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Research demonstrates that oppression can produce symptoms consistent with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but traditional trauma assessments do not account for the impacts of oppression. This study addressed this gap by establishing the dimensionality, measurement equivalence, reliability, and convergent validity of the Oppression-Based Traumatic Stress Inventory across two samples.

Method: The samples comprise PTSD treatment study clients (Sample 1; n = 129) and Hispanic-serving institution undergraduate students (Sample 2; n = 227) who completed a series of questionnaires, including the Oppression-Based Traumatic Stress Inventory.

Results: Confirmatory item factor analyses for the 25 ordinal Oppression-Based Traumatic Stress Inventory items were conducted for each sample. Model fit was unsatisfactory for two initial four-factor solutions: one based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, PTSD symptom clusters and another based on exploratory factor analyses on a previous sample. Given the very high correlations among the factors, however, we refined the structure into three new factors (oppression-related distress and avoidance, fear and blame of others, and general depression and anxiety symptoms) that yielded acceptable fit after adding four error covariances. Measurement invariance testing revealed three of the 25 items had parameters that differed across samples. Excellent reliability was found for all three factors. A higher order factor appeared plausible but was largely noninvariant across samples. Finally, we provide evidence for convergent validity (with measures of standard PTSD, posttraumatic cognitions, depressive symptoms, psychosocial functioning, racial discrimination, gender discrimination, and, to some degree, material hardship).

Conclusions: Our findings strengthen the psychometric evidence supporting this novel measure of oppression-based traumatic stress, an important step in furthering intersectional research on this topic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).