European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation最新文献

Few professionals in the mental health field receive systematic training in treating trauma-related symptoms and disorders, including dissociative disorders (DD). Experts in the field of treating DDs recommend building stabilization skills early in treatment to improve emotion regulation and safety, yet research on DD therapists’ actual practices suggest that they are engaging in these practices less than recommended. DD patients may benefit from therapists learning more about emotion regulation and trauma symptom management towards stabilizing difficult experiences and risky, unhealthy, or unsafe behaviors. The current study considered whether an international group of therapists who participated alongside their DD patients in a 2-year Internet-based psychoeducational program demonstrated changes in knowledge related to symptom management and stabilization techniques. Therapists answered five free-form text questions related to DD symptom management and stabilization at baseline, mid-point, and end of the study. Results showed that significant changes in therapist knowledge were evident between baseline and mid-point, as well as between the baseline and the end of the study, with effect sizes ranging from small to large. Compared to when they began the study, therapists were better able to understand their DD patients’ reasons for self-injury, recognize warning signs of unsafe behaviors, identify coping skills, and identify skills to manage overwhelming feelings and intrusive traumatic content. Implications and opportunities for future research are discussed.

Background and objective

The commune of Kérou in northern Benin, due to its geographical location, is a victim of the negative externalities of terrorist activity. As a result, it is the scene of intense jihadist activity, with the corollary of total insecurity causing psychological suffering among its populations. Focusing on people's psychotraumatic experiences, this research aims to understand and describe the psychopathological manifestations of people's suffering in the face of jihadist attacks, and the community support strategies implemented by the people themselves in the absence of formal psychological care for victims.

Methods

Using a sample of 177 individuals (direct and indirect victims of jihadist attacks, military personnel, mental health specialists and policy-makers), selected by the sampling techniques “snowball”, “accidental choice” and “choice by convenience”, data were collected by means of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The qualitative information gathered was subjected to thematic content analysis. Quantitative data, once processed, was subjected to a descriptive statistical analysis. The psychoanalytical theory of trauma was used to shed light on the psychological suffering of the victims.

Results

After triangulation and analysis of the data, it emerges that acts of terrorism have a profound impact on the daily lives of victimized populations. Social dynamics are undermined, with community resilience mechanisms dysfunctional. The psychopathological fallout from these terrorist attacks is so virulent that many people suffer from anxiety or depression. They present serious psychopathological decompensation and post-traumatic stress. Against this backdrop of severe psychopathological suffering, psychological care for the victims is non-existent.

Conclusion

The results of this research have drawn the attention of political and administrative authorities, national and international organizations to the urgent need to set up a psychological care team to support the victims of the terrorist attacks in the commune of Kérou. They can also serve as a basis for any psychologist working to develop a psychotrauma intervention to help the victims. These results also help to raise awareness among communities and families of the need to strengthen community support and resilience mechanisms to ensure victims' psychological and social well-being.

Background

Public stigma for grief may reduce the social support provided to bereaved persons and increase bereavement-related distress. The general public reports more stigmatizing responses towards bereaved persons with prolonged grief disorder (PGD) than towards persons experiencing non-clinical grief. No studies to date have investigated whether personal characteristics of the general public relate to public stigma towards PGD. The present study examined whether participants’ socio-demographic characteristics and personal bereavement experiences are associated with stigmatizing responses towards PGD.

Method

We combined data of three previously published vignette experiments to conduct a secondary analysis. All studies presented members of the general public (N = 452) with a description of a male bereaved person with PGD symptoms and a PGD diagnosis. Participants rated three indicators of public stigma - negative attributes (competence, warmth), emotional reactions (fear, anger), and preferred social distance. First, we examined whether gender, age, and educational level related to public stigma towards PGD. Second, we examined the association of participants’ personal bereavement experiences with public stigma.

Results

Regression analyses demonstrated that participants’ socio-demographic characteristics explained a significant amount of variance for warmth (ΔR² = .03; p < .05) and anger (ΔR² = .05; p < .01): Male participants rated the person in the vignette as less warm (β = -.13, p < .05). Being older related to lower ratings of warmth (β = -.12, p < .05) and higher ratings of anger (β = .18, p < .01). Participants’ educational level was not associated with stigma. Participants’ bereavement experiences explained a significant amount of variance for preferred social distance (ΔR² = .11; p <. 05): Participants reporting higher personal grief severity preferred less social distance from a person with PGD (β = -.29, p < .05). A higher number of experienced losses, the recency of the bereavement, and the cause of death (natural vs. unnatural) did not relate to public stigma.

Conclusions

Male and older persons are more likely to demonstrate public stigma towards PGD. Experiencing severe grief oneself is associated with less preferred social distance from a person with PGD. Anti-stigma interventions may advance the public's knowledge about grief and PGD and address specific target groups (men and older persons).

The maritime environment is impacted by the frequent occurrence of events with psychotraumatic potential. Within the framework of medical assistance at sea and the coordination of maritime and land-based rescue services, the medical-psychological emergency unit (CUMP) may be called upon to intervene in situations of collective disasters involving seafarers, requiring consideration of the characteristics of this environment, whether in terms of the functioning of a crew, risk factors, or psychotraumatic manifestations in seafarers. In this context, the CUMP intervention must be adjusted to these specificities, both in terms of individual and group care, but also in terms of crisis management on a ship, with the necessary articulation with the ship's command.

Background

Minimal exploration exists on mind wandering and self-silencing in adolescent girls with sexual trauma and dissociation.

Objective

To investigate the lived experiences of female adolescent sexual trauma survivors with dissociation, focusing on overcoming mind-wandering and self-silencing through Pranayama, mindfulness meditation, music, and art therapy.

Participants and settings

This study, conducted in Sikkim, India, addresses a research gap in a culturally distinct context. Three adolescent girls diagnosed with PTSD and dissociation by a psychiatrist were selected through purposive sampling.

Method

This study uses Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore participants' individual stories and perspectives. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the lived experiences and narratives of three participants.

Results

The IPA analysis revealed three super-ordinate themes: coping mechanisms, support and relationships, and, therapeutic approaches and the healing journey. In coping mechanisms participants reported (1) mind-wandering, self-blame, and daydreaming, (2) self-silencing, and (3) sublimation through academic achievement. The support and relationships theme included (1) lack of support from family, (2) attachment issues with mothers, (3) gender-based double standards, (4) Lack of infrastructure and health care human resources, with some participants turning to (5) faith-healing for mental health issues. The therapeutic approaches and healing journey theme demonstrated the effectiveness of Pranayama, mindfulness meditation, music, and art therapy in alleviating mind-wandering and self-silencing.

Conclusions

This study underscores the resilience of survivors of post-sexual trauma, advocating for culturally sensitive healing and evidence-based practices. Addressing mind-wandering and self-silencing through Pranayama, mindfulness meditation, music, and art therapy strengthens support systems, pioneering ways to mitigate the impact of sexual abuse.

The current research paper deals with reference to the novels Earth and Ashes and The Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi, which examines the trauma and suffering experienced by Afghans during and after the war. Despite being fiction, the characters in both novels experience both physical and mental suffering, which accurately captures life in a war zone. Every character wants to leave the conflicting situation because war makes the characters numb. All the major and supporting characters struggle with finding their identities. This paper aims to shed some light on the causes of war and its effects on people. There is a strong feeling of psychological distress evident in the novel as the characters struggle to cope with the loss of their loved ones after their deaths. The burden of oppression by marital, social, and religious norms is very well portrayed. The characters are in search for the true home both inside and outside as they lost their lives in their homeland. Their external search is for a better place to live a typical human life on Earth that is free of war and conflict, while their internal search is for their true selves and identities. The selected novels illustrate how war actually causes trauma for people who are forced to flee their homes and become refugees.

Introduction

: Tonic immobility (TI) in humans is characterized by muscle inhibition, hypertonia and analgesia that may occur during a traumatic event. TI is associated with an increased risk of severe and treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To date, there is no French validated scale for TI.

Methods

: We studied the face validity (qualitative study) and psychometric properties concerning a French version of the 10-item Tonic Immobility Scale (FR-TIS) in adult with PTSD.

Results

: Concerning face validity, six participants confirmed that the FR-TIS was simple, clear, and comprehensible, but has some limitations concerning the recall according to age of trauma, peritraumatic dissociation intensity, avoidance behaviors, the type and the context of the trauma. For psychometric properties, 120 patients completed a computerized version of the FR-TIS. FR-TIS showed good psychometric properties in a three-dimensional form with 8 items (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.056) including 4 items for TI (Cronbach's α = 0.76), 2 items for fear (Cronbach's α = 0.63), 2 items for dissociation (Cronbach's α = 0.68).

Conclusion

: The FR-TIS is a potentially useful and easy-to-use tool in clinical practice, to help improving screening and assessment of TI

Survival in an extreme environment places high physiological and cognitive demands on the individual. These environments are characterized by specific stimuli, including unusual sensory stimulation and uncertainty, which induce intense stress. Thus, the aims of this study are: i) to evaluate the impact of a five-day survival at sea simulation on human adaptive capacities, based on the assessment of psychological, cognitive, physiological, and sensorial measures; and ii) to assess recovery. Twenty-one healthy participants were enrolled in a 5-day simulation onboard a lifeboat or an inflatable raft. Psychological, physiological, sensory, and cognitive measurements were recorded before leaving (baseline), at the end of the experiment (post) and during the week that followed (recovery). Our results are unequivocal. The harshness of the environment affected the majority of the organism's responses. On the cognitive level, performance significantly deteriorated. On the psychological level, there was low mood, a decrease in subjective exteroceptive acuity and sleep disorders, increased energy, and less perceived stress. On the physiological level, a decline was recorded with respect to autonomous nervous system measurements. On the sensory level, we observed a state of hypervigilance and hypersensitivity to stimuli from the external environment. Proprioception was deeply impacted. Moreover, at recovery, many individuals did not fully recover or deteriorated further, especially regarding sleep, interoceptive abilities and sensory distortion. It appears that participants entered a state of psychological hibernation, associated with increased physical and cognitive load, and sensory hypervigilance. These results raise the question of the risks that may be incurred during future long-term space missions, as astronauts will have to maintain their cognitive performance at a high level to be able to respond to environmental demands and remain alive. It is essential to continue to explore countermeasures that will support adaptation in future spacecraft crew.

Childhood trauma has been identified as an important etiological risk factor for depressive symptoms, but there are other modifiable social environmental factors that may be equally, if not more, important. This study aimed to improve our understanding of the social determinants of depressive symptoms among young people while taking childhood trauma into account. We analyzed survey data from a convenience sample of Chinese young adults aged between 18 to 24 (N = 205). Participants completed standardized assessments of childhood trauma (the Brief Betrayal Trauma Survey), depressive symptoms (the PHQ-9), and social environmental stressors (the Social Environmental Stress Questionnaire). Social environmental stressors had the strongest relationship with depressive symptoms (β = .416, p < .001), above and beyond the effects of childhood trauma. We also identified some specific modifiable and targetable social environmental stressors (e.g., school work and occupation issues, high expectations from others, sleep environment) that were positively correlated with depressive symptoms, even when the Bonferroni correction was applied. Although childhood trauma is a well-documented risk factor for mental health problems, there are modifiable factors associated with depressive symptoms, above and beyond the effects of childhood trauma. Educators, healthcare practitioners, social service providers, and policymakers can play a vital role in changing the trajectory of depression in the community.

Objective

This paper describes the development and pilot evaluation of a single-session 20-minute educational video program for people with PTSD symptoms.

Methods

A pilot randomized waitlist controlled trial was conducted with an international sample of adults with PTSD symptoms (N = 54).

Results

Within-subjects analyses showed that participants in the intervention group had statistically significant decreases in self-stigma (F = 4.388, p < .05, ηp2 =.188, large effect) and post-traumatic maladaptive beliefs (F = 7.757, p < .01, ηp2 = .290, large effect), while participants in the control group did not have such changes. No significant between-subjects effects were observed.

Discussion

Despite several major limitations, including a high attrition rate, a small sample size, and the use of self-report assessments, the preliminary findings revealed that watching the 20-minute video was associated with decreases in self-stigma and post-traumatic maladaptive beliefs in people with PTSD symptoms. Further evaluation using a more rigorous study design and a larger sample size is needed, after making modifications and enrichments to the program.