American Journal of Orthopsychiatry最新文献

North Korean defectors represent a minority group within South Korean society, yet their psychological difficulties have received limited attention compared to other adjustment issues. Many North Korean defectors experience loss and trauma stemming from family separation, often described as "physical ambiguous loss" (i.e., physical absence with psychological presence). This study investigates the impact of ambiguous loss on depression among North Korean defector women, focusing on maladaptive psychological mechanisms. A total of 100 North Korean defector women who experienced family separation completed measures of ambiguous loss, avoidance, rumination, tolerance of ambiguity, and depression. Moderated indirect effect analysis revealed that ambiguous loss contributed to higher depression through the indirect effects of avoidance and intrusive rumination. Tolerance of ambiguity significantly moderated the pathway from ambiguous loss to depression. The findings suggest that avoidance and intrusive rumination act as risk factors linking ambiguous loss to depression, with lower tolerance of ambiguity exacerbating these mechanisms. Building on and extending prior work on ambiguous loss among North Korean defectors, this study advances understanding by explaining how ambiguous loss relates to depressive symptoms and identifying potential psychological pathways for prevention and support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Youth of color experiencing low-income in the United States face multiple human rights violations: overpolicing, community violence, racial discrimination, and insufficient voice in the programs and policies that impact their current and future lives. To accomplish transitional justice, participatory processes are needed that elicit youths' cultural strengths and wisdom about themselves, their social conditions, services they find helpful, and why those services are helpful. This study highlights findings from a photovoice that elicited youths' perspectives about a cross-age mentoring out-of-school-program. Responding to "What does mentoring mean to you?" 147 youth took photographs in their communities and wrote narratives about the photographs' meanings. The research team, including youth coresearchers, conducted a thematic and content analysis of the participants' narratives. Youth were highly articulate about the specific program elements that would uplift their peers, and why those elements are impactful. Through qualitative analysis of youths' photographs and narratives, this study reveals the youths' "folk theories" about their program's mechanism of action. Youth described mentoring as a nurturing family, friendship, community, care, love, acceptance, trust, communication, and vulnerability. They thoughtfully described culturally relevant "folk theories" of how cross-age mentoring fosters children's development, counteracting stressful high-burden contexts. Analyzing youths' metaphors for the nurturing process in cross-age mentoring indicated how much they valued caring for each other, creativity, and supporting positive life trajectories for each other while overcoming poverty and discrimination. When offered opportunities for creative self-expression such as photovoice, youth can be insightful partners in resisting the downward pull of human rights violations and theorize interventions and nurturing processes that develop their resilience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

The October 7, 2023, attack and the subsequent war in Israel constitute a collective trauma that has profoundly impacted young adults, a population vulnerable to mental health challenges. This study examined the impact of war-related risk factors on mental distress and depression among young adults exposed to prolonged threats. We further explored the role of resilience factors (personal resilience, social support, and community resilience) and coping strategies (behavioral and emotional) in mitigating these mental health outcomes. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from January to March 2024, with 1,121 participants aged 18-30. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regressions. Findings indicated that financial war-related hardships, additional stressful life events, perceived threat, and loss of close ones significantly contributed to mental distress and depression. Personal resilience and social support emerged as protective factors. Behavioral coping strategies were associated with lower distress and depression, whereas emotional coping strategies correlated with higher levels of distress and depression. Resilience factors did not moderate the relationship between war-related risk factors and mental health outcomes. The findings emphasize the critical role of economic stability, personal resilience, and social support as well as behavioral coping strategies in protecting young adults' mental health in times of collective trauma. Interventions should promote adaptive coping strategies and decrease emotional ones to improve mental health outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Mass traumas, resulting from war and terrorist attacks, natural or human-made disasters, are rapidly escalating worldwide. Nevertheless, studies examining the implications of mass trauma on children are limited, particularly in terms of how it affects peer relations and friendships. This study focused on how the children's exposure to a massive terror attack and war influences their peer relations and friendships, and how these help them cope with the implications of the mass trauma. The uniqueness of the present study lies in its focus on the lived experiences and voices of children and youth. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was used, with 51 children aged 10-17 participating in focus groups. The findings indicate that while the trauma initially disrupted friendships, it also fostered positive changes. Many children reported stronger bonds with friends, expanded social networks, and increased appreciation for their peers. Moreover, friendships emerged as a critical coping resource, providing emotional support, and compensating for the perceived emotional absence of adults, who were often overwhelmed by their own distress. This study highlighted the importance of children's voices in understanding the social dimensions of trauma. The implications of these findings for policy and practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

First-generation college students (FGCS) make up one third of the college student population but continue to face unfavorable academic outcomes. A powerful yet understudied factor that contributes to FGCS' lower academic and graduation rates is campus discrimination. Importantly, discrimination undermines feelings of belonging on campus and belonging has been found to predict academic performance, motivation, and persistence to graduation. The present study examined whether on-campus discrimination influenced sense of belonging among 276 FGCS sampled during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether decreased sense of belonging, in turn, was associated with two forms of academic well-being (i.e., grade point average, motivation to return to college the fall following the onset of COVID-19). We found that discrimination significantly negatively predicted social belonging and that social belonging mediated the negative relationships between discrimination and grade point average, and discrimination and motivation to return to college in the fall. These findings contribute to a growing body of research on FGCS and highlight how campus discrimination can perpetuate academic inequities. Existing literature often points to deficits among FGCS that contribute to their disparate academic outcomes, however, future research should consider the role in which campus culture directly impacts their well-being and academic trajectories. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Existing research indicates that discrimination and stress are negatively associated with mental health. However, few studies examine the multiple factors and intricate connections between discrimination and mental health. Our study addressed this gap by examining the cumulative effects of discrimination, stress, self-esteem, anxiety symptoms, and demographic factors on depressive symptoms. Stratified random sampling was used, yielding 227 participants (149 White and 78 Black). Participants completed a survey designed to assess levels of anxiety, depression, perceived stress, self-esteem, experiences of everyday discrimination, and demographic information. A series of t tests were conducted to examine differences in depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, and discrimination between racial groups. Moreover, a hierarchical regression analysis was performed to identify factors contributing to variations in depression. Our findings indicated that anxiety, perceived stress, and experiences of everyday discrimination were significantly associated with depression, F(4, 221) = 91.75, p < .001, explaining 63% of the total variance. Furthermore, stress, discrimination, and self-esteem were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of systematic screening and assessment for contextual factors, such as discrimination and stress, that influence depressive symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Because suicide-related outcome risk is higher among individuals experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and individuals of minoritized race and ethnicity experience greater ACEs, differences by race and ethnicity in ACE exposure and/or response may help explain racial and ethnic disparities in suicide-related outcomes. We aimed to describe ACE prevalence by race and ethnicity, estimate associations between ACEs and suicidality, and explore moderation by race and ethnicity. Supported by the stress sensitization hypothesis, we hypothesized that associations between ACEs and suicidality would be stronger among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic children than non-Hispanic White children. We utilized an Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study subsample (n = 5,469; M_age = 119.3 months [SD = 7.5 months]; Hispanic: 20.8%; non-Hispanic Black: 14.8%; non-Hispanic White: 64.4%). We estimated associations between ACEs (cumulative ACE score and three subdomains: family-centered adversity, interpersonal adversity, and life events) and suicidality (any child-reported suicidal thoughts or behaviors) using generalized linear mixed models and included an interaction term between ACEs and race and ethnicity to examine potential moderation. ACE prevalence differed by race and ethnicity and was highest among non-Hispanic Black children, although household mental illness prevalence was highest among non-Hispanic White children. Cumulative ACE score (OR = 1.17, 95% CI [1.12, 1.23]), family-centered adversity (OR = 1.89, 95% CI [1.54, 2.32]), and interpersonal adversity (OR = 1.62, 95% CI [1.35, 1.94]) were positively associated with suicidality; the associations were not moderated by race and ethnicity. Differential ACE exposure by race and ethnicity may help explain suicide-related disparities. ACE prevention and interventions, particularly among children of minoritized race and ethnicity, are vital. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is common in childhood abuse survivors. Nonetheless, the relation between symptoms of BDD, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and complex PTSD, as well as the effects of different forms of childhood abuse in explaining these symptoms, remains unclear. This study explored (a) BDD scores as a function of childhood abuse; (b) the relationship between symptoms of BDD, PTSD, and disturbances in self-organization (DSO) in childhood abuse survivors; and (c) the effect of levels of different forms of childhood abuse on BDD, PTSD, and DSO symptoms. An online survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 404 Israeli adult women, of whom 53.7% (n = 217) were classified as having a history of childhood abuse. Background variables, BDD symptoms, and the classification and symptoms of PTSD and complex PTSD were assessed online via self-report measures. Results indicated elevated BDD scores in childhood abuse survivors and relationships between symptoms of BDD, PTSD, and DSO in childhood abuse survivors. Levels of emotional abuse served as a trans-diagnostic risk factor for PTSD, DSO, and BDD symptoms, whereas sexual abuse was associated with PTSD symptoms, and physical abuse had no significant effect. The strongest noncausal effect was found for PTSD and DSO symptoms, followed by BDD and DSO symptoms and BDD and PTSD symptoms. The present findings suggest that childhood abuse may be a risk factor for BDD and that trauma-related disorders and BDD are strongly associated in childhood abuse survivors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Violent extremism (VE) is often manifested through hate discourses, which are hurtful for their targets, shatter social cohesion, and provoke feelings of impending threat. In a clinical setting, these discourses may affect clinicians in different ways, eroding their capacity to provide care. This clinical article describes the subjective experiences and the coping strategies of clinicians engaged with individuals attracted by VE. A focus group was held with eight clinicians and complemented with individual interviews and field notes. Clinicians reported four categories of personal consequences. First, results show that the effect of massive exposure to hate discourses is associated with somatic manifestations and with the subjective impression of being dirty. Second, clinicians endorse a wide range of work-related affects, ranging from intense fear, anger, and irritation to sadness and numbing. Third, they perceive that their work has relational consequences on their families and friends. Last, clinicians also describe that their work transforms their vision of the world. In terms of coping strategies, team relations and a community of practice were identified as supportive. With time, the pervasive uncertainty, the relative lack of institutional support, and the work-related emotional burden are associated with disengagement and burnout, in particular in practitioners working full-time with this clientele. Working with clients attracted to or engaged in VE is very demanding for clinicians. To mitigate the emotional burden of being frequently confronted with hate and threats, team relations, decreasing clinical exposure, and avoiding heroic positions help prevent burnout. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

This article addresses the demand for trauma-based interventions tailored to the distinctive challenges confronting young men during the reentry phase, approximately 4-6 months prior to release and a year postrelease. We introduce the Resiliency in Stressful Experiences (RISE) program as a response to this need, drawing on two foundational conceptual frameworks: the trauma-based reentry framework and the well-being development model. These frameworks guide RISE in addressing lifetime traumatic experiences and trauma symptoms within the broader reentry context. In the article, the process of developing the RISE curriculum is delineated, which involved a literature review, adaptation of pertinent interventions, and collaborative engagement with a community advisory board consisting of formerly incarcerated individuals. The resulting curriculum seamlessly integrates trauma-informed cognitive-behavioral principles with well-being-oriented reentry programming, with a primary objective of augmenting emotion regulation, coping skills, and community stabilization. Finally, we discuss the ongoing randomized controlled trial of the RISE intervention that aims to evaluate the impact of RISE on community stability, posttraumatic stress disorder symptom management, and recidivism rates among individuals in a southeastern state. The potential for successful implementation and dissemination of the RISE curriculum is considered, emphasizing accessibility, ease of implementation, and acceptability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).