Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jaimie L. Gradus, Sandro Galea
Summary: The DSM-5 defines trauma as an event involving actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. However, the strict distinction between traumatic and less severe stressful events is not helpful for public health. Public health should focus on all individuals experiencing distressing stress and trauma reactions, rather than just those with the most severe experiences.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Lisa A. Brenner, Jeri E. Forster, Jaimie L. Gradus, Trisha A. Hostetter, Claire A. Hoffmire, Colin G. Walsh, Mary Jo Larson, Kelly A. Stearns-Yoder, Rachel Sayko Adams
Summary: This study aimed to identify the associations of military-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) with suicide and new-onset mental health conditions. The findings showed that soldiers with a history of TBI had higher rates of new-onset mental health conditions and were at greater risk of suicide. These results highlight the need for increased efforts to address the cumulative risk associated with multiple military-related exposures.
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Reihaneh Ahmadi, Sama Rahimi-Jafari, Mahnaz Olfati, Nooshin Javaheripour, Farnoosh Emamian, Mohammad Rasoul Ghadami, Habibolah Khazaie, David C. Knight, Masoud Tahmasian, Amir A. Sepehry
Summary: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is strongly associated with insomnia, and the prevalence of insomnia in PTSD patients is high. Screening and managing insomnia in PTSD patients are of great importance.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Simon P. Byrne, Brienna M. Fogle, Ruth Asch, Irina Esterlis, Ilan Harpaz-Rotem, Jack Tsai, Robert H. Pietrzak
Summary: The study investigated the prevalence, comorbidities and burden of SAD in US military veterans, showing that those with SAD have higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities, functional impairments, and a greater risk for suicidal ideation. These results emphasize the importance of screening, monitoring and treating SAD in this population along with other mental disorders.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2021)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Luke J. Ney, Jane Akhurst, Raimondo Bruno, Patrick A. F. Laing, Allison Matthews, Kim L. Felmingham
Summary: This article reviews the application of a dopaminergic framework in PTSD and explores the impact of endocannabinoids on the disorder, proposing a preliminary model that suggests the interaction between endocannabinoid and dopaminergic signaling in the brain as the link between reexperiencing and negative cognitions and mood in PTSD. These interactions may have implications for future therapies for treatment-resistant and comorbid PTSD patients.
PROGRESS IN NEURO-PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Mekela Whyte-Nesfield, Daniel Kaplan, Peter S. Eldridge, Jiaxiang Gai, William Cuddy, Karli Breeden, Nadia Ansari, Pamela Siller, Jenna M. Mennella, Toah A. Nkromah, Meghan Youtz, Neal Thomas, Simon Li
Summary: This prospective observational cohort study aimed to analyze parental traumatic stress up to 30 months after pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) discharge. The study found that longer PICU stay, parents' concerns for child's ongoing injury, and decreased household income were associated with increased odds of developing parental posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These findings will inform the development of targeted interventions.
PEDIATRIC CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
C. Sophia Albott, Kelvin O. Lim, Christopher Erbes, Paul Thuras, Joseph Wels, Susanna J. Tye, Paulo R. Shiroma
Summary: This study examined the neurocognitive effects of repeated ketamine in participants with comorbid PTSD and MDD, finding that repeated ketamine infusions did not worsen cognition, but instead showed significant improvement in working memory. Additionally, certain neurocognitive performances at baseline can predict the response to ketamine for symptoms of PTSD and MDD.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Alexandra N. Palmisano, Brienna M. Fogle, Jack Tsai, Ismene L. Petrakis, Robert H. Pietrzak
Summary: This study examined the association between PTSD symptom clusters and AUD in U.S. veterans, finding that dysphoric arousal and externalizing behaviors were most strongly associated with AUD in the full sample, while externalizing behaviors, anxious arousal, and dysphoric arousal accounted for the majority of explained variance in veterans who screened positive for PTSD. These results highlight the importance of externalizing behaviors and arousal symptoms of PTSD as potential drivers of AUD in this population.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Claire Leconte, Raymond Mongeau, Florence Noble
Summary: Substance use disorders and traumatic stress-related pathologies often coexist. The KOR and DYN play a crucial role in this comorbidity, regulating the effects of stress and drug use. The DYN/KOR system is involved in anxiety, depressive symptoms, conditioned fear response, and negative reinforcement after drug use. KOR activation leads to drug-seeking behavior and cross-regulates with corticotropin-releasing factor. The sexual dimorphism of the DYN/KOR system may contribute to gender differences in patients with SUD or/and traumatic stress-related pathologies. Antagonists targeting KOR could be a promising pharmacological strategy for treating this comorbidity.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Annett Lotzin, Olha Morozova-Larina, Svitlana Paschenko, Antje Paetow, Lisa Schratz, Vladyslava Keller, Liudmyla Krupelnytska
Summary: This study estimated the prevalence of war-related stressors, PTSD (according to ICD-11), and CPTSD (according to the International Trauma Questionnaire) among Ukrainian students living in Kyiv from December 2022 to January 2023, which is an active war zone. The results showed that the majority of Ukrainian students (91.5%) experienced at least one war-related stressor, with 20.8% reporting four or more stressors. The most frequently reported stressors were war-related combat situations, forced separation from family members, lack of shelter, and murder or violent death of a family member or friend. The rates for probable ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD were 12.4% and 11.2%, respectively. Sexual violence and cumulative trauma exposure significantly increased the risk of CPTSD. These findings highlight the psychological burden faced by Ukrainian students living in an active war zone and emphasize the need for trauma-focused interventions.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Philippe Vignaud, Layla Lavalle, Jerome Brunelin, Nathalie Prieto
Summary: The clinical benefits of psychological debriefing groups on PTSD symptoms after a potential traumatic event are limited. High-quality studies are needed to determine the specific effects of psychological debriefing groups on PTSD symptoms.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Alvaro Cabral Araujo, Nickolas Carui, Alia Garrudo Guirado, Daniela Schiller, Francisco Lotufo Neto, Felipe Corchs
Summary: Delivering ECT after retrieving traumatic memories can enhance the treatment efficacy in PTSD by reducing symptoms and reactivity. Regardless of memory retrieval, the sample as a whole experienced reduction in anxiety, mood symptoms, and physiological reactivity to traumatic memories.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Nicholas Barr, Hazel Atuel, Shaddy Saba, Carl A. Castro
Summary: Moral injury has gained significant research and clinical attention, but there is still much work to be done in comprehensively defining it and understanding its associations with traumatic illness. A novel dual process model is introduced that provides a flexible analytical framework for evaluating symptoms and has important implications for treatment.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Katie Dhingra, Sean M. Mitchell, Bill Davies, Peter J. Taylor
Summary: The study examined the construct validity of the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) for measuring PTSD and CPTSD symptoms among trauma-exposed prison governors. Results showed that item-coding and estimation methods can impact conclusions about the best-fitting model for this measure.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Shaddy K. Saba, Jordan P. Davis, John J. Prindle, Carl Andrew Castro, Eric R. Pedersen
Summary: This study found associations between pain, PTSD symptoms, and increased AUD symptomology among veterans. The relationship between pain and AUD appeared stronger in the context of low PTSD symptoms. Reexperiencing and negative cognitions and mood were identified as factors associated with increased AUD symptoms.
ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS
(2021)