Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ghazi I. Al Jowf, Clara Snijders, Bart P. F. Rutten, Laurence de Nijs, Lars M. T. Eijssen
Summary: Exposure to trauma is a major risk factor for mental and physical health, with individuals showing varying susceptibility to developing mental illness after exposure. Epigenetic changes are suggested to play a role in the relationship between traumatic stress exposure and vulnerability to developing PTSD.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Suzaily Wahab, Li Ling Yong, Wei Keong Chieng, Myristica Yamil, Noor Azah Sawal, Nurul Qiyaam Abdullah, Cyntiya Rahmawati Muhdisin Noor, Siti Mardiyah Wd Wiredarma, Rosnah Ismail, Aisya Hanim Othman, Hanafi Ahmad Damanhuri
Summary: A study conducted in a state high school in Lombok, Indonesia found a high prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms among adolescents post-earthquake, with important implications for future post-disaster interventions to focus on excessive proxy reactions, maladaptive trauma-related cognition, and resilience.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Hannah Pazderka, Matthew R. G. Brown, Caroline Beth McDonald-Harker, Andrew James Greenshaw, Vincent I. O. Agyapong, Shannon Noble, Monica Mankowski, Bonnie Lee, Joy Omeje, Pamela Brett-MacLean, Deborah Terry Kitching, Leslie A. Hayduk, Peter H. Silverstone
Summary: The study found that adolescents with a history of prior psychological trauma appear to have a more realistic appraisal of potential difficulties associated with traumatic events, show less reactive to PTSD symptoms, and become more cautious as they grow older. The results suggest that the role of anxiety may work differently in newly traumatized and retraumatized individuals.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Hye-Kyung Oh, Cheol Yeung Jang, Mi Suk Ko
Summary: This study aims to investigate critical incident trauma (CIT), social support, resilience, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Korean police officers, and to determine factors related to PTSD for developing effective interventions. The results showed that perceived health status, CIT, social support, and resilience were significantly related to PTSD. The stakeholders also provided insights on the difficulties and coping strategies after CIT, the current status of counseling programs, and suggestions for PTSD interventions.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Christian Mikutta, Julia J. Schmid, Ulrike Ehlert
Summary: The present study investigated the trauma exposure, prevalence of possible PTSD, resilience, and sense of coherence among personnel of the Swiss alpine rescue association. The findings showed a high rate of trauma exposure but a low prevalence of possible PTSD among mountain rescuers. The sample demonstrated high levels of resilience and sense of coherence. Resilience was positively correlated with work experience, while low perceived stress and high sense of coherence predicted resilience.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Sian Williams, Tina Cartwright
Summary: The study found a significant relationship between PTSD symptoms and PTG among journalists who experienced work-related trauma, with journalists working in war-zones often having higher levels of both. Additionally, journalists who experienced personal risk also exhibited higher levels of PTG.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTRAUMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Natalie Craig, Catherine Haslam, Jolanda Jetten, Tegan Cruwys
Summary: This study examines key processes from the social identity model of traumatic identity change in the aftermath of a natural disaster, specifically focusing on the impact of group membership gain, continuity, and social identity revitalization on post-traumatic growth and stress. The findings reveal that group membership gain is positively associated with post-traumatic growth, while group membership continuity is negatively associated with post-traumatic stress. The study also provides preliminary evidence for the validity of a new measure of social identity revitalization and highlights its potential importance in post-trauma recovery.
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rosaura Gonzalez-Mendez, Matilde Diaz
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the impact of self-compassion and self-determination on volunteers' compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and post-traumatic growth levels, as well as the best predictors of the most extreme levels of each outcome. Results showed that self-compassion and self-determination played differentiating roles in volunteers' levels of various outcomes, with volunteers lowest in compassion fatigue demonstrating fewer non-compassionate strategies and higher mindfulness.
Article
Neurosciences
Aleksandra Klimova, Isabella A. Breukelaar, Richard A. Bryant, Mayuresh S. Korgaonkar
Summary: This study compared the neural connectivity between mTBI and PTSD and found no significant differences between the two conditions. However, mTBI patients showed reduced connectivity compared to healthy controls in multiple regions, while PTSD patients also exhibited abnormal connectivity within these networks.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Carolina Campodonico, Katherine Berry, Gillian Haddock, Filippo Varese
Summary: Protective factors such as optimism may be associated with lower post-traumatic symptoms in individuals with psychosis, while factors like resilience and adaptive coping may contribute more to post-traumatic growth. Identifying and enhancing these additional psychological protective factors could lead to positive treatment outcomes beyond just reducing post-traumatic stress symptoms for individuals with psychosis.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Cassie Overstreet, Jason C. DeViva, Ananda Amstadter, Elissa McCarthy, Steven M. Southwick, Robert H. Pietrzak
Summary: This study focused on resilience and potentially protective factors in U.S. veterans, using a novel analytic approach to operationalize resilience. Results showed the importance of resilience and identified potentially modifiable psychosocial factors. The study demonstrated the utility of the DBPR approach and generated insights for future prevention and treatment efforts.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Kevin M. Fitzpatrick
Summary: This study examines the impact of natural disasters on physical and mental health, finding that stressors play a significant role in post-traumatic stress symptoms after Hurricane Harvey. Younger individuals, nonwhites, and those displaced during the storm are more likely to experience higher symptom counts. Social and psychological resources can help mitigate negative outcomes and lower symptom reporting.
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ashley Pike, Cynthia Mikolas, Kathleen Tompkins, Joanne Olson, David M. Olson, Suzette Bremault-Phillips
Summary: This study explored the experiences, perceived stress, and resilience of pregnant women during the Fort McMurray wildfire. The findings revealed that personal and external factors contributed to stress responses, social connectedness and support were facilitators of resilience, engaging in resilience-enhancing activities was crucial for coping and maintaining a sense of normalcy, and pregnancy and motherhood played significant roles in their experiences of loss and resilience.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Robert H. Pietrzak, Frances G. Javier, John H. Krystal, Steven M. Southwick
Summary: The study found that veterans with subthreshold PTSD are more likely to develop PTSD, compared to trauma-exposed veterans without subthreshold PTSD, with a relative risk ratio of 6.4. Preventive interventions targeting subthreshold PTSD and associated factors may help mitigate the risk of PTSD in USA veterans.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Deniz Ertan, Coraline Hingray, Elena Burlacu, Aude Sterle, Wissam El-Hage
Summary: Our study found significant links between psychological, traumatic, and birth-related risk factors, as well as perceived social support, and the risk of PTSD following childbirth in mothers and partners. It is important to pay specific attention to PTSD-FC and psychological distress in both mothers and their partners after childbirth.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Megan Klabunde, Carl F. Weems, Mira Raman, Victor G. Carrion
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
(2017)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Howard J. Osofsky, Carl F. Weems, Rebecca A. Graham, Joy D. Osofsky, Tonya C. Hansel, Lucy S. King
DISASTER MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Carl F. Weems, Irfan Ahmed, Golden G. Richard, Justin D. Russell, Erin L. Neill
Article
Neurosciences
Justin D. Russell, Monica A. Marsee, Carl F. Weems
Summary: The study found that the age at initial scan moderates the slope of amygdala volume development, with steeper slopes observed among those first scanned at an early age. The research also revealed that the left amygdala reaches its peak growth earlier than the right amygdala. Overall, rapid increases in amygdala volumes decline as individuals enter adolescence and may turn to minor declines in late adolescence or early adulthood.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY-COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING
(2021)
Article
Family Studies
Carl F. Weems, Bethany H. McCurdy, Mikaela D. Scozzafava
Summary: A developmental understanding of the expression of posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms in childhood requires considering the continuity and change of symptoms, as well as the multiple dimensions of time. This paper provides an overview of the assessment of PTS according to DSM-5, longitudinal research on PTSD symptoms, and a perspective on symptom network. The analysis of data from a previous study illustrates both continuity and change in symptoms over time, with differences in symptom rates and their longitudinal change depending on age.
JOURNAL OF CHILD & ADOLESCENT TRAUMA
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Flint M. Espil, Stephanie Balters, Rihui Li, Bethany H. McCurdy, Hilit Kletter, Aaron Piccirilli, Judith A. Cohen, Carl F. Weems, Allan L. Reiss, Victor G. Carrion
Summary: This study examined the relationship between cortical activation patterns measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy and PTSD symptom improvement in youth. The results showed a positive correlation between cortical activation and PTSD symptom improvement slopes, specifically in the bilateral dlPFC in response to fearful and neutral facial stimuli. The use of fNIRS provides a cost-effective and portable method for monitoring and assessing cortical activation patterns, which may have promising implications for understanding emotion dysregulation in clinical populations.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Linnel Marie S. Ballesteros, Cristina Poleacovschi, Carl F. Weems, Ivis Garcia Zambrana, Jessica Talbot
Summary: In 2017, hurricanes Irma and Maria caused significant damage to Puerto Rico's housing stock, leading to distress among homeowners. This research investigates the relationship between socioeconomic and housing vulnerability and perceived psychological resilience. The results indicate that the combined effects of interior housing damage and education are significantly associated with psychological resilience, highlighting the importance of considering both socioeconomic and housing vulnerability as contributing factors to resilience.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Joy D. Osofsky, Margaret A. Fields-Olivieri, Andrew L. Frazer, Rebecca A. Graham, Bethany H. McCurdy, Carl F. Weems
Summary: This paper introduces a multidimensional assessment tool called What to Look for in Relationships (WLR) for evaluating the strengths and areas for improvement in young child-caregiver relationships. The study found that the WLR scales have good reliability and validity, and can serve as targets for early intervention.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Carl F. Weems, Randie D. Camp, Erin L. Neill, Brandon G. Scott
Summary: This study examines the reasoning behind negative interpretations of anxiety sensations in children and adolescents, revealing developmental differences in age, cognition, and language. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of emotional development and suggest that cognitive-emotional understanding is a complex, non-linear process.
COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Family Studies
Carl F. Weems, Heather L. Rouse, Janet N. Melby, Sesong Jeon, Kate Goudy, Bethany H. McCurdy, Abigail R. Stanek
FAMILIES IN SOCIETY-THE JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL SERVICES
(2020)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Erin L. Neill, Carl F. Weems, Michael S. Scheeringa
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Rebecca S. Lipschutz, Sarah A. O. Gray, Carl F. Weems, Michael S. Scheeringa
APPLIED PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY AND BIOFEEDBACK
(2017)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Carl F. Weems, Justin D. Russell, Ryan J. Herringa, Victor G. Carrion
Summary: Imaging methods have revealed neurobiological correlates of childhood trauma and adverse experiences, which can inform the development of programs and policies to promote resilience in youth. Translation of this research requires effective communication, and a proposed term, Traumatic and Adverse Childhood Experiences (TRACEs +) aims to bridge the gap between adverse childhood experiences and neurodevelopmental findings. This review discusses the potential implications of neuroscience for intervention and policy, emphasizing the need for transdisciplinary models to translate scientific knowledge into action.
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Carl F. Weems, Joy D. Osofsky, Howard J. Osofsky, Lucy S. King, Tonya C. Hansel, Justin D. Russell
APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE
(2018)
Article
Psychology, Experimental
Donice M. Banks, Brandon G. Scott, Carl F. Weems