The objective of the present study was to systematically review the existing literature for studies examining the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and stroke risk and perform a meta-analysis to obtain a pooled risk estimate describing the association.
Trauma-focussed psychological interventions are the treatments of choice for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As many clinical services receive high demand for PTSD interventions, strategies to improve treatment efficiency are needed. Some people seek help in the early phase post-trauma, including as soon as the first few months. It is unclear whether all components of trauma-focussed CBT are needed in this initial stage. Providing brief intervention in this early phase without work on trauma memories may be feasible and effective. This service evaluation study describes a case series of five participants experiencing PTSD following recent traumas. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The researchers made several recommendations for policy and practice of how needs related to both homelessness and trauma can be understood and addressed together.
Asylees (i.e., asylum seekers) have a higher prevalence of mental health concerns, particularly posttraumatic distress, than the general population due to both their exposure to traumatic experiences and prolonged uncertain status in a new country. Meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials with asylees have found that culturally adapted cognitive behavioral therapy (CA-CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and narrative exposure therapy (NET) are efficacious in treating trauma-related symptoms and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, treatment utilization remains low. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Previous meta-analyses of psychotherapies for children and adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) did not investigate whether treatment efficacy is diminished when patients report multiple (versus single) traumas. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Concern for symptom exacerbation and treatment drop-out is an important barrier to the implementation of trauma-focused therapy (TFT), especially in people with a psychotic disorder. This study, which was part of a multicenter randomized controlled trial, investigated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom exacerbation during eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and prolonged exposure (PE) in a sample of 99 participants with PTSD and psychosis.
Although trauma-focused treatments (TFTs) are generally effective, not all patients improve. Symptom accommodation (i.e., altering one's behavior in response to another's symptoms) by loved ones may be particularly relevant to TFT treatment response and engagement. We examined the role of symptom accommodation by support persons (SPs) in veterans’ PTSD treatment response, including the mediating role of treatment engagement and the moderating role of relationship strain. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Group therapy is a frequently used therapy format for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, factors contributing to treatment completion remain understudied. The current study examined predictors of treatment completion, defined as having completed 10 out of 14 sessions within 16 weeks, in veterans with PTSD who engaged in a hybrid efficacy–effectiveness randomized controlled trial of group psychotherapy for PTSD. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a significant issue for a substantial proportion of Australian ex-service personnel. In addition to the functional impact on individuals, PTSD can have a significant impact on intimate partner relationships. Research has demonstrated that practicing compassion and self-compassion may be an important component of psychological therapy for survivors of trauma, while also demonstrating benefits to intimate relationships. This pilot study aimed to investigate the utility of a Compassionate Mind Training intervention for ex-service personnel with PTSD and their partners.
The purpose of this systematic review (SR) was to present the current state of research on historical trauma, and the topics closely related to its semantic space that include intergenerational trauma, collective trauma, and extended cultural bodily and mental responses, in order to identify gaps in the literature that need to be addressed. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The weak link between subjective symptom-based diagnostic methods for posttraumatic psychopathology and objectively measured neurobiological indices forms a barrier to the development of effective personalized treatments. To overcome this problem, recent studies have aimed to stratify psychiatric disorders by identifying consistent subgroups based on objective neural markers. Along these lines, a promising 2021 study by Stevens et al. identified distinct brain-based biotypes associated with different longitudinal patterns of posttraumatic symptoms. Here, the authors conducted a conceptual nonexact replication of that study using a comparable data set from a multimodal longitudinal study of recent trauma survivors. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
As the authors discussed in their paper, the main implication of the results is that a significant number of young children develop PTSD following traumatic events. Caregivers and practitioners should be aware of this in order to seek and provide support for these children. Yet, this is not the case in clinical practice.
Although the specific elements of effective interventions are hard to determine based on current evidence, there’s no question that mental health professionals should focus on improving parents’ mental health and parenting practices.
Interpersonal functioning is a common concern for people with postttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but is not a key target of most trauma-focused psychotherapies (TFPs). We preregistered and undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) examining the efficacy of TFPs for improving interpersonal functioning. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Trauma-informed beliefs often decrease during posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment. This may also extend to anxiety sensitivity (AS), defined as a fear of anxiety-related sensations and beliefs that anxiety is dangerous and/or intolerable. However, little is known about how AS changes during exposure-based and psychopharmacological PTSD treatments. Further, high AS may be a risk factor for diminished PTSD symptom improvement and increased treatment dropout.
Previous research has found both self-compassion and gratitude to be protective against overall PTSD symptom severity. PTSD is a highly heterogenous disorder, however, and it is unclear if these protective constructs are differentially associated with each cluster of PTSD. The present study examined differences in the association of self-compassion and gratitude with the four clusters of PTSD as indicated by the DSM-5. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Concurrent Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Substance Use Disorders Using Prolonged Exposure (i.e., COPE) is an efficacious, integrated, psychotherapy that attends to PTSD and substance use disorders simultaneously. No study has examined how therapeutic alliance functions during the provision of COPE and how this compares to non-integrated treatments, such as Relapse Prevention (RP) for substance use disorders. Understanding the role of alliance in COPE versus RP could inform treatment refinement and ways to enhance treatment outcomes. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Treatment efficacy for co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders is well established, yet direct evidence for comparative effectiveness across treatments is lacking. The present study compared the effectiveness of several behavioral and pharmacological therapies for adults with co-occurring PTSD and alcohol or other drug use disorders. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Long-term studies following disasters are rare. It is important to quantify long-term effects of disasters to determine impacts on populations over time. We therefore aim to report the long-term associations between exposure to the Canterbury earthquakes and common mental disorders, taking into account potential confounding factors. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
To report on post-traumatic growth and post-traumatic stress following the Canterbury earthquakes and to quantify the relationships between exposure to the earthquakes, post-traumatic growth and post-traumatic stress. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.