Psychoanalysis and politics. Histories of psychoanalysis under conditions of restricted political freedom (Book review)

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Post-traumatic stress symptoms among former child soldiers in Sierra Leone: follow-up study

BACKGROUND: Former child soldiers are at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), however, the trajectory of symptoms has yet to be examined. AIMS: The risk and protective factors associated with PTSD symptom change among former child soldiers in Sierra Leone were investigated. METHOD: Data from 243 former child soldiers (mean age 16.6 years, 30% female) were analysed. RESULTS: Self-reported rates of possible PTSD using standard cut-off points declined from 32% to 16% 4 years later (P<0.05).

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Police officers: a high-risk group for the development of mental health disturbances? A cohort study

Objectives Policing is generally considered a high-risk profession for the development of mental health problems, but this assumption lacks empirical evidence. Research question of the present study is to what extent mental health disturbances, such as (very) severe symptoms of anxiety, depression and hostility are more prevalent among police officers than among other occupational groups. Design Multicomparative cross-sectional study using the data of several cross-sectional and longitudinal studies in the Netherlands.

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Perceived Demands During Modern Military Operations

Using a cross-sectional design, this study explored operational demands during the International Security Assistance Force for Afghanistan (2009-2010) across distinct military units. A total of 1,413 Dutch soldiers, nested within four types of units (i.e., combat, combat support, service support, and command support units) filled out a 23-item self-survey in which they were asked to evaluate the extent to which they experienced operational characteristics as demanding. Exploratory factor analysis identified six underlying dimensions of demands.

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Persistence of stress sensitization following deployment in soldiers with a history of early life trauma

Background: Stress sensitization, i.e., increased responsiveness to stressful life events has been found in high trauma exposed adults within the first 18 months following trauma exposure (Smid et al., 2012) as well as in young children (Grasso, Ford, & Briggs-Gowan, 2012). However, it is unclear whether stress sensitization may persist over time. We hypothesized that soldiers exposed to high levels of early life trauma would be at risk of persistence of stress sensitization 2 years following deployment.

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Persistent mental health disturbances during the 10 years after a disaster: four-wave longitudinal comparative study

AIM: Although some studies have examined the long-term effects of disasters, very little is known about severe persistent symptoms following disasters. The aim of the present study was to examine persistent mental health problems and to what extent disaster exposure predicts long-term persistent disturbances.

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Neural pattern similarity predicts long-term fear memory

Although certain changes in the brain may reflect fear learning, there are no known markers that indicate whether an aversive experience will develop into fear memory. We examined the moment-to-moment dynamics of human fear learning by applying multi-voxel pattern analysis to single-trial blood oxygen level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging data. We found that the long-term behavioral expression of fear memory could be predicted from neural patterns at the time of learning.

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Measures and outcomes of a psychosocial group approach in Rwanda

Dit proefschrift betreft verschillende aspecten van een quasi-experimentele, longitudinale studie van een psychosociale groepsaanpak (sociotherapie) in Byumba, Noord-Rwanda. Hierbij is gekeken naar mentale gezondheid, sociaal functioneren, partner geweld en 'sociaal kapitaal', een begrip dat de mate uitdrukt van onderlinge verbondenheid binnen en tussen gemeenschappen, en dat mogelijk van belang is voor zowel maatschappelijk als mentaal herstel na grootschalig geweld.

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Memory traces of trauma : neurocognitive aspects of and therapeutic approaches for posttraumatic stress disorder

Dit proefschrift gaat over de 'sporen' die een traumatische ervaring in het geheugen heeft gegraveerd ('geheugensporen van trauma') als iemand PTSS heeft ontwikkeld.

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Job Stress and Dyadic Synchrony in Police Marriages: A Preliminary Investigation

Despite reports documenting adverse effects of stress on police marriages, few empirical studies focus on actual emotional behaviors of officers and spouses. In this preliminary investigation, 17 male police officers and their nonpolice wives completed daily stress diaries for 1 week and then participated in a laboratory-based discussion about their respective days. Conversations were video-recorded and coded for specific emotional behaviors reflecting hostility and affection, which are strong predictors of marital outcomes.

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