ARQ Centrum’45 (en)

Background: Narrative exposure therapy (NET) is a short-term psychological treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that has been investigated in various contexts among traumatized refugees and other trauma survivors. Sustained treatment results have been reported, but the methodological quality of the trials needs a more thorough examination.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of NET for survivors of trauma, using a quality assessment, an updated meta-analysis, and a meta-regression analysis.

The inclusion of a complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) diagnosis in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases reflects growing evidence that a subgroup of individuals with PTSD also suffer from disturbances in emotion regulation, interpersonal skills, and self-concept, which together are termed “disturbances in self-organization” (DSO). Although CPTSD is assumed to result from exposure to complex traumatic events, emotional neglect may be an important contributor.

Despite two decades of research on social capital and health, intervention studies remain scarce. We performed a systematic review on social capital interventions in public health and searched the Pubmed and PsychInfo databases. The majority of interventions we identified focused on individual level change (e.g. encouraging social participation), as opposed to community level change.

In this 30th anniversary issue review, we focus on the glucocorticoid modulation of limbic-prefrontocortical circuitry during stress-coping. This action of the stress hormone is mediated by mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) and glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) that are co-expressed abundantly in these higher brain regions.

ABSTRACT

Background:

Perceived social support (PSS) is one of the most important risk factors for the onset and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, however the relationship between PSS and Complex PTSD (CPTSD) is unknown. The evidence-base for CPTSD treatment is currently lacking, though increasingly important given the recent publication of the ICD-11, which now allows for a formal diagnosis of CPTSD.

Objective:

Background:

Although bereavement is likely a common stressor among patients referred to a psychotrauma clinic, no study has yet examined the co-occurrence and relationships between symptoms of prolonged grief disorder (PGD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and major depressive disorder symptoms in this population.

Method:

This consensus paper provides an overview of the state of the art in research on the aetiology and treatment of nightmare disorder and outlines further perspectives on these issues. It presents a definition of nightmares and nightmare disorder followed by epidemiological findings, and then explains existing models of nightmare aetiology in traumatized and non‐traumatized individuals.

Persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD) is a disorder of grief included in DSM-5. Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is included in ICD-11. Few studies have evaluated and compared criteria sets for DSM-5 PCBD and ICD-11 PGD. The current study explored and compared the dimensionality, prevalence rates, diagnostic agreement, concurrent validity, and socio-demographic and loss-related correlates of both criteria sets.

Key points of interest:

• The effects of NET may be improved by tailor-made or culturally sensitive interventions that address shame, guilt, disgust and cognitions about safety, trust, power, self-esteem, and intimacy.

• Building trust and taking time to pace the therapeutic process is particularly important when treating survivors of torture.

Abstract

Introduction:

The World Assumption Scale (WAS) is a frequently used measure in trauma research. The 32 items of the WAS are intended to represent eight assumptions about the benevolence of the world, the meaningfulness of events, and the worthiness of the self. Debate about the validity of the WAS is ongoing, particularly in terms of its empirical factor structure; some studies have confirmed a model of eight correlated factors whereas several other studies have not.