ARQ Centrum’45 (en)

Children born of wartime rape are particularly vulnerable and their case is complex as their needs intertwine with the needs of their mothers or their cultural community. To analyse the status of children born of rape and identify both risk factors and key issues, a systematic search among medical and psychological research articles was performed. In addition, historical, sociological and human...

Many intercultural encounters between caregivers and patients occur against a background of loss of loved ones. For example, most help-seeking refugees have suffered losses of family members or friends in traumatic circumstances. Both somatic and psychological problems are more likely to occur in persons who lost a loved one. Therefore, it is essential that caregivers are familiar with the...

Relationships between the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) [rs878886] and serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR), with resilience and satisfaction with life were examined in 172 adolescents; 70 refugee adolescents living in the Netherlands and 102 non-refugee (Dutch) adolescents. Genetic variation in the CRHR1 was related with self-reported resilience and satisfaction with life, while the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism was not.

Besides fight and flight responses, animals and humans may respond to threat with freezing, a response characterized by bradycardia and physical immobility. Risk assessment is proposed to be enhanced during freezing to promote optimal decision making. Indeed, healthy participants showed freezing-like responses to threat cues. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients are characterized by hypervigilance and increased threat responsiveness.

Exposure to mass trauma may bring about increased sensitivity to new or ongoing stressors. It is unclear whether sensitivity to stress associated with ethnic minority/immigrant status may be affected by severe exposure to mass trauma.

ABSTRACT

Background Hundreds of individuals lost one or more significant others in the MH17 plane crash in 2014 in Ukraine. The current study is the first to explore subgroups of disaster-bereaved individuals based on presence of psychopathology clusters. This may inform the development of diagnostic instruments and tailored interventions.