ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre

BackgroundHypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis hyperactivity has been observed in (recurrent) major depressive disorder (MDD), although inconsistently and mainly cross-sectional. Longitudinal studies clarifying state-trait issues are lacking. We aimed to determine whether HPA-axis (hyper)activity in recurrent MDD is: (I) reflecting a persistent trait, (II) influenced by depressive state, (...

Background Disaster research suggests that immigrant groups who are affected by a disaster receive less emotional support than their native counterparts. However, it is unclear to what extent these differences can be attributed to post-disaster mental health problems or whether they were present before the event. Aims To examine the association between lack of social support, immigration status...

Disaster research suggests that immigrant groups who are affected by a disaster receive less emotional support than their native counterparts. However, it is unclear to what extent these differences can be attributed to post-disaster mental health problems or whether they were present before the event

BackgroundLegal status and other resettlement stressors are known to impact mental health of asylum seekers and refugees. However, the ways in which they interact with treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with these populations is still poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine whether legal status and other resettlement stressors influence outcomes of a trauma-focused...

The European Journal of Psychotraumatogy (EJPT) is becoming an important repository of knowledge for the field of psychotraumatology. Since its launch in December 2010 (see Olff, 2010, Olff & Bindslev, 2011) new ideas and initiatives have developed to further increase visibility and easy access to papers published in the Journal. Most scientific journals include in their editorial strategies...

About ten percent of people experiencing a traumatic event will subsequently develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is characterized by an exaggerated fear response which fails to extinguish over time and cannot be inhibited in safe contexts. The neurobiological correlates of PTSD involve enhanced salience processing (i.e. amygdala, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and...

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently estimated that one out of every three women will experience physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence by a non-partner during her lifetime (Abrahams et al., 2014, Devries et al., 2013). Both men and women can be victims as well as perpetrators of IPV, and pregnancy does not prevent it from occurring. Intimate partner...

Intimate partner violence is highly prevalent globally, which presents worrisome implications for mental health. As explained by the World Health Organization, women who are abused have higher rates of both suicidal ideation and suicide attempts than other women (World Health Organization [WHO], 2011). Our previous research has found that one in six women presenting to an orthopedic trauma clinic...

BackgroundInjured trauma victims are at risk of developing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other post-trauma psychopathology. So far, interventions using cognitive behavioral techniques (CBT) have proven most efficacious in treating early PTSD in highly symptomatic individuals. No early intervention for the prevention of PTSD for all victims has yet proven effective. In the acute...