Genetics, childhood trauma, and biased information processing as risk factors for mental disorders

The studies presented in the current dissertation cover three well known risk factors for mental health problems: genetic vulnerability (the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism), childhood trauma, and cognitive biases. We took both a disorder-specific approach (depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): DSM-5; APA, 2013) and a more transdiagnostic approach to assess these risk factors for mental health problems.

Semantic adaptation of the Global Psychotrauma Screen for children and adolescents in the United States

Background: The review of trauma screening tools for children and adolescents indicates a need for developmentally and linguistically appropriate, globally applicable, free, and easily accessible trauma screening instruments.

Objective: The aim of this study is to adapt the Global Psychotrauma Screen (GPS) for children and adolescents in the United States. 

 

CBT for Prolonged Grief in Children and Adolescents : A Randomized Clinical Trial

Objective: Prolonged grief disorder wasnewly included in ICD-11 and resembles persistent complex bereavement disorder, newly included in DSM-5.

Stabilizing group treatment for childhood-abuse related PTSD : a randomized controlled trial

Background: Patients with PTSD related to childhood-abuse often experience additional problems such as emotional dysregulation and interpersonal difficulties. Psychotherapy focused on stabilization of symptoms, emotion-regulation, and skills training has been suggested as a treatment for this patient population, either as preparation for further treatment or as a stand-alone intervention.

 

Population-attributable risk of adverse childhood experiences for high suicide risk, psychiatric admissions, and recurrent depression

Background: Population-attributable risk (PAR) may help estimate the potential contribution of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to serious clinical presentations of depression, characterized by suicidality, previous psychiatric admissions, and episode recurrence. Objective: To determine the PAR of ACEs for serious clinical presentations of depression (high suicide risk, previous psychiatric admissions, and recurrent depression) in outpatients with ICD-10 clinical depression.

 

Effect of Prolonged Exposure, intensified Prolonged Exposure and STAIR+Prolonged Exposure in patients with PTSD related to childhood abuse : a randomized controlled trial

Background: It is unclear whether the evidence-based treatments for PTSD are as effective in patients with CA-PTSD.

 

Objective: We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of three variants of prolonged exposure therapy.

 

Daring to Ask, Listen, and Act : A Snapshot of the Impacts of COVID-19 on Women and Girls' rights and sexual and reproductive health

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic is drastically changing the way that millions of women, men, girls and boys around the world lead their lives. Jordan, a country hosting more than 700 000 refugees in a troubled region, has like most other countries in the world been deeply affected by the shock of COVID- 19 to its economy and social system.

Clustering of suicides in children and adolescents

Suicide is one of the major causes of death in young people, in whom suicide can occur in clusters. In this Review, we have investigated definitions and epidemiology of such clusters, the factors associated with them, mechanisms by which they occur, and means of intervening and preventing them. Clustering of suicidal behaviour is more common in young people (<25 years) than adults. Suicide clusters can occur as a greater number of episodes than expected at a specific location, including in institutions (eg, schools, universities, psychiatric units, and youth offender units). 

From a Refugee Camp in Ethiopia as a Social Worker to Working with Refugees as an Expert Psychotherapist in Ethiopia: A Story of a South Sudanese Canadian Immigrant

The author is an expert psychotherapist narrating how he became a refugee in his own country of origin after long years of persecution from an Arab-dominated regime. As the war broke out, the author, a young person at the time, was forced out of the country and sought refuge in Itang refugee camp in Ethiopia along with his parents. As a result of this displacement, the author then settled in a number of refugee camps in Ethiopia.

 

“More Alike Than Unalike?” A Personal Reflection on Working to Support the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Unaccompanied Refugee Minors in Greece

In late 2018, motivated (and intrigued) by the scale of one of the largest and long-standing humanitarian crises in history, we embarked on two separate but related journeys to the island of Lesvos to work with unaccompanied refugee and asylum-seeking minors and to link in with NGOs working in the region.

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