Exposure to war is known to impact children’s physical and mental health. Recent research reveals that war exposure might even affect the developmental outcomes of children who are yet to be conceived. In this study, we sought to extend such prior work by investigating longitudinal associations between pre-conception war exposure and the accompanying maternal emotional distress on child sleep. Israeli mothers, who conceived within a year after the Lebanon war in 2006 (N = 68), were followed until their children reached 10 years of age.

Today, various questionnaires are available to assess Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in children; however, it is uncertain if these questionnaires are comprehensive in addressing adversities of vulnerable subgroups, specifically refugee children. This review’s objectives are to (1) identify current ACE questionnaires and determine if they are suitable in assessing refugee children’s adversities, and (2) identify those previously used within a refugee population.

Background
Whether there are biological sex differences in rates of childhood trauma exposure perpetrated by female versus male biological parents remains largely unknown. Moreover, the relative risk posed by various vulnerability factors for transdiagnostic mental health outcomes among females vs. males in adulthood has received insufficient attention.

Background: Victims of physical/sexual violence or sexual abuse commonly experience defense responses that result in feelings of guilt and shame. Although trauma-focused interventions are effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, the presence of trauma-related shame and guilt can potentially hinder the process of disclosure during treatment, thus diminishing their overall effectiveness.