How does it feel?: An exploration of neurobiological and clinical correlates of alexithymia in trauma-exposed police-officers with and without PTSD

Background: Alexithymia, an inability to recognise one’s emotions, has been associated with trauma-exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous research suggests involvement of the oxytocin system, and socio-emotional neural processes. However, the paucity of neurobiological research on alexithymia, particularly in trauma-exposed populations, warrants further investigation.

Objective: Explore associations between alexithymia, endogenous oxytocin levels, and socio-emotional brain function and morphometry in a trauma-exposed sample.

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Moral Case Deliberation with prison staff : Moral themes, evaluation and impact on moral craftsmanship

Working in prisons can be tough and challenging. Dutch prison staff participated in Moral Case Deliberation sessions: group dialogues in which professionals reflect on complex moral situations from their practice. Prison staff indicated that they face many moral dilemmas on a daily basis.

 

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Incidence and Severity of Sexual Harassment, and its Impact on Mental Health in a Cohort of International Humanitarian Field-Workers

To date, there have been no cohort studies of sexual harassment incidence and its relation to mental health within humanitarian field-workers. Research among numerous occupations suggests an association between workplace sexual harassment and several health complaints.

 

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Treatment response and treatment response predictors of a multidisciplinary day clinic for police officers with PTSD

Objective: Police officers typically face multiple potentially traumatic events and consequently have a higher conditional probability of developing PTSD. Although most police officers with PTSD benefit from first-line treatment, it is unknown whether recommended intensification of treatment for low responders is effective and which factors contribute to response. This study aimed to examine the treatment response of a day clinic for police officers with PTSD and identify predictors of treatment response.

 

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Posttraumatic stress disorder in Belgian police officers : prevalence and the effects of exposure to traumatic events

Background: Police officers are at considerable risk of developing posttraumatic symptoms because they frequently encounter violent or emotionally disturbing incidents. We investigate experiences with potentially traumatic events (PTE), traumatic exposure, and the prevalence of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD and subclinical PTSD in a sample of Belgian police officers.

 

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Assessing psychological resilience: translation and validation of the Chinese version of the resilience evaluation scale (RES)

Background
The Resilience Evaluation Scale (RES) is a novel and freely available measure of psychological resilience (factored into self-confidence and self-efficacy). To date, psychometric properties were evaluated in Dutch and American samples, but not yet in a Chinese sample.

 

Objective
We aimed to validate the RES in a Chinese sample by examining its factor structure, reliability, and construct validity.

 

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Adversity, emotion, and resilience among Syrian refugees in the Netherlands

Background
Syrian refugees comprise the vast majority of refugees in the Netherlands. Although some research has been carried out on factors promoting refugee resilience, there have been few empirical studies on the resilience of Syrian refugees.

 

Method
We used a qualitative method to understand adversity, emotion, and the factors contributing to resilience in Syrian refugees. We interviewed eighteen adult Syrian refugees residing in the Netherlands and used thematic analysis to identify the themes.

 

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“Doing What Matters in Times of Stress” to Decrease Psychological Distress During COVID-19 : A Randomised Controlled Pilot Trial

Despite the increasing psychological distress during COVID-19, utilisation of face-to-face psychological interventions decreased profoundly. The aim of this study involving two parallel, two-armed pilot randomised controlled trials was to examine the effectiveness of a guided self-help intervention “Doing What Matters in Times of Stress” (DWM) in decreasing psychological distress in Turkish and Syrian participants. Seventy-four Turkish nationals and 50 Syrian refugee adults with psychological distress were randomly allocated to a DWM group or wait-list control group.

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Mental Health and Perceived Social Support of Humanitarian Workers in Bangladesh During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Humanitarian workers are at risk of experiencing emotional distress and mental health problems. The COVID-19 pandemic created additional stress and challenges for staff in ongoing emergencies who had to continue delivering humanitarian assistance. The primary objective of this study was to assess the mental health status of humanitarian staff working in the Rohingya refugee operation in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Prevalence, Predictors, and Experience of Moral Suffering in Nursing and Care Home Staff during the COVID-19 Pandemic : A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review

Background: Nursing and care home staff experienced high death rates of older residents and increased occupational and psychosocial pressures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The literature has previously found this group to be at risk of developing mental health conditions, moral injury (MI), and moral distress (MD). The latter two terms refer to the perceived ethical wrongdoing which contravenes an individual’s moral beliefs and elicits adverse emotional responses. (2)

 

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