Thought leader - Endowed Professor Trudy Mooren

Clinical psychologist and endowed professor Trudy Mooren of the ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, highlights the role of parents and parenting to protect and support vulnerable children and families in this crisis- as they play such a key role in the protection and (sense of) safety of their children. What do vulnerable parents need to be supportive parents in these days?

 

Mobile Insight in Risk, Resilience, and Online Referral (MIRROR) : Psychometric Evaluation of an Online Self-Help Test

Background: Most people who experience a potentially traumatic event (PTE) recover on their own. A small group of individuals develops psychological complaints, but this is often not detected in time or guidance to care is suboptimal. To identify these individuals and encourage them to seek help, a web-based self-help test called Mobile Insight in Risk, Resilience, and Online Referral (MIRROR) was developed.

Discovery of a NAPE-PLD inhibitor that modulates emotional behavior in mice

N-acylethanolamines (NAEs), which include the endocannabinoid anandamide, represent an important family of signaling lipids in the brain. The lack of chemical probes that modulate NAE biosynthesis in living systems hamper the understanding of the biological role of these lipids. Using a high-throughput screen, chemical proteomics and targeted lipidomics, we report here the discovery and characterization of LEI-401 as a CNS-active N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD) inhibitor.

Supporting Syrian families displaced by armed conflict : A pilot randomized controlled trial of the Caregiver Support Intervention

Background: The impact of armed conflict and displacement on children’s mental health is strongly mediated by compromised parenting stemming from persistently high caregiver stress. Parenting interventions for refugees emphasize the acquisition of parenting knowledge and skills, while overlooking the deleterious effects of chronic stress on parenting.

Decision-making and cognitive control in adolescent suicidal behaviors : a qualitative systematic review of the literature

Suicide and suicidal behaviors represent a leading cause of morbidity and mortality during adolescence. While several lines of evidence suggest that suicidal behaviors are associated with risky decisions and deficient cognitive control in laboratory tasks in adults, comparatively less is known about adolescents. Here, we systematically reviewed the literature on the association between these neurocognitive variables and adolescent suicidal behaviors.

Age at migration and the risk of psychotic disorders : a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Objective

To conduct a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the existing evidence on the association between age at migration and the risk of psychotic disorders.

 

Methods

Psychiatric and neuropsychiatric presentations associated with severe coronavirus infections : a systematic review and meta-analysis with comparison to the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, coronaviruses caused two noteworthy outbreaks: severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), starting in 2002, and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), starting in 2012. We aimed to assess the psychiatric and neuropsychiatric presentations of SARS, MERS, and COVID-19.

Methods

How young refugees’ traumatic pasts shape their mental health

A detailed study shows that young migrants’ risk of developing psychiatric disorders rises stepwise with the number of traumas experienced.

Prolonged grief disorder following the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Highlights

 

• Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) cases will rise following the COVID-19 pandemic

• The pandemic shows similarities to natural disasters which increase PGD prevalence.

• The circumstances of death during the pandemic likely increase PGD prevalence.

• Evidence-based interventions for PGD should be made more accessible.

• Internet-based interventions for PGD should be further developed and disseminated.

 

Feasibility and predictors of change of narrative exposure therapy for displaced populations : a repeated measures design

Background: Displaced victims of interpersonal violence, such as refugees, asylum seekers, and victims of sexual exploitation, are growing in numbers and are often suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). At the same time, these victims are known to benefit less from trauma-focused therapy (TFT) and to be less compliant to treatment. The objective of this paper is to describe the rationale and research protocol of an ongoing trial that aims to evaluate different variables that might influence the feasibility of TFT for the study population.

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