Adult attachment representations predict cortisol and oxytocin responses to stress

There are many factors contributing to individual variations in the response to stressful experiences. The present study evaluated the patterns of stress responses according to attachment representations in 28 adults from a community sample, plus 46 subjects expected to be particularly sensitive to stress, having been exposed during childhood and/or adolescence to traumatizing events such as abuse or potentially lethal illnesses.

A meta-analysis of imagery rehearsal for post-trauma nightmares: affects on nightmare frequency, sleep quality, and posttraumatic stress

This meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy of imagery rehearsal as a treatment for nightmares, general sleep disturbance, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Bibliographic databases and cited references were searched to identify clinical trials of imagery rehearsal in individuals with post-trauma nightmares. Thirteen studies met inclusion criteria and reported sleep and post-traumatic stress outcomes in sufficient detail to calculate effect sizes.

A parricidal memory: Flanders' memorial universe as product and producer of Belgian history

This article examines how the Belgian patriotic collective memory in Flanders during the 20th century was supplanted by a Flemish Nationalist counter memory. The article starts with a semiotic analysis of some concrete commemorative practices and discourses surrounding the brothers Van Raemdonck, two Flemish soldiers who died during the First World War and were venerated as Flemish heroes. Next, these cases are situated in some larger themes and tendencies dominating the intellectual construction of Flemish National collective memory during the 19th and 20th centuries.

A Phenomenological Analysis of Disaster-Related Experiences in Fire and Emergency Medical Services Personnel

This article explores the experiences of fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel during and immediately after a technological event using a phenomenological approach. Personnel engaged in the rescue operations during and immediately after the Ghislenghien gas explosion reflected upon their experiences in their responses to a specially designed, self-reporting questionnaire that included open-ended questions. Firefighters reported more perceived threat and direct exposure to death than did EMS personnel.

A Quarter of cases of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is with delayed onset

This month’s guest post is by Geert Smid. Geert is a psychiatrist with Foundation Centrum ’45, the Dutch national institute for specialized diagnosis and mental health treatment after persecution, war and violence. He is also a researcher at Arq Psychotrauma Expert Group. Geert completed his PhD on Delayed Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in 2011 with a number of beautiful publications. He’ll make your brain work a little on this very topic:

A longitudinal study of mental health in refugees from Burma: the impact of therapeutic interventions

OBJECTIVE: The present study seeks to examine the impact of therapeutic interventions for people from refugee backgrounds within a naturalistic setting. METHODS: Sixty-two refugees from Burma were assessed soon after arriving in Australia. All participants received standard interventions provided by a resettlement organisation which included therapeutic interventions, assessment, social assistance, and referrals where appropriate. At the completion of service provision a follow-up assessment was conducted.

A Critical Evaluation of the Complex PTSD Literature: Implications for DSM-5

Complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) has been proposed as a diagnosis for capturing the diverse clusters of symptoms observed in survivors of prolonged trauma that are outside the current definition of PTSD. Introducing a new diagnosis requires a high standard of evidence, including a clear definition of the disorder, reliable and valid assessment measures, support for convergent and discriminant validity, and incremental validity with respect to implications for treatment planning and outcome.

The Influence of Education and Socialization on Radicalization : An Exploration of Theoretical Presumptions and Empirical Research

Background and Objective
Research into radicalization does not pay much attention to education. This is remarkable and possibly misses an important influence on the process of radicalization. Therefore this article sets out to explore the relation between education on the one hand and the onset or prevention of radicalization on the other hand.

ISTSS Expert Consensus Guidelines for Complex PTSD in Adults

Overview. ISTSS has developed guidelines for the treatment of PTSD, the first of which were produced in 2000 followed by a revision published in 2008 (Foa, Keane, Friedman & Cohen, 2008). The 2008 guidelines acknowledge that the PTSD framework does not include salient symptoms and problems of individuals who are exposed to prolonged and repeated trauma such as childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, and political violence, commonly referred to as Complex PTSD, and that these disturbances contribute to distressed lives and disability.

Dealing with man-made trauma: The relationship between coping style, posttraumatic stress, and quality of life in resettled, traumatized refugees in the Netherlands

 

 department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2Arq Research Program, Foundation Centrum ‘45, Oegstgeest, The Netherlands

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