The trauma of truth telling: Effects of witnessing in the Rwandan Gacaca courts on psychological health

AbstractTruth telling has come to play a pivotal role in postconflict reconciliation processes around the world. A common claim is that truth telling is healing and will lead to reconciliation. The present study applies recent psychological research to this issue by examining whether witnessing in the gacaca, the Rwandan village tribunals for truth and reconciliation after the 1994 genocide, was beneficial for psychological health.

The 'Weight' of Recurrent Depression: A Comparison between Recurrent Depressed Individuals and the Dutch Population.

Both depression and obesity share similar risk factors and are mutually associated. Amongobese people, depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders 1. Studies inpersons seeking treatment for mood disorders like depression indicate that obesity andoverweight are common problems in these groups 2, 3.

The politics of war trauma : the aftermath of World War II in eleven European countries

Oorlogsslachtoffers worden in veel (maar zeker niet alle) Europese landen direct gezien en opgevangen als mogelijke traumapatiënten. In 1945 was het woord trauma nog onbekend en de posttraumatische stressstoornis nog niet uitgevonden. Hoe dacht men in die tijd over de mogelijke gezondheidsschade van bijvoorbeeld kampoverlevenden, ex-gevangenen en militairen? Welke groepen slachtoffers konden in de diverse landen aanspraak maken op medische en financiële zorg?

The Role of emotional numbing in sexual functioning among veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) negatively impacts sexuality, yet few studies have evaluated which component of PTSD contributes to this known association. The present study examined which of four PTSD clusters (numbing, avoidance, intrusiveness, and hyperarousal) was most closely linked to sexual problems in a sample of 197 veterans from the Iraq or Afghanistan wars. Newly registered veterans completed a packet of questionnaires including standardized measures of PTSD and questions regarding sexual functioning.

The meaning and mental health consequences of long-term immigration detention for people seeking asylum

The aim of the present research was to examine the experience of extended periods of immigration detention from the perspective of previously detained asylum seekers and to identify the consequences of these experiences for life after release. The study sample comprised seventeen adult refugees (sixteen male and one female, average age 42 years), who had been held in immigration detention funded by the Australian government for on average three years and two months.

The mindfulness-based relapse prevention adherence and competence scale: development, interrater reliability, and validity

The present study describes the development of the Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention Adherence and Competence Scale (MBRP-AC), a measure of treatment integrity for mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP). MBRP is a newly developed treatment integrating core aspects of relapse prevention with mindfulness practices.

The new Muslim Brotherhood in the West

In Europe and North America, networks tracing their origins back to the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist movements have rapidly evolved into multifunctional and richly funded organizations competing to become the major representatives of Western Muslim communities and government interlocutors. Conducting in-depth interviews on four continents and sourcing documents in ten languages, Vidino shares the history, methods, attitudes, and goals of the Western Brothers, as well as their phenomenal growth.

The effect of war stressors and life events on Gulf War veterans with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome symptoms

This study examines the association of life stressors and the period when they occur, with the development of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) symptoms in Gulf War veterans. Of data collected from Gulf War Health Registry veterans, 113 met CFS criteria and 441were controls. After hierarchical multiple regression, several negative life stressors were associated with CFS group membership: being wounded, experiencing a traumatic war experience, frequent battle experiences, demotion, and unable to work within 2 years of returning from the Gulf.

The expected psychiatric impact of detention in Guatanamo Bay, Cuba, and related considerations

What are the likely mental and related physical health consequences of prolonged exposure to common stressors to detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba? Significant distress leads to high rates of psychiatric disorders, medical problems, and functional impairments. The consequences are severe, physically and psychologically, affecting the individual, his or her family, and the culture at large. Damaging conditions endured by detainees are multiple and severe and are reviewed here in detail.

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