Short-term psychotherapy for depression : broadening the field of efficacy research

Since early 1960, there has been research into the effectiveness of psychotherapy for depression. The aim of this thesis is to broaden the effectiveness research on short-term psychotherapy for depression by adding research findings on five aspects of this area, which can all play an important role in improving the care of patients with depression. Three of these aspects are related to short-term...

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Vulnerability to posttraumatic stress disorder

Most individuals will experience a traumatic event during their lives and some will develop subsequent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is characterized by symptoms of re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoidance of reminders of the event, and hyperarousal symptoms. The thesis of Miriam Lommen describes six studies related to three different aims. First, two studies aimed to identify...

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Programming effects of adversity on adolescent adaptive capacity

This thesis aimed to test the effects of stressful life events (adversity) on changes in adolescent adaptive capacity, that is, the ability of an individual to deal with his or her environment. Adaptive capacity was measured both in terms of temperament and in terms of physiological responses to a laboratory stress task. The main findings point out that adolescents who are exposed to stressful...

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Treating complex traumatic stress disorders in children and adolescents : scientific foundations and therapeutic models

With contributions from prominent experts, this pragmatic book takes a close look at the nature of complex psychological trauma in children and adolescents and the clinical challenges it presents. Each chapter shows how a complex trauma perspective can provide an invaluable unifying framework for case conceptualization, assessment, and intervention amidst the chaos and turmoil of these young...

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Work engagement among employees facing emotional demands: The role of personal resources

This two-wave study examined work engagement as a function of personal resources and emotionally demanding conditions at work. We hypothesized that personal resources (self-efficacy and optimism) buffer the effect of emotional demands and emotion-rule dissonance on work engagement. Furthermore, we expected that emotional demands/dissonance boost the effect of personal resources on work engagement. One-hundred sixty-three employees, who provide service to customers, participated at both measurement times.

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Trust in online information

The introduction of the Internet has made it very easy to gain information on any topic imaginable. The downside of this development is that it has become much harder to evaluate the credibility of this information, as it is often unclear who the author is. In this dissertation, the way Internet users evaluate the credibility of online information is studied, with a focus on the relationship between user characteristics and information features. The online encyclopedia Wikipedia is used as a case -study.

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Treatment compliance and effectiveness in complex PTSD patients with co-morbid personality disorder undergoing stabilizing cognitive behavioral group treatment: a preliminary study

BackgroundIn the empirical and clinical literature, complex posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and personality disorders (PDs) are suggested to be predictive of drop-out or reduced treatment effectiveness in trauma-focused PTSD treatment.ObjectiveIn this study, we aimed to investigate if personality characteristics would predict treatment compliance and effectiveness in stabilizing complex PTSD treatment.MethodIn a randomized controlled trial on a 20-week stabilizing group cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) for child-abuse-related complex PTSD, we included 71 patients of whom 38 were ra

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Trauma, mental health, and intergenerational associations in Kosovar Families 11 years after the war

While there is a considerable amount of literature addressing consequences of trauma in veterans and holocaust survivors, war and postwar civilian populations, particularly children, are still understudied. Evidence regarding intergenerational effects of trauma in families is inconsistent. To shed light on intergenerational aspects of trauma-related mental health problems among families 11 years after the Kosovo war.

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Trauma and stress among older adults in prison: Breaking the cycle of silence

Research consistently shows that incarcerated juveniles and adults experience high levels of prior traumatic experiences and stressful life events. Yet there is a gap in the literature addressing incarcerated older adults' life-course experiences of traumatic and stressful life events and their initial and current subjective interpretations of these events. Given that untreated trauma has been linked to decreased health and mental well-being, and recidivism, the current study attempts to address this gap.

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Time after Time: biological factors in the course of recurrent depression.

The primary focus of this dissertation was to increase the knowledge about possible biological factors and psychopathological mechanisms (including HPA-axis functioning, one-carbon and fatty-acid metabolism), as well as some gene-environment interactions for the course of recurrent MDD (MDD-R). Studying MDD-R is important because there are indications that it represents a more biological and genetic determined MDD-subtype, which may be specifically linked to recurrence and CVD-risk.

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