Children’s vulnerability increases and child protection systems are weakened in fragile states due to fragmentation of services and severe resource gaps. In the pursuit to identify and recom mend preventative interventions, this study presents the multifaceted and transnational connections between, and mechanisms behind, child exploitation and trafficking and fragile states. The causes of exploitation in fragile contexts are best understood using the socioecological approach. Within this approach, pro tective factors such as school and parents can be risks in certain circumstances.

Welcome to the first issue of Intervention for 2022. We are opening the year by focussing a special section on the climate crisis and mental health and psychosocial support. We hope that the articles included demonstrate useful approaches and lessons learned in terms of practical MHPSS (mental health and psychosocial support) actions for the field. We are also featuring a range of other articles that have been submitted alongside the ones received in response to the call for papers about the climate crisis.

Veel Oekraïners kampen als gevolg van de oorlog met psychische problemen, sommigen durven niet eens te slapen. Psychologen schieten te hulp – maar wat kunnen ze doen voor mensen die nog midden in de oorlog zitten?

Eén manier waarop ze dat doen is met ‘psychologische eerste hulp’, voor als iemand acuut wordt overweldigd door emoties, bijvoorbeeld tijdens een paniekaanval. Lees in dit artikel over de ervaringen en de werkwijze van de psychologen van Artsen zonder Grenzen en wat het werk van psychologen in oorlogssituaties inhoudt.

Background
Trauma-focused psychotherapies for combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military veterans are efficacious, but there are many barriers to receiving treatment. The objective of this study was to determine if cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for PTSD among active duty military personnel and veterans would result in increased acceptability, fewer dropouts, and better outcomes when delivered In-Home or by Telehealth as compared to In-Office treatment.

Achtergrond: De Chronological Assessment of Suicide Events (CASE-benadering) van Shawn Shea is wereldwijd en ook in Nederland een bekend en veelgebruikt klinisch interview om de suïcidale toestand van een patiënt te onderzoeken. De oorspronkelijke beschrijving van de auteur wordt niet altijd gevolgd.

Doel: Vergelijken van de Nederlandse CASE-benadering met de oorspronkelijke beschrijving.

Telomeres are short tandem repeats of “TTAGGG” that protect the chromosome ends from deterioration or fusion of chromosomes. Their repeat length shortens with cell division acting as a biomarker of cellular aging. Traumatic stress events during adulthood or childhood have been associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and short leukocyte telomere length (LTL).

Epigenetic factors modify the effects of environmental factors on biological outcomes. Identification of epigenetic changes that associate with PTSD is therefore a crucial step in deciphering mechanisms of risk and resilience. In this study, our goal is to identify epigenetic signatures associated with PTSD symptom severity (PTSS) and changes in PTSS over time, using whole blood DNA methylation (DNAm) data (MethylationEPIC BeadChip) of military personnel prior to and following combat deployment.

Due to its novelty and lack of empirical study it remains unclear if a service dog truly mitigates the burden of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. To cross sectionally investigate the effect of service dogs on veterans and first aid responders with PTSD, we studied subjective and physiological parameters in 65 individuals divided over four groups. These groups were: veterans and first aid responders with PTSD and a service dog (n = 20), with PTSD and a companion dog (n = 10), with PTSD without a dog (n = 12) and a group without PTSD (n = 23).

Background: Patients with severe mental illness with repeated interpersonal trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a negative illness progression. Traumas are often not treated because of their vulnerability. Narrative exposure therapy (NET) is an effective trauma therapy. It is unknown whether NET is effective and tolerable in these patients receiving community mental healthcare.

Bereaved youths are at risk of developing posttraumatic stress (PTS), but there are large individual differences in presentation and severity of PTS symptoms among bereaved youths.