The aim of the current dissertation is three-fold. First, we aimed to provide insight with regard to the alterations of traumatized youths’ neurobiological stress systems (PART I). We investigated sympathetic, parasympathetic, and HPA axis parameters among traumatized adolescents in residential care and a nontraumatized comparison sample. Both basal activity during rest and reactivity to acute social stress were evaluated. The outcomes of this study are described in Chapter 2.

Present-centered therapy (PCT) was originally developed as a strong comparator for the non-specific effects of psychotherapy in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. PCT qualifies as a not strictly supportive treatment as it is structured and homework is assigned between sessions. It does not focus on cognitive restructuring or exposure. A growing body of literature supports its beneficial effects.

Epigenetic processes allow plasticity in gene regulation in response to significant environmental events. Accumulating evidence suggests that effective psychotherapy is accompanied by epigenetic changes, rendering DNA methylation a potential biomarker of therapy success. Due to the central role of glucocorticoid dynamics in stress regulation and the alteration of aversive memories, glucocorticoid receptors are likely involved in the molecular processes that are required to successfully treat Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Interpersonal functioning is a common concern for people with postttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but is not a key target of most trauma-focused psychotherapies (TFPs). We preregistered and undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) examining the efficacy of TFPs for improving interpersonal functioning. Studies were identified through the PTSD Trials Standardized Data Repository, scholarly databases, and the solicitation of unpublished data from the PTSD research community following current PRISMA guidelines.

This study addresses two distinct but interwoven questions on the link between spirituality and religion in the lives of Syrian Muslim refugee parents. (1) How do religious and spiritual convictions impact these refugees and their families? (2) How do these convictions shape Syrian Muslim refugee parents’ own positionality as caregivers and as individuals?

'Mapping Hiding Places' is an international research project that has started with data collection in the Netherlands, by students of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Faculty of Humanities. The project is an initiative of Dr Dienke Hondius, to collect information about hiding places used by Jews in Europe to escape Nazi persecution during the Holocaust (1933-1945).

Psilocybine staat niet alleen in de belangstelling als psychedelicum voor recreatief gebruik, maar recent ook bij een veel ruimer publiek als mogelijk geneesmiddel, vooral als mogelijk antidepressivum. Wat verbaast is dat het ook zou werken als middel tegen allerlei angststoornissen, post-traumatisch stress syndroom, bij verslaving en bij obsessief-compulsieve stoornis (OCS).

Background: Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (DBT-PTSD) is a phase-based treatment for PTSD. The DBT-PTSD treatment programme’s efficacy has not been tested during standard operation, outside of laboratory outcome studies.

Objective: The present pilot study investigated the transportability of the DBT-PTSD treatment to a real word clinical setting in a residential mental health centre.

Background: The most used questionnaires for PTSD screening in adults were developed in English. Although many of these questionnaires were translated into other languages, the procedures used to translate them and to evaluate their reliability and validity have not been consistently documented. This comprehensive scoping review aimed to compile the currently available translated and evaluated questionnaires used for PTSD screening, and highlight important gaps in the literature.

Background: A negative self-concept is characterised by dysfunctional cognitions about the self and has been suggested to be a key factor involved in the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, the current definitions of PTSD according to DSM-5 and the new ICD-11 diagnosis of Complex PTSD (CPTSD) include aspects of negative self-concept in their diagnostic criteria.