Measuring Posttraumatic Stress Reactions in Children: A Preliminary Validation of the Children's Responses to Trauma Inventory

The Children's Responses to Trauma Inventory (CRTI) is a self-report measure for posttraumatic stress reactions in children. We validated the original CRTI through secondary data analysis of four clinical and nonclinical samples (N = 96) and expert consultation. After revision, the CRTI was further validated in 8- to 12-year-old traumatized children in the general population (N = 243). The original CRTI showed moderate to excellent reliability and both convergent and discriminant validity, but it also had limitations in formulation and scope of the items.

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Mental health first aid training by e-learning: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: Mental Health First Aid training is a course for the public that teaches how to give initial help to a person developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. The present study evaluated the effects of Mental Health First Aid training delivered by e-learning on knowledge about mental disorders, stigmatizing attitudes and helping behaviour. METHOD: A randomized controlled trial was carried out with 262 members of the Australian public.

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Knowledge and quality of life in female torture survivors. Building health-related knowledge and quality of life through health promotion and empowerment strategies among female expatriate torture survivors

Immigrant women represent disadvantaged and vulnerable members of the torture survivor population. They tend to be isolated and have negative coping strategies resulting in poor health and wellbeing. The purpose of this pilot study is to develop and evaluate an educational and interactive women&rsquo,s health-based programme using health promotion and empowerment strategies, with the intent of using the knowledge gained to contribute to an ongoing women&rsquo,s health programme.

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Late effects of trauma: PTSD in holocaust survivors

Participants in this study were Jewish Holocaust survivors (N = 89) divided into groups depending on the type of trauma they had experienced. As compared to the control group, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were clearly more persistent in the trauma group. The most salient PTSD symptoms (primarily avoidance and increased arousal) were noted in those who survived hiding on the Aryan side. Men were more at risk for reexperiencing trauma than women, who were more prone to avoidance or numbing of general responsiveness.

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Inpatient treatment to online aftercare: E-Mailing themes as a function of therapeutic outcomes

The authors applied the meaning extraction method (MEM) to 4,241 e-mails written by 297 participants of an email-based aftercare program following inpatient psychotherapy. Principal-components analysis of the most frequently used nouns in the e-mails yielded nine components: life decisions and coping, relationship conflict, psychological and physical symptoms, family of origin, social and leisure activities, present family and household, treatment, exercise and diet, and work. Relative to men, women focused more on symptoms, exercise and diet, and family of origin, but less on work.

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Idioms of distress among trauma survivors: subtypes and clinical utility

In this introduction to the Special Issue on Trauma and Idioms of Distress, we provide an overview of the concept and typology of idioms of distress, focusing particularly on their clinical utility. This includes the role of idioms as indicators of trauma exposure, of various types of psychopathology and of levels of distress, risk and functioning. It likewise includes the fact that idioms of distress may profoundly influence the personal meaning of having a trauma-related disorder, may shape the interpersonal course of the disorder and may pattern help-seeking and self-treatment.

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Helping families and communities recover from disaster : lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Central Gulf Coast region of the United States. The storm and its aftermath resulted in the most severe, damaging, and costly natural and unnatural disaster in the nation's history—as evidenced by the size of the region affected, the loss of life, the extensive destruction of property, and the thousands displaced.Over 2 years post-disaster, many families lived in temporary housing and had limited access to basic services, to date, many continue to struggle to meet basic needs.

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Gruppenpsychotherapie bei traumatisierten Patientinnen.Konzepte und Stand der Forschung

Group psychotherapy has been shown to be a valuable element in the treatment of trauma survivors. Most concepts address childhood trauma, while some also deal with survivors of war trauma. A variety of psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral group concepts are presented. While transference-oriented psychodynamic group psychotherapy aims at working through enactments of traumatic experiences in the transference relationship, other psycho-dynamic approaches focus on processing traumatic affects without using transference work.

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Gruppentherapie mit komplex traumatisierten. Patientinnen im stationären Setting

Group psychotherapy with complex traumatized clients can be highly challenging for therapists. Traditional psychodynamic group therapy can be especially overwhelming for patients with dissociative comorbidity. These patients tend to react with avoidance, withdrawal, and dissociation to emotions mobilized during the group process.

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Haiti emerging from the ruins

This edition pays tribute to Haitian Red Cross volunteers for their efforts to rescue and assist the victims of the earthquake. Also in this issue: restoring family links in the aftermath of natural disasters, tuberculosis in the prisons of Azerbaijan and Georgia, the Movement takes up the challenge of urban violence. (Publisher)

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