Stronger Than My Ghosts : Narrative Exposure Therapy and Cognitive Recovery in Later Life

Background: To explore cognitive recovery during and after Narrative Exposure Therapy from the patient’s perspective, autobiographical material and interview responses were qualitatively
analyzed.

 

Method: Using a framework of cognitive development, patient-reported outcomes from four senior Dutch citizens (57–81 years of age) were examined. All participants reported multiple traumatic experiences, including adverse childhood experiences.

 

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Randomised controlled trial comparing narrative exposure therapy with present-centred therapy for older patients with post-traumatic stress disorder

Background: Evidence-based treatment and age-specific services are required to address the needs of trauma-affected older populations. Narrative exposure therapy (NET) may present an appropriate treatment approach for this population since it provides prolonged exposure in a lifespan perspective. As yet, however, no trial on this intervention has been conducted with older adults from Western Europe.

Aims: Examining the efficacy of NET in a sample of older adults.

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Expert medico-legal reports: The relationship between levels of consistency and judicial outcomes in asylum seekers in the Netherlands

Introduction: If asylum applicants need to prove that they have been persecuted in their home country, expert judgment of the psychological and physical consequences of torture may support the judicial process. Expert medico-legal reports can be used to assess whether the medical complaints of the asylum seeker are consistent with their asylum account. It is unclear which factors influence medical expert judgement about the consistency between an asylum seeker’s symptoms and story, and to what extent expert medico-legal reports are associated with judicial outcomes.

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Occupational well-being in pediatricians—a survey about work-related posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety

The objective of this study was to study mental health, coping, and support after work-related adverse events among pediatricians. Physicians are frequently exposed to adverse events. It makes them at risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety disorders. Besides the personal impact, physicians could pose a threat towards patients, as mental health problems are associated with medical errors. A questionnaire was sent to all members of the Pediatric Association of The Netherlands in October 2016. The questionnaire focused on adverse events, coping, and support.

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Associations Among Hair Cortisol Concentrations, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Status, and Amygdala Reactivity to Negative Affective Stimuli in Female Police Officers

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function. Measurement of hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) allows retrospective assessment of HPA axis regulation over prolonged periods of time. Currently, research investigating HCC in PTSD remains sparse. Previous cross-sectional studies have included only civilian populations, although it is known that trauma type moderates associations between PTSD status and HPA axis function.

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The vulnerability paradox in global mental health and its applicability to suicide – CORRIGENDUM

This article erroneously states that Lennart Reifels is affiliated with Monash University Accident Research Centre, Monash University, Australia. In fact, he is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Australia.

 

Look for the article: https://psychotraumanet.org/en/vulnerability-paradox-global-mental-health-and-its-applicability-suicide

 

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Reciprocal Associations Among Symptom Levels of Disturbed Grief, Posttraumatic Stress, and Depression Following Traumatic Loss : A Four-Wave Cross-Lagged Study

Disturbed grief, operationalized as persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD), correlates with yet differs from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms. However, knowledge about temporal associations among these symptoms is limited. We aimed to enhance our understanding of the etiology of loss-related distress by examining temporal associations among PCBD, PTSD, and depression symptom levels. Dutch people (N = 172) who lost significant other(s) in a plane disaster completed questionnaires for PCBD, PTSD, and depression 11, 22, 31, and 42 months after the disaster.

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Barriers to mental health services at public health centers : Providers’ perspectives

Background and purpose: The disparity between the increasing prevalence of mental health (MH) illness and the availability of treatment in Indonesia remains high, despite the campaign to provide MH services at public health centers (PHCs) initiated by the government in 2014. This study explored barriers to MH service provision at PHCs in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia in order to identify priorities for service improvement. 

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How to improve organisational staff support? Suggestions from humanitarian workers in South Sudan

Humanitarian workers experience high symptom burdens of common mental health problems. This requires action from the organisations they are employed with. However, many studies have documented continuing weaknesses in organisational staff support, as well as disparities in access to the services for national and international staff. Systematic data capturing suggestions from humanitarian workers on how to tackle this situation within a specific crisis setting is rarely available.

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Eating disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder

Purpose of review: Childhood maltreatment is associated with all types of eating disorders. We provide a systematic review of the recent literature on comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients with eating disorders, and focus on prevalence, relationship with symptom severity, operating mechanisms and treatment.

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