ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre

Background: Refugees often suffer from trauma-related psychopathology, specifically posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Negative world assumptions are strongly correlated with the development, course, and severity of PTSD.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether there are distinct profiles of PTSD and negative world assumptions (NWA) and examine whether trauma load, torture, and gender differentially predict such symptom profiles.

Insecure attachment is proposed to be a risk factor in the development and persistence of severe grief. Although prior research demonstrates positive cross-sectional and longitudinal correlations between attachment styles and prolonged grief symptoms, controlled longitudinal analyses yield fewer convincing results.

Background: Whether there are biological sex differences in rates of childhood trauma exposure perpetrated by female versus male biological parents remains largely unknown. Moreover, the relative risk posed by various vulnerability factors for transdiagnostic mental health outcomes among females vs. males in adulthood has received insufficient attention.

The field of traumatic stress is often referred to as being in a state of controversy and lack of continuity. Throughout history, disputes repeatedly centered on defining the psychological consequences of severe adverse events and on their causes. Even to this day this is current. To understand these controversies, an extensive historical literature review is presented of how mental consequences of trauma have been described in history, of the circumstances in which this took place, and of the disputes that have influenced the conceptualization of these mental responses.

Background
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex and heterogeneous mental health condition that can develop after exposure to a traumatic event. Clinical trials have used alternative pharmacological agents to treat PTSD, but their associated neural correlates remain unclear. The present systematic review aims to summarize the changes in brain function associated with the use of these alternative pharmacological agents in PTSD.

Background: Alexithymia, an inability to recognise one’s emotions, has been associated with trauma-exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous research suggests involvement of the oxytocin system, and socio-emotional neural processes. However, the paucity of neurobiological research on alexithymia, particularly in trauma-exposed populations, warrants further investigation.

Objective: Explore associations between alexithymia, endogenous oxytocin levels, and socio-emotional brain function and morphometry in a trauma-exposed sample.

Background
The COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying societal measures have impacted children and their families all over the world. Little is known about the factors associated with mental health outcomes in young children (i.e., 1 to 6 years old) during the pandemic. The current study aimed to examine associations with potential risk and protective factors, i.e., direct COVID-19 exposure factors as well as within-family characteristics.

Background: A significant body of literature has identified multiple factors that contribute to established victimization by aggressive and/or intimidating behaviours. These studies primarily originate from the fields of intimate partner violence (IPV), bullying, sexual abuse, and/or commercial sexual exploitation (CSE), and generally focus on female victims. It appears, however, complicated to quantify the cumulative contribution of these factors on susceptibility to intimidating and/or hostile engagements on an individual level.

This policy paper calls on practitioners, experts and policymakers, at all levels from the global south and global north, to support the integration of the peacebuilding (PB) and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) fields.
This paper recognises existing knowledge and steps to further MHPSS and PB integration internationally, makes the case for why integration is critical to foster psychosocial wellbeing and sustainable peace and describes key methodologies that are critical for integrated work. The

Background: With the release of the text revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5-TR), criteria for Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) were included. This necessitates studying grief trajectories based on these criteria. Objective: This is the first study examining latent trajectories of DSM-5-TR-based PGD symptom levels and testing whether specific risk factors (e.g.