The Mediation Effect of Hyperarousal Symptoms on the Relationship Between Childhood Physical Abuse and Suicidal Ideation of Patients With PTSD

Violence Increases Psychological Distress Among Women Trafficking Survivors in Ghana

Human trafficking is a crime that is often shaped by violence, particularly for women who are trafficked. Additionally, trafficking survivors often report severe psychological distress, though research on the causes of this psychological distress is lacking, as there is little longitudinal data available on trafficking survivors. Informed by past literature on the links between violence and mental health among other traumatized groups of women, we investigate how experiences of violence influence posttraumatic stress, depression, and suicide ideation among a unique longitudinal sample of 116 labor-trafficked women in Ghana. We find that experiencing sexual violence while being trafficked is associated with higher levels of both depression and posttraumatic stress years after the trafficking period ended. This indicates both the long-term effects of stress and the enduring nature of psychological distress among the women in this study. Our analytic account of how violent experiences while trafficked impact mental health over the period of reintegration contributes to the general literature on violence and mental health among women, as well as to literature on the health implications of human trafficking.

The neuroscientific basis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): From brain to treatment

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health condition resulting from exposure to traumatic events, marked by persistent psychological distress and impairment in daily functioning. Risk factors for PTSD include genetic predispositions, neurobiological factors, as well as psychosocial and environmental influences. Specific demographic groups, such as veterans, first responders, and individuals in high-risk environments, are more susceptible to developing the disorder. Despite growing research, there remain gaps in understanding the full pathophysiology of PTSD, and existing diagnostic methods and treatments are not universally effective, contributing to a significant public health burden. This chapter explores the pathophysiology of PTSD, focusing on its underlying mechanisms, associated risk factors, and high-risk populations. Biological biomarkers such as neuroimaging findings, hormonal imbalances, genetic predispositions, and physiological indicators are discussed in the context of their role in PTSD diagnosis and understanding. Both pharmacological treatments and non-pharmacological interventions, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and mindfulness-based techniques, are reviewed for their effectiveness in symptom management. Further research is essential to advance individualized diagnostic techniques and optimize treatment strategies, ensuring more personalized care for PTSD patients.

Coexisting patterns of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms in college students who experienced childhood maltreatment: Different types of maltreatment exposure

BACKGROUND

Childhood maltreatment is often associated with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, but the impact of different types of maltreatment on this comorbidity is not well understood.

METHODS

Using network analysis, we examined differences in comorbidity patterns of PTSD and depression symptoms among college students who experienced different forms of childhood maltreatment. We selected a subsample of 2968 students (Mage = 19.38, SD = ±1.45) who reported exposure to childhood maltreatment from a larger sample of 5231 students.

RESULTS

This study showed that symptoms of negative emotions and cognitive change, intrusive symptoms, and increased alertness might play a significant role in the diagnosis and prognosis of comorbid PTSD and depression. The most central nodes in the network of physical maltreatment were flashbacks, and irritability, whereas the most central nodes in the network of emotional and compound trauma, were low mood and sadness. Moreover, network structure and strength differed significantly between maltreatment types, and differences in specific symptom associations were also observed.

CONCLUSION

Network analysis provides insights into which symptoms contribute to the development of comorbidities in individuals with different childhood maltreatment types, as well as how specific symptoms are interconnected in the network. This information can aid in developing targeted and effective interventions for different maltreatment forms.

The impact of trauma core dimensions on anxiety and depression: a latent regression model through the Post-Traumatic Symptom Questionnaire (PTSQ)

Adverse life events (e.g., severe accidents, violence/abuse, organic disorders) can elicit traumatic responses characterized by intrusive thoughts, hyperarousal, and avoidance-highlighting the need for sound assessment tools. Also, these traumatic components could heighten anxiety and depression symptoms. This study aims included to: (1) assessing the psychometric properties of the Post-Traumatic Symptom Questionnaire (PTSQ) and delineating clinical cut-offs; (2) investigating how distinct trauma components contribute to anxiety and depression symptoms. Involving 761 participants who experienced a traumatic event, Part I tested the PTSQ psychometric properties, defining clinical cut-offs. Part II tested the impact of traumatic components on anxiety and depression symptoms, using a multiple multivariate latent regression model. PTSQ exhibited exemplary fit indices and robust psychometric properties. Clinically relevant cut-offs were identified. The differential contributions of intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal to anxiety and depression symptoms were evaluated, elucidating the strength and nature of these relationships. This study reaffirms the PTSQ as a psychometrically sound and reliable instrument. It underscores the effects of intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal on anxiety and depression symptoms in individuals with traumatic experiences. These insights advocate for evidence-based interventions aimed at alleviating the psychological suffering associated with trauma components, fostering adaptation and supporting psychological health.

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among parents and adolescents following Typhoon Lekima: Examination of the mother-daughter sex matching effect

This study aimed to examine the same-sex matching effect of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms from parents to children and the mediating role of children' sense of security and catastrophization. Longitudinal data from 447 parent-child dyads were acquired using self-report scales. Parents (77.0% mothers; Mage = 40.15 years old) reported their PTSD symptoms 3 months after Super Typhoon Lekima, and children (55.9% girls; Mage = 13.40 years old) reported their PTSD symptoms, sense of security, and catastrophization 3 months and 15 months after the typhoon. Results showed that intrusion in mothers predicated intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms in daughters, while avoidance and hyperarousal in mothers predicted the same symptoms in daughters. This was not observed in any other parent-child dyads. Moreover, mothers' intrusion positively predicted daughters' PTSD symptoms via daughters' sense of security and then catastrophization, while mothers' hyperarousal showed the opposite prediction. These findings suggest that a same-sex matching effect occurs from mothers to daughters in terms of intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD. Thus, clinical interventions that target daughters' PTSD symptoms should also consider mothers' intrusion and avoidance symptoms. Moreover, it may be possible to develop interventions to improve daughters' sense of security.

Childhood trauma and suicide risk in hospitalized patients with schizophrenia: the sequential mediating roles of pandemic related post-traumatic stress symptoms, sleep quality, and psychological distress

Introduction

Stressful global situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused a tremendous impact on mental health in hospitalized patients with schizophrenia. The mediating roles of psychological impact related to COVID-19, sleep quality, and psychological distress were investigated in the association between childhood trauma and suicidal risk in hospitalized patients with schizophrenia.

Methods

We analyzed cross-sectional data of 147 patients with schizophrenia and 189 healthy controls (HCs).

Results

Histories of childhood trauma and schizophrenia were good predictors of COVID-19-related psychological impact, global sleep quality, and psychological distress. Moreover, the series mediation model showed that the effect of childhood trauma on suicidal risk in hospitalized patients with schizophrenia was totally sequential mediated by the psychological impact of COVID-19, sleep quality, and psychological distress.

Conclusion

Clinicians need to recognize the increased suicidal risk associated with COVID-19-related psychological distress in schizophrenia patients with a history of childhood trauma.

Relationships between childhood trauma and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a network analysis

Background

Childhood trauma has been found to have an important impact on mental health. However, little is known regarding the intercorrelations between childhood trauma and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate such complex interplay between childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress level during the COVID-19 pandemic, and fear of COVID-19 using network analysis.

Methods

A total of 1,247 college students were recruited and were asked to complete a series of questionnaires, including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, Post-traumatic Stress Checklist-Civilian version, and Fear of COVID-19 Scale. The Gaussian graphical model with the scores of the questionnaires as nodes was estimated. The partial correlations between nodes were calculated as edges. Moreover, network comparison tests were conducted to compare the network patterns between participants with high levels of childhood trauma and low levels of childhood trauma.

Results

Childhood trauma was found to be connected to depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress level. The node of childhood trauma exhibited the strongest strength and the highest expected influence in the network. Participants with high levels of childhood trauma and participants with low levels of childhood trauma showed comparable network structure and global strength.

Conclusion

Our findings revealed a complex network pattern between childhood trauma and different mental health problems, indicating that childhood trauma might be a risk factor for mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Heterogeneous Mediation Analysis on Epigenomic PTSD and Traumatic Stress in a Predominantly African American Cohort

DNA methylation (DNAm) has been suggested to play a critical role in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), through mediating the relationship between trauma and PTSD. However, this underlying mechanism of PTSD for African Americans still remains unknown. To fill this gap, in this article, we investigate how DNAm mediates the effects of traumatic experiences on PTSD symptoms in the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study (DNHS) (2008-2013) which involves primarily African Americans adults. To achieve this, we develop a new mediation analysis approach for high-dimensional potential DNAm mediators. A key novelty of our method is that we consider heterogeneity in mediation effects across subpopulations. Specifically, mediators in different subpopulations could have opposite effects on the outcome, and thus could be difficult to identify under a traditional homogeneous model framework. In contrast, the proposed method can estimate heterogeneous mediation effects and identifies subpopulations in which individuals share similar effects. Simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms existing methods for both homogeneous and heterogeneous data. We also present our mediation analysis results of a dataset with 125 participants and more than 450,000 CpG sites from the DNHS study. The proposed method finds three subgroups of subjects and identifies DNAm mediators corresponding to genes such as HSP90AA1 and NFATC1 which have been linked to PTSD symptoms in literature. Our finding could be useful in future finer-grained investigation of PTSD mechanism and in the development of new treatments for PTSD.