Probing the neurocardiac circuit in trauma and posttraumatic stress.

The neurocardiac circuit is integral to physiological regulation of threat and trauma-related responses. However, few direct investigations of brain-behavior associations with replicable physiological markers of PTSD have been conducted. The current study probed the neurocardiac circuit by examining associations among its core regions in the brain (e.g., insula, hypothalamus) and the periphery (heart rate [HR], high frequency heart rate variability [HF-HRV], and blood pressure [BP]). We sought to characterize these associations and to determine whether there were differences by PTSD status. Participants were N = 315 (64.1 % female) trauma-exposed adults enrolled from emergency departments as part of the prospective AURORA study. Participants completed a deep phenotyping session (e.g., fear conditioning, magnetic resonance imaging) two weeks after emergency department admission. Voxelwise analyses revealed several significant interactions between PTSD severity 8-weeks posttrauma and psychophysiological recordings on hypothalamic connectivity to the prefrontal cortex (PFC), insula, superior temporal sulcus, and temporoparietaloccipital junction. Among those with PTSD, diastolic BP was directly correlated with right insula-hypothalamic connectivity, whereas the reverse was found for those without PTSD. PTSD status moderated the association between systolic BP, HR, and HF-HRV and hypothalamic connectivity in the same direction. While preliminary, our findings may suggest that individuals with higher PTSD severity exhibit compensatory neural mechanisms to down-regulate autonomic imbalance. Additional study is warranted to determine how underlying mechanisms (e.g., inflammation) may disrupt the neurocardiac circuit and increase cardiometabolic disease risk in PTSD.

Gender differences in illicit drug access, use and use disorder: Analysis of National Survey on Drug Use and Health data.

Although gender differences in the prevalence of substance use disorders (SUD) have been well-characterized, little is known about when gender differences emerge along the continuum of substance use. Understanding the contribution of gender to risk at key transition points across this continuum is needed to identify potential mechanisms underlying gender differences and to inform improved gender-responsive interventions. To characterize gender differences in the progression of cannabis, cocaine, and heroin use, the current study used data from the United States-based 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to quantify gender differences in: (1) perceived access to drugs, (2) lifetime drug use among individuals with at least some access, and (3) past-year SUD among those who had ever used each drug. Logistic regressions were conducted for each drug to examine gender differences across all three stages, controlling for sociodemographic factors and survey year. Compared to women, men had higher odds of reporting access to and lifetime use of all three drug types. Men also had higher odds of past-year cannabis and cocaine use disorders compared to women. Results suggest gender differences emerge in the earliest stage of drug use (access) and may accumulate across the stages of use. The magnitude of gender differences varied across stages, with the largest differences observed for odds of drug initiation among those with perceived access to each drug. Longitudinal data will be needed to confirm these findings and to provide insight into potential contributors to gender-specific risk and intervention targets across the continuum of drug use severity.

The Role of Emotion Dysregulation in Heightened Alcohol Craving Related to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Symptoms.

Objective: Compared to their male counterparts, women with alcohol use disorders (AUD) alone and those with symptoms of co-occurring emotional disorders (posttraumatic stress disorder, PTSD, and depression) are particularly likely to have increased alcohol craving in response to negative affect and daily stressors. Emotion dysregulation is one transdiagnostic construct that may underlie heightened craving in response to stress within this population. In a secondary data analysis, the current study examined emotion dysregulation as a mediator of the associations of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depression symptoms with heightened stress-induced alcohol craving, as measured in the lab. Given the overlap in symptoms, the relative associations of PTSD and depression symptom clusters with stress-induced craving were explored. Method: 50 women Veterans (84% White, 88% Non-Hispanic, Mage=45.68) attended two in-lab sessions. Self-report measures of emotion dysregulation, PTSD, and depression symptoms were administered at baseline. During session two, participants reported on alcohol craving and negative affect at baseline and again after a personalized stress induction procedure. Results: Emotion dysregulation mediated the association of greater PTSS with heightened stress-induced craving, although emotion dysregulation was not a mediator of the association between depression and stress-induced craving. Greater alcohol craving after the stress induction was positively associated with cognitive-affective symptoms in PTSD and depression (and not with other symptom clusters of these diagnoses, e.g., avoidance, somatic-vegetative symptoms). Conclusions: Emotion dysregulation may be a transdiagnostic factor that helps to explain greater alcohol cravings and drinking in stressful contexts among women Veterans with heightened symptoms of co-occurring emotional disorders.

The dynamic relationship of negative emotional content in the context of trauma-focused writing interventions on improvements in cognitive reappraisal: A pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Writing about traumatic experiences is beneficial for the reduction of posttraumatic stress symptoms, yet little research has examined the linguistic content of trauma-focused writing interventions. The current pilot study had two aims (a) characterize changes in linguistic features in two trauma-focused writing interventions; and (b) examine how changes in linguistic content may be associated with proposed mechanisms of change in trauma treatment (i.e., emotion regulation, cognitive reappraisal, and experiential avoidance). METHOD: Data were a secondary analysis of a proof-of-concept trial of written exposure therapy (WET) compared to trauma-focused expressive writing. Participants (N = 33, 76% female) completed five virtual sessions and measures of emotion regulation, posttraumatic cognitions, and experiential avoidance. Reliable change was calculated for each mechanism pre/postintervention. Linguistic inquiry and word count (Boyd et al., 2022) was used to analyze linguistic content (i.e., negative emotion words, past tense, cognitive processing, and death-related content). RESULTS: Group differences emerged in slopes of narrative content across time for negative emotion words (b = 0.3, p = .008), past tense (b = -1.45, p < .01), and causal language (b = 0.39, p = .002). Contrary to expectations, only the slope of change in negative emotion words was associated with reliable changes in posttraumatic cognitions (b = -0.59, p = .023). CONCLUSIONS: Findings contribute evidence to support the use of negative emotion words early in treatment as a potentially influential target for improving posttraumatic cognitions in WET. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparing written exposure therapy delivered via telehealth to trauma-focused expressive writing in undergraduates: A proof-of-concept trial.

The literature demonstrates that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rates are estimated to be higher on college campuses compared to lifetime estimates in the general population. Written exposure therapy (WET) is a promising brief intervention for posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) with a growing literature of evidence suggesting efficacy, lower drop-out rates compared to other evidence-based protocols, and long-term treatment gains. This proof-of-concept study examined the efficacy of WET delivered via telehealth compared to expressive writing (EW), the protocol from which WET was derived. The sample included non-treatment-seeking trauma-exposed undergraduate students (N = 33) with elevated PTSS. The results suggest that both WET, g = 1.26, and EW, g = 0.61, were associated with within-person decreases in PTSS. However, reliable change indices indicated that a significantly larger proportion of individuals in the WET condition (61.5%) demonstrated reliable symptom improvement compared to those who received EW (20.0%), g = 0.91. Contrary to our hypotheses, the WET and EW groups did not differ on reliable slopes of change; however, between-group effects were underpowered and should be interpreted with caution. These findings offer preliminary support for WET delivered via telehealth, including for individuals with subthreshold PTSS.

The Indirect Effect of Avoidant Motives for Sex on the Pathways From Childhood Maltreatment to Risky Sex Behaviors.

Literature supports a strong link between engagement in risky sex and childhood maltreatment, with engagement in risky sexual behavior proposed as a manifestation of avoidant coping. Sex motives refer to underlying motivations for engaging in sex such as increased intimacy, or peer pressure. Limited research has examined the role of sex motives on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and risky sex. This study sought to examine this path between childhood maltreatment types and later engagement in risky sex through sex motivations that seek to avoid or reduce negative affect (i.e., sex to cope and sex to affirm self-esteem). A sample of sexually active undergraduate women (n = 551) completed a series of questionnaires on childhood maltreatment, risky sexual behavior, and motivations for sexual intercourse as part of a larger parent study on revictimization. Path analysis was conducted to examine differential indirect effects of childhood maltreatment on risky sex (i.e., sex with a stranger and hookup behaviors). Results suggested sex to cope with negative affect mediated the relationship between emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, and hookup behavior. Only an indirect path between childhood emotional abuse and sex with a stranger was identified through sex to cope. Emotional abuse was the only maltreatment to predict sex to affirm, but sex to affirm did not predict risky sex outcomes. Findings provide support for differential pathways from various forms of childhood maltreatment, specifically sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and physical neglect, to increased risky sex as a manifestation of avoidant coping. Furthermore, results support the call for more inclusion of nonsexual forms of childhood maltreatment in studies of risky sex and avoidant coping as a potential intervention target for risky sexual behavior regardless of childhood maltreatment type.

Pilot examination of stress, heart rate variability, and alcohol craving and use among female veterans.

Rates of alcohol use disorder (AUD) are increasing among civilian and veteran populations of women in the United States, and stress pathophysiology (i.e., abnormal acute and long-term change in physiological responses to stress) is central to the maintenance of alcohol misuse within this population. Heart rate variability (HRV) is one measure of stress regulation that may help to explain the association of stress with alcohol misuse among women. In the current analysis of pilot data, 20 women veterans attended an in-person laboratory session and completed 35 daily assessments of their alcohol use and craving. During the lab session, the effects of a stress induction procedure on self-reported alcohol craving and HRV were assessed. HRV was continuously measured and indexed in the time domain, using the root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats (RMSSD). Alcohol craving and use during the longitudinal 35-day study period were measured via self-report questionnaires sent to participants' phones. Results indicated that resting HRV in the lab was positively associated with odds of daily craving. Moreover, HRV during the stressor, as measured in lab, was positively associated with (1) overall alcohol craving in the lab (i.e., with resting and post-stress craving), and (2) number of daily drinks during the 35-day study period. This pilot study suggests the potential role of HRV in response to stressors in predicting alcohol craving and use among female veterans. It provides pilot data for research on stress-reactive HRV as a biomarker for alcohol misuse among women, and discusses directions for future research.

Mental health service utilization following a campus mass shooting: The role of preshooting emotion dysregulation and posttraumatic cognitions.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated preshooting emotion dysregulation and posttraumatic cognitions as predictors of mental health service utilization ([MHU]; i.e., therapy/medication) among undergraduate women following a campus mass shooting, controlling for time, age, and postshooting posttraumatic stress (PTS) and depressive symptoms. METHOD: Undergraduate women (N = 483, Mage = 19.23, SD = 2.39) were engaged in a study when a mass shooting occurred on Northern Illinois University's campus. A separate, longitudinal study was then implemented to monitor postshooting adjustment among these same women. The present study examined predictors of MHU using data from the preshooting assessment and the following postshooting timepoints: 9 months (T1; n = 416); 14 months (T2; n = 416); 20 months (T3; n = 417); 26 months (T4; n = 405); and 33 months (T5; n = 397). RESULTS: Multilevel models showed preshooting emotion dysregulation and postshooting PTS and depressive symptoms positively predicted increased likelihood of MHU while controlling for covariates. Posttraumatic cognitions initially predicted increased therapy utilization, but this relationship became nonsignificant after accounting for preshooting emotion dysregulation. Preshooting emotion dysregulation also weakened the positive relationship between depressive symptoms and therapy utilization and strengthened the positive relationship between age and therapy utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Preshooting emotion dysregulation and postshooting mental health symptoms were the most robust predictors of increased MHU following a mass shooting. Findings suggest women exposed to a mass shooting engage in treatment when needed, but preexisting emotion dysregulation may serve as a barrier for those who go on to develop depression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Childhood Maltreatment and Risky Substance Use Behaviors: The Mediating Roles of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms & Callous Unemotional Traits.

Background: A robust relationship has been established between childhood maltreatment and risky substance use. Posttraumatic stress symptoms and callous-unemotional (CU) traits, both of which can be consequences of childhood maltreatment, have been implicated as potential mediators of this relationship, but despite phenotypic overlap have not been examined within the same model. Objective: The current cross-sectional study examined the indirect effect of childhood maltreatment severity on risky drug and alcohol use behaviors though PTSS and CU traits. Methods: Undergraduates (n = 355, 54.4% female) with childhood maltreatment histories completed questionnaires regarding childhood maltreatment, PTSS, substance use behaviors, and CU traits. Path modeling was utilized to examine indirect effects of childhood maltreatment on risky alcohol and drug use behaviors. Results: Overall the model demonstrated good fit. PTSS and CU traits were found to fully mediate the childhood maltreatment severity to risky alcohol use behaviors, with PTSS demonstrating a trending mediational effect to risky drug usage. Results support multiple pathways to risky alcohol use for individuals with childhood maltreatment histories through PTSS and CU traits, suggesting both PTSS as well as CU traits as potential targets of intervention for alcohol misuse among individuals with childhood maltreatment experiences.

Experiential avoidance as a mediator in the relationship between shame and posttraumatic stress disorder: The effect of gender.

OBJECTIVE: The current study sought to investigate whether experiential avoidance (EA) mediates the effect of shame on posttraumatic symptoms (PTS) in a population of trauma-exposed individuals. Given demonstrated gender differences in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the current cross-sectional study also sought to examine whether gender moderates this mediational proposed effect. EA has been shown to mediate shame and depression symptoms, suggesting that the unwillingness to feel and/or the attempt to control shame may be an important factor in later psychopathological symptoms. Furthermore, EA appears to influence PTS over time. METHOD: Trauma-exposed undergraduates (n = 326, 68.8% male, Mage = 19.35, SD = 2.30) at a large Midwestern university completed measures of shame, EA, and PTS. RESULTS: EA was found to fully mediate the relationship between shame and PTS. The role of gender was mixed as it moderated the relationship between EA and PTS such that the effect of EA is stronger for men than women; however, when analyzed with more robust methods, the effect of gender was no longer significant. A competing, flipped mediational model was run to further assess the direction of hypothesized relationships, but shame was not a significant mediator of EA and PTSD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide further evidence for the centrality of EA in maintaining PTS and suggest targeting EA rather than shame in treatment as an avenue for intervention. Future research is needed to investigate gender differences in engagement in EA. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Application of PTSD alcohol expectancy symptom clusters to the four-dimensional model of PTSD: Support from moderations of the association between symptoms of posttraumatic stress and alcohol use.

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol expectancy theory, which examines beliefs about the effects of alcohol on the consumer, is especially relevant for understanding the role of alcohol use in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous research on the relationship between alcohol expectancies and PTSD suggests that greater endorsement of positive alcohol expectancies is positively associated with alcohol use, problem drinking, and increased PTSD symptomatology. The purpose of the current study was to investigate relationships among positive and negative PTSD alcohol expectancies, PTSD symptom clusters, and alcohol use in a sample of undergraduates. Additionally, a 4-factor structure of PTSD alcohol expectancies, based on the supported 4-domain model of PTSD, was examined. METHOD: Participants included 336 undergraduates at a large Midwestern university who completed measures of trauma exposure, PTSD symptomatology, PTSD alcohol expectancies, and alcohol use. RESULTS: Moderation analysis found positive alcohol expectancies influenced the relationship between posttraumatic stress (PTS) and alcohol use. Additionally, each of 4 proposed symptom clusters of PTSD alcohol expectancies moderated the association between corresponding PTSD symptom clusters and alcohol use. No support for the utility of negative alcohol expectancies was found. CONCLUSIONS: The current study provides support for a PTSD symptom domain-specific approach for measuring alcohol expectancies. Though limited in generalizability, this research also provides evidence for positive PTSD alcohol expectancies as an important moderator in the relationship between symptoms of PTS and alcohol, suggesting that perceptions of alcohol's effect on PTSD symptoms confer risk for problematic drinking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The Prevalence of Sexual Revictimization: A Meta-Analytic Review.

The literature consistently demonstrates evidence that child sexual abuse survivors are at greater risk of victimization later in life than the general population. This phenomenon is called sexual revictimization. Although this finding is robust, there is a large amount of variability in the prevalence rates of revictimization demonstrated in the literature. The purpose of the present meta-analysis was to calculate an average prevalence rate of revictimization across the literature and to examine moderators that may potentially account for the observed variability. Based on a review of PsycINFO and PILOTS, 1,412 articles were identified and reviewed for inclusion. This process resulted in the inclusion of 80 studies, which contained 12,252 survivors of child sexual abuse. The mean prevalence of sexual revictimization across studies was 47.9% (95% confidence intervals [43.6%, 52.3%]), suggesting that almost half of child sexual abuse survivors are sexually victimized in the future. The present study failed to find support for any of the examined moderators. Potential explanations of and implications for the results are offered, including suggestions for therapists.