Racial Discrimination, Neural Connectivity, and Epigenetic Aging Among Black Women.

Importance: Racial discrimination increases the risk of adverse brain health outcomes, potentially via neuroplastic changes in emotion processing networks. The involvement of deep brain regions (brainstem and midbrain) in these responses is unknown. Potential associations of racial discrimination with alterations in deep brain functional connectivity and accelerated epigenetic aging, a process that substantially increases vulnerability to health problems, are also unknown. Objective: To examine associations of racial discrimination with brainstem and midbrain resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and DNA methylation age acceleration (DMAA) among Black women in the US. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study was conducted between January 1, 2012, and February 28, 2015, and included a community-based sample of Black women (aged ≥18 years) recruited as part of the Grady Trauma Project. Self-reported racial discrimination was examined in association with seed-to-voxel brain connectivity, including the locus coeruleus (LC), periaqueductal gray (PAG), and superior colliculus (SC); an index of DMAA (Horvath clock) was also evaluated. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma exposure, and age were used as covariates in statistical models to isolate racial discrimination-related variance. Data analysis was conducted between January 10 and October 30, 2023. Exposure: Varying levels of racial discrimination exposure, other trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Main Outcomes and Measures: Racial discrimination frequency was assessed with the Experiences of Discrimination Scale, other trauma exposure was evaluated with the Traumatic Events Inventory, and current PTSD was evaluated with the PTSD Symptom Scale. Seed-to-voxel functional connectivity analyses were conducted with LC, PAG, and SC seeds. To assess DMAA, the Methylation EPIC BeadChip assay (Illumina) was conducted with whole-blood samples from a subset of 49 participants. Results: This study included 90 Black women, with a mean (SD) age of 38.5 (11.3) years. Greater racial discrimination was associated with greater left LC RSFC to the bilateral precuneus (a region within the default mode network implicated in rumination and reliving of past events; cluster size k = 228; t85 = 4.78; P < .001, false discovery rate-corrected). Significant indirect effects were observed for the left LC-precuneus RSFC on the association between racial discrimination and DMAA (ß [SE] = 0.45 [0.16]; 95% CI, 0.12-0.77). Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, more frequent racial discrimination was associated with proportionately greater RSFC of the LC to the precuneus, and these connectivity alterations were associated with DMAA. These findings suggest that racial discrimination contributes to accelerated biological aging via altered connectivity between the LC and default mode network, increasing vulnerability for brain health problems.

Sex-dependent differences in vulnerability to early risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder: results from the AURORA study.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of sex differences in risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can contribute to the development of refined preventive interventions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine if women and men differ in their vulnerability to risk factors for PTSD. METHODS: As part of the longitudinal AURORA study, 2924 patients seeking emergency department (ED) treatment in the acute aftermath of trauma provided self-report assessments of pre- peri- and post-traumatic risk factors, as well as 3-month PTSD severity. We systematically examined sex-dependent effects of 16 risk factors that have previously been hypothesized to show different associations with PTSD severity in women and men. RESULTS: Women reported higher PTSD severity at 3-months post-trauma. Z-score comparisons indicated that for five of the 16 examined risk factors the association with 3-month PTSD severity was stronger in men than in women. In multivariable models, interaction effects with sex were observed for pre-traumatic anxiety symptoms, and acute dissociative symptoms; both showed stronger associations with PTSD in men than in women. Subgroup analyses suggested trauma type-conditional effects. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate mechanisms to which men might be particularly vulnerable, demonstrating that known PTSD risk factors might behave differently in women and men. Analyses did not identify any risk factors to which women were more vulnerable than men, pointing toward further mechanisms to explain women's higher PTSD risk. Our study illustrates the need for a more systematic examination of sex differences in contributors to PTSD severity after trauma, which may inform refined preventive interventions.

Predicting aggressive behaviors: Examining unique and interactive roles of PTSD and emotion dysregulation in a minority sample.

Aggression is a costly public health problem with severe and multi-faceted negative consequences and thus, identifying factors that contribute to aggression, particularly in understudied populations, is necessary to develop more effective interventions to reduce the public health cost of aggression. The goal this study was to test whether difficulties regulating emotions moderated the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and aggression in a community sample of predominantly Black females with high levels of trauma exposure. Furthermore, we explored unique relations between PTSD symptom clusters and distinct subscales of difficulties regulating emotions and aggression. The sample included 601 community participants recruited from an urban public hospital. Symptoms were assessed using self-report measures including the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Behavioral Questionnaire-Short. Regression analyses were conducted using PTSD symptoms and total DERS to test their interaction as predictors for aggression (using BQ-Short). We found that higher levels of PTSD arousal symptoms and difficulty controlling impulses when upset were positively related to aggression. We also conducted an exploratory analysis to examine the association between PTSD symptom clusters using the Alternative Symptom Clusters hybrid model. The results suggest that some PTSD symptoms (externalizing behavior) and some emotion dysregulation processes (difficulties controlling impulses when upset), relate to aggression in independent, rather than multiplicative ways. These results offer insights for new directions of research that focuses on the independent association between specific emotion dysregulation processes and PTSD symptoms on aggression.

Feasibility and acceptability of a virtual mindfulness intervention for Black adults with PTSD and depression: Randomized controlled trial.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) offers promise as a group-based intervention to alleviate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms in traumatized Black adults. Given the high level of barriers that exist for low-income Black adults, virtual delivery of MBCT may be helpful. This pilot randomized controlled trial assessed feasibility and acceptability of an adapted 8-week virtual MBCT group intervention for Black adults screening positive for PTSD and depression. Forty-six participants (89.3% women) recruited from an urban safety net hospital were randomized to MBCT or waitlist control (WLC). Overall feasibility was fair (70%); however, completion rates were higher for WLC than MBCT (90% vs. 54%). Group acceptability was high across quantitative and qualitative measures for study completers. Perceived barriers to psychological treatment were high (>9). While showing potential via improved coping skills and positive health changes, this intervention's success hinges on mitigating engagement barriers for future delivery; additional studies are warranted.

The Relations Among Childhood Maltreatment and Later Intimate Partner Violence Victimization With and Without a Weapon in a Sample of Pregnant Black Individuals.

Black pregnant and postpartum individuals are at risk for intimate partner violence (IPV), and those with a history of childhood maltreatment and IPV are even more likely to be re-victimized during pregnancy. However, it is unknown if specific types of child maltreatment predict later IPV with and without a weapon better than others. The current study sought to (i) document the prevalence of childhood maltreatment and IPV and (ii) examine the relations among types of childhood maltreatment and later IPV with and without a weapon within a sample of Black individuals seeking prenatal care at a large public hospital in the southeastern United States. Participants (n = 186; mean age = 27.2 years, SD = 5.3) completed measures assessing childhood maltreatment and IPV with and without a weapon. Approximately 68.5% of participants (n = 124) endorsed experiencing childhood maltreatment, while 42.6% (n = 78) endorsed experiencing IPV. The bivariate relations among five childhood maltreatment types (i.e., sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, physical and emotional neglect) and IPV with and without a weapon were assessed. All childhood maltreatment subtype scores-except childhood physical neglect-were significantly higher among participants who reported a history of IPV with or without a weapon compared to participants who denied a history of IPV with or without a weapon. Logistic regression models revealed childhood sexual abuse emerged as the only significant predictor of experiencing IPV with a weapon (B = 0.10, p = .003) and IPV without a weapon (B = 0.11, p = .001). For every point increase in childhood sexual abuse subtype score, the odds of experiencing IPV with and without a weapon increased by 10% (OR = 1.10, 95%CI [1.04, 1.18]) and 12% (OR = 1.12, [1.05, 1.20]), respectively. Findings suggest that screening for childhood sexual abuse may provide a critical opportunity for maternity care providers to identify individuals at increased risk for IPV victimization with and without a weapon.

Moral injury, race-related stress and post-traumatic stress disorder in a trauma-exposed Black population.

BACKGROUND: Race-related stress (RRS) is an unrecognized source of moral injury (MI)-or the emotional and/or spiritual suffering that may emerge after exposure to events that violate deeply held beliefs. Additionally, MI has not been explored as a mechanism of risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in trauma-exposed civilians. We examined relations among exposure to potentially morally injurious events (moral injury exposure, MIE), related distress (moral injury distress, MID), and RRS in Black Americans. Potential indirect associations between RRS and PTSD symptoms via MID were also examined. METHODS: Black Americans (n = 228; 90.4% female; Mage = 31.6 years. SDage = 12.8 years) recruited from an ongoing study of trauma completed measures assessing civilian MIE and MID, RRS, and PTSD. Bivariate correlations were conducted with MIE and MID, and mediation analysis with MID, to examine the role of MI in the relationship between RRS and PTSD symptom severity. RESULTS: MIE was significantly correlated with cultural (r = 0.27), individual (r = 0.29), and institutional (r = 0.25) RRS; MID also correlated with cultural (r = 0.31), individual (r = 0.31), and institutional (r = 0.26) RRS (ps < 0.001). We found an indirect effect of RRS on PTSD symptoms via MID (ß = 0.10, p < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: All types of RRS were associated with facets of MI, which mediated the relationship between RRS and current PTSD symptoms. MI may be a potential mechanism through which RRS increases the risk for PTSD in Black individuals.

HIV Interacts with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder to Impact Fear Psychophysiology in Trauma-Exposed Black Women.

Background: The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among people living with HIV (PLWH) is higher than in the general population and can impact health behaviors. The influence of HIV on PTSD psychophysiology requires further investigation due to implications for the treatment of PTSD in PLWH. Objective: Utilizing fear-potentiated startle (FPS), we aimed to interrogate the influence of PTSD and HIV on fear responses. Materials and Methods: Women (18-65 years of age) recruited from the Women's Interagency HIV Study in Atlanta, GA (n = 70, 26 without HIV and 44 with HIV), provided informed consent and completed a semistructured interview to assess trauma exposure and PTSD symptom severity. Participants also underwent an FPS paradigm to assess fear acquisition and extinction: Psychophysiological indices that measure how individuals learn new fear and then subsequently attempt to suppress this fear. Results: Women with PTSD, who did not have HIV, exhibited a greater startle response compared to women without PTSD or HIV during late acquisition to both the danger cue, reinforced conditioned stimulus (CS+, p = 0.013)), and the safety cue, non-reinforced conditioned stimulus (CS-, p = 0.046)), whereas women living with HIV (WLH) and PTSD demonstrated blunted fear responses compared to women with PTSD only. During extinction, WLH comorbid with PTSD exhibited an increased fear response during the extinction period in comparison to all other groups (p = 0.023). Women without PTSD demonstrated a reduction in the fear response during extinction regardless of HIV status. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that HIV further modifies fear psychophysiology in WLH with comorbid PTSD, highlighting the importance of considering HIV status in conjunction with PTSD treatment.

How well does the Index of Race-Related Stress-brief function in a trauma-exposed Black community sample? An item response theory examination of discrimination and difficulty parameters.

BACKGROUND: Race-related stress negatively impacts the mental health of Black Americans to a greater degree than other racialized groups. Additionally, trauma exposure is associated with more severe levels of posttraumatic stress disorder for individuals who also experience race-related stress. Therefore, an accurate assessment of race-related stress in a trauma-exposed sample of Black Americans is necessary to ensure the validity and reliability of empirical findings regarding race-related stress and intervention efficacy. The Index of Race-Related Stress (IRRS) is one of the most commonly used measures to assess race-related stress among Black Americans. Due to a lack of psychometric support for the abbreviated version of IRRS-brief (IRRS-B) on a trauma-exposed sample of Black Americans, our study aims to address this gap in literature. METHOD: We used item response theory (IRT) to assess item difficulty, discrimination, and factor structure in a sample of trauma-exposed Black Americans (n = 226). We employed a multidimensional graded response model with corresponding items loaded on to the three previously established factors of the IRRS. RESULTS: The most discriminating items asked about observing harsh treatment of Black individuals, experiencing less courtesy in establishments, and being stared at as though you do not belong. The item with the lowest difficulty described negative media representation of Black individuals while the item with the highest difficulty described lack of positive media portrayals of Black Americans. DISCUSSION: These results indicate that items varied considerably in the degree to which they adequately captured race-related stress. Future research should use IRT with newly worded questions to further improve the assessment of race-related stress in Black Americans. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Indirect effect of negative evaluations of therapy on the association between racial stress and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in pregnant Black persons.

OBJECTIVE: Black pregnant individuals are at disproportionate risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to other groups. A wealth of literature suggests racial stress contributes to this inequity, but cultural and structural mechanisms, such as perceived barriers to mental health treatment, underlying the relationship between racial stress and PTSD symptoms remain understudied. Negative evaluations of psychotherapy and stigma represent potential mechanisms, though no previous studies have examined these associations. To address this gap, we tested an indirect effect of racial stress on PTSD symptoms through perceived barriers to mental health treatment in pregnant Black individuals. METHOD: Mediation analyses were used to assess an indirect relationship between racial stress and PTSD symptoms through perceived barriers to mental health treatment. RESULTS: At the bivariate level, racial stress was significantly associated with PTSD symptoms (r = .20, p = .03) and negative evaluations of therapy (r = .22, p = .02), but not with stigma (r = .140, p = .147). Negative evaluations of therapy were also associated with PTSD symptoms (r = .43, p < .001). There was an indirect effect of racial stress on PTSD symptoms through a negative evaluation of therapy, ß = .08, SE = 0.04, CI [0.01, 0.18]. More specifically, racial stress was associated with a more negative evaluation of therapy, which was in turn associated with more PTSD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight the need for accessible and culturally competent mental health care for pregnant Black individuals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Brief trauma-informed care training to enhance health care providers' knowledge, comfort, and implementation of trauma-informed care in primary care clinics: A pilot effectiveness study.

Trauma-informed care (TIC) training may be valuable for patient-facing health care providers within primary care in urban health care settings serving patients with high levels of trauma exposure. This study tested the pilot effectiveness of a clinic-wide TIC initiative to enhance providers' knowledge, comfort in caring for trauma-exposed patients, and implementation of TIC within a primary care clinic of an urban safety net hospital using a single-arm longitudinal within-subjects design. Measures were obtained at baseline (T1), posttraining (T2), 1-month (T3), and 6-months (T4). Twenty-nine providers who completed TIC training were included in study analyses. Twenty-one completed T2 and 14 completed T3 and T4. Knowledge was measured with the Providers' Knowledge Regarding Injury-Related Posttraumatic Stress, comfort with a researcher-generated two-item measure, and TIC implementation with an eight-item binary scale from the Trauma Provider Survey. Repeated-measures general linear model examining within-subjects change over time in knowledge was significant (n = 8; F3 = 4.74, p = .01, ηp² = .40); the model measuring change in comfort was not significant but trending (n = 9; F3 = 4.56, p = .06). The model examining change in TIC implementation from T1 to T4 was not significant (n = 14; F3 = 4.32, p = .21). This pilot study demonstrated the preliminary effectiveness of a brief TIC training on improving health care provider knowledge and comfort working with trauma-exposed patients that sustained through 6-months posttraining. The findings indicate that additional support is needed to change behaviors in provider implementation of TIC in primary care clinic settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Association between dimensions of trauma-related psychopathology and asthma in trauma-exposed women.

Introduction: Exposure to traumatic events and stressful life experiences are associated with a wide range of adverse mental and physical health outcomes. Studies have found post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety sensitivity occurrence to be common in addition to inflammatory diseases like asthma, especially in women. Moreover, overlapping neurobiological mechanisms have been linked to both PTSD and asthma. Methods: In the current study, n = 508 women reported on presence of lifetime asthma diagnosis and symptoms of trauma-related psychopathology including PTSD and depression. A separate group of female participants (n = 64) reported on asthma, PTSD, depression and anxiety sensitivity, and underwent functional MRI scans during a fearful faces task, and their anterior insula responses were analyzed. Results: Overall, PTSD and depression severity were significantly higher in those with asthma versus those without asthma. There was a positive association between anterior insula response to social threat cues and depression symptoms only among individuals without a lifetime presence of asthma. Discussion: These findings provide continued evidence on the interactions between stress, neural mechanisms involved in interoception and salience detection, and trauma-related psychopathology.

Primary Care Providers' Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practice of Trauma-Informed Care in a Public Health Care Setting.

Despite serving patients with especially high rates of trauma exposure and related sequelae, many primary care providers do not receive specialized training in the provision of trauma-informed care (TIC). This study sought to document primary care providers' baseline rates of TIC training and their knowledge, perceptions, and practice of TIC at a large, urban public hospital in the Southeastern United States. Participants (n = 67; 68.7% women; 44.8% white; Mage = 36.7 years, standard deviation [SD]age = 9.8 years) completed an online self-report survey on their TIC training status, trauma-related knowledge, perceptions, and practices, as well as burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Less than half of participants (43.3%) endorsed TIC training exposure. Participants generally had adequate levels of trauma-related knowledge (76.5% of items correct) and favorable perceptions of TIC (endorsed 89.7% of TIC-supportive statements). Most participants (86.6%) endorsed recently using trauma-informed practices, but only 47.8% reported routinely screening for trauma-related disorders. Participants who reported receiving prior TIC training scored better on knowledge items and endorsed recently using more trauma-informed practices than those who did not have training exposure. TIC training status' associations with current screening practices and perceptions of TIC were trending toward significance. TIC training status was not related to burnout, and trained participants reported greater secondary traumatic stress than those without training exposure. Results point to system-wide TIC training as a well-received, translational strategy that can enhance the trauma-informed nature of primary care provision.

Association between perimenopausal age and greater posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms in trauma-exposed women.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the relationship between stages of the menopause transition (premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal) on symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in trauma-exposed women. METHODS: A cross-sectional study conducted between 2005 and 2017 recruited and enrolled an urban community sample (n = 6,093) from nonpsychiatric medical clinic waiting rooms of Grady Memorial Hospital, a public safety net hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Participants were female, 18 to 65 years old, and predominantly Black/African American. RESULTS: Of the 6,093 participants, 93.8% were Black/African American, 2.5% were White, and 3.8% were of all other races (Hispanic/Latino, Asian, multiracial). Participants younger than 40 years were categorized as premenopausal (n = 3,166), between 40 and 55 years of age were categorized as perimenopausal (n = 2,127), and older than 55 years were categorized as postmenopausal (n = 790). Menopause status was associated with total PTSD symptom severity ( F2,5416 = 9.61, P < 0.001), symptom severity within all three PTSD symptom clusters (avoidance/numbing symptoms: F2,5416 = 7.10, P < 0.001; intrusive symptoms: F2,5416 = 7.04, P < 0.001; hyperarousal symptoms: F2,5409 = 8.31, P < 0.001), and depression symptom severity ( F2,5148 = 11.4, P < 0.001). Compared with both premenopausal and postmenopausal women, perimenopausal women reported significantly worse total PTSD symptoms, symptoms in the hyperarousal cluster, and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The current cross-sectional data show that symptoms of PTSD and depression in women are associated with reproductive age, such that perimenopausal women show higher symptom severity than premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Future longitudinal studies can reveal how changes in hormones over the course of the menopause transition impact the symptoms, neurobiology, and psychophysiology of PTSD.

Civilian moral injury: associations with trauma type and high-frequency heart rate variability in two trauma-exposed community-based samples.

BACKGROUND: Moral injury exposure (MIE) and distress (MID) may indirectly affect the relationship between trauma exposure and alterations in autonomic regulation [assessed via high-frequency heart rate variability (hfHRV)] in civilians, but this has not been tested in prior research. We conducted two exploratory studies to examine trauma types' associations with MIE and MID among civilian medical patients (Study 1) and explore how these facets may indirectly affect the relationship between trauma type and hfHRV among civilians seeking mental health services (Study 2). METHODS: Participants recruited from a public hospital and/or community advertisements (Study 1, n = 72, 87.5% Black, 83.3% women; Study 2, n = 46, 71.7% Black, 97.8% women) completed measures assessing trauma type, MIE, and MID. In Study 1, trauma types that emerged as significant correlates of MIE and MID were entered into separate linear regression analyses. Trauma types identified were included as predictors in indirect effects models with MIE or MID as the mediator and resting hfHRV (assayed via electrocardiography) as the outcome. RESULTS: Childhood sexual abuse emerged as the only significant predictor of MIE, b = 0.38, p < 0.001; childhood sexual abuse, b = 0.26, p < 0.05, and adulthood sexual assault, b = 0.23, p < 0.05 were significant predictors of MID. Participants with greater MIE and MID demonstrated lower hfHRV. Adulthood sexual assault showed an indirect effect on hfHRV through MID, B = -0.10, s.e. = 0.06, 95%CI (-0.232 to -0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Moral injury was uniquely associated with sexual violence and lower hfHRV in civilians. Data highlight moral injury as a pathway through which autonomic dysregulation may emerge and its salience for trauma treatment selection.

Indirect effect of race-related stress on traumatic stress and depression symptoms via subjective social status in a Black community sample.

Experiencing racism is linked to lower subjective social status (SSS), defined as one's perception of their position in society. SSS is influenced by power, prestige, and objective socioeconomic status (SES). Previous findings suggest that race-related stress may be related to adverse mental health outcomes through SSS in Black Americans, a population that has been deeply affected by continuing legacies of oppression. The current study examines the indirect association between race-related stress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms through SSS in a community sample of largely trauma-exposed Black Americans (N = 173). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that overall race-related stress significantly predicted lower SSS, higher PTSD symptoms, and higher depression symptoms. Analyses also revealed indirect effects of cultural race-related stress on PTSD and depression symptoms through SSS after controlling for SES. Results suggest that the experience of race-related stress, particularly cultural race-related stress, which involves the degradation and disparagement of one's culture and worldview, is associated with more severe PTSD and depression symptoms potentially due to these experiences decreasing Black Americans' SSS. Findings support the need for systemic intervention strategies to disrupt the cultural oppression of Black Americans and improve the societal value and mental health of this population.

Sleep efficiency and PTSD symptom severity predict microvascular endothelial function and arterial stiffness in young, trauma-exposed women.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to sleep disturbances and significantly higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Furthermore, vascular dysfunction and sleep are independently associated with CVD. Uncovering the link between PTSD symptom severity, sleep disturbances, and vascular function could shine a light on mechanisms of CVD risk in trauma-exposed young women. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the individual and combined effects of sleep efficiency and PTSD symptom severity on vascular function. We recruited 60 otherwise healthy women [age, 26 ± 7 yr and body mass index (BMI), 27.7 ± 6.5 kg/m2] who had been exposed to trauma. We objectively quantified sleep efficiency (SE) using actigraphy, microvascular endothelial function via Framingham reactive hyperemia index (fRHI), and arterial stiffness via pulse-wave velocity (PWV). PTSD symptom severity was assessed using the PTSD checklist for fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (PCL5). PWV was correlated with age (r = 0.490, P < 0.001) and BMI (r = 0.484, P < 0.001). In addition, fRHI was positively correlated with SE (r = 0.409, P = 0.001) and negatively correlated with PTSD symptoms (r = -0.382, P = 0.002). To explore the predictive value of SE and PTSD symptoms on PWV and fRHI, we conducted two multivariate linear regression models. The model predicting PWV was significant (R2 = 0.584, P < 0.001) with age, BMI, blood pressure, and SE emerging as predictors. Likewise, the model predicting fRHI was significant (R2 = 0.360, P < 0.001) with both PTSD symptoms and SE as significant predictors. Our results suggest that although PTSD symptoms mainly impact microvascular endothelial function, sleep efficiency is additionally associated with arterial stiffness in young trauma-exposed women, after controlling for age and BMI.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first study to investigate the individual and combined impacts of objective sleep and PTSD symptoms severity on arterial stiffness and microvascular endothelial function in young premenopausal women. We report that in young trauma-exposed women, although low sleep efficiency is associated with overall vascular function (i.e., microvascular endothelial function and arterial stiffness), the severity of PTSD symptoms is specifically associated with microvascular endothelial function, after accounting for age and body mass index.

Moral injury appraisals and dissociation: Associations in a sample of trauma-exposed community members.

Appraisal of trauma is a critical factor in the development of impairing post-traumatic stress symptoms, such as dissociation. Individuals may appraise trauma as morally injurious (i.e., moral injury exposure [MIE]) and experience subsequent moral distress related to this exposure (i.e., moral injury distress [MID]). To date, however, investigation into the relations between moral injury appraisals and dissociation has been limited, particularly within community populations. This study investigated MIE and MID in relation to six facets of dissociation (disengagement, depersonalization, derealization, memory disturbances, emotional constriction, identity dissociation) in a sample of trauma-exposed community members (n = 177, 58.2% Black, 89.3% female) recruited from a public hospital and/or community advertisements. Participants completed measures assessing trauma exposure, MIE, MID, dissociation, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Partial correlation analyses revealed that after controlling for PTSD symptoms, MIE was correlated with disengagement, r = .23, p ≤ .025, and depersonalization, r = .25, p ≤ .001, and MID was correlated with depersonalization, r = .19, p ≤ .025. Sex moderated each association, with stronger associations observed for female participants. Findings suggest that moral injury appraisals are linked to more severe dissociative symptoms among female civilians, and as such, may need to be specifically targeted in empirically supported treatments.

Intergenerational Transmission of Depression: Examining the Roles of Racism and Trauma Among Black Mothers and Youth.

OBJECTIVE: Racism is a multifaceted system of oppression that disproportionately harms Black mothers and children across the lifespan. Despite reliable evidence that racism is associated with worse mental health outcomes (eg, increased depressive symptoms), less is known about potential intergenerational effects of Black mothers' experiences of racism on children's mental health, as well as how traumatic experiences influence these pathways. In this cross-sectional quantitative study, we aimed (1) to replicate the finding that maternal experiences of racism are associated with both maternal and child depression; (2) to identify whether maternal experiences of racism are indirectly associated with child depression via the effect of maternal depression; and (3) to test whether the indirect effect of racism on child depression via maternal depression is conditioned on maternal trauma. METHOD: Black mothers and their children (N = 148 dyads) were recruited from an urban hospital and were interviewed about their experiences of racism, trauma, and mental health symptoms. The mothers' average age was 35.16 years (SD = 8.75) and the children's average age was 10.03 years (SD = 1.51). RESULTS: First, we found that maternal experiences of racism were associated with more severe maternal depression (r = 0.37, p < .01) as well as more severe child depression (r = 0.19, p = .02). Second, we found that maternal experiences of racism were indirectly associated with child depression through the effect of maternal depression (ab = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.26, 1.37). Third, we found that maternal trauma exposure moderated this indirect effect such that, at relatively lower levels of maternal trauma exposure, the indirect effect of maternal experiences of racism on child depression was nonsignificant (ωlow = -0.05, 95% CI = -0.50, 0.45), whereas at relatively higher levels of maternal trauma exposure, the indirect effect of maternal experiences of racism on child depression was statistically significant (ωhigh= .65, 95% CI = 0.21, 1.15). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the indirect effect of maternal experiences of racism on child depression through the effect of maternal depression depends on the degree of maternal trauma exposure. This study advances the literature by shedding light on key processes that can explain the intergenerational effects of racism as well as contextual factors that can exacerbate racism's downstream consequences across generations.

WHEN REPRODUCTION IS NO LONGER AUTONOMOUS: FEELING RESPECTED BY MATERNITY CARE PROVIDERS MODERATES THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN AUTONOMY IN DECISION MAKING AND BIRTH-RELATED PTSD SYMPTOMS IN A COMMUNITY SAMPLE OF POSTPARTUM BLACK WOMEN.

Black individuals are at particularly high risk for birth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, in part due to a lack of opportunity to lead maternity care decisions. Maternal care providers need evidence-based ways to reduce pregnant persons' risk for birth-related PTSD symptoms despite reduced autonomy in decision making resulting from heightened restrictions on reproductive rights. We investigated whether a potential relation between autonomy in decision making and birth-related PTSD symptoms would be moderated by being mistreated or feeling respected by maternity care providers in a community sample of Black women (N = 52; Mage = 28.2 years, SDage = 5.7 years) seeking maternity care at a public hospital in the southeastern United States. At six weeks postpartum, participants completed measures assessing autonomy in decision making, current birth-related PTSD symptoms, number of mistreatment events, and feelings of respect from providers during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Autonomy in decision making was negatively correlated with birth-related PTSD symptoms, r=-.43, p < .01. An interaction between autonomy in decision making and mistreatment by providers was trending toward significance, B=-.23, SE=.14, p = .10. Autonomy in decision making and feeling respected by maternity care provider interacted to predict birth-related PTSD symptoms, B = .05, SE=.01, p < .01. Feeling respected by providers may buffer against the negative effects of lack of autonomy in decision making on birth-related PTSD symptoms, highlighting the importance of providers' ability to convey respect to pregnant patients when they cannot lead care decisions.

Differing associations of depersonalization with physiological response during rest and breath-focused mindfulness in a trauma-exposed female population.

BACKGROUND: Dissociative and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are commonly co-occurring responses to psychological trauma. Yet, these two groups of symptoms appear to be related to diverging patterns of physiological response. To date, few studies have examined how specific dissociative symptoms, namely, depersonalization and derealization, relate to skin conductance response (SCR), a marker of autonomic function, within the context of PTSD symptoms. We examined associations among depersonalization, derealization, and SCR during two conditions - resting control and breath-focused mindfulness - in the context of current PTSD symptoms. METHODS: Sixty-eight trauma-exposed women (82.4% Black; Mage = 42.5, SDage = 12.1) were recruited from the community for a breath-focused mindfulness study. SCR data were collected during alternating resting control and breath-focused mindfulness conditions. Moderation analyses were conducted to examine relations among dissociative symptoms, SCR, and PTSD for these different conditions. RESULTS: Moderation analyses revealed that depersonalization was linked to lower SCR during resting control, B = 0.0005, SE = 0.0002, p = .006, in participants low-to-moderate PTSD symptoms; however, depersonalization was associated with higher SCR during breath-focused mindfulness, B = -0.0006, SE = 0.0003, p = .029, in individuals with similar levels of PTSD symptoms. No significant interaction between derealization and PTSD symptoms on SCR was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Depersonalization symptoms may associate with physiological withdrawal during rest, but greater physiological arousal during effortful emotion regulation in individuals with low-to moderate levels of PTSD, which has significant implications for barriers to treatment engagement as well as treatment selection in this population.