Cultural determinants and resilience and recovery factors associated with trauma among Aboriginal help-seeking clients from an Aboriginal community-controlled counselling service.

In addition to resilience and resistance, collective and personal experiences of trauma are commonly cited within the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other Indigenous First People's experiences of colonisation. This study investigated whether a range of risk and protective factors, including cultural determinants of social and emotional wellbeing, were associated with posttraumatic stress outcomes among 81 Aboriginal help-seeking clients from an Aboriginal community-controlled counselling service in Melbourne, Australia. The study explored potential relationships between trauma exposure, child removal from natural family, experiences of racism, gender, and trauma symptom severity. The study also investigated whether personal, relationship, community and cultural strengths and determinants of wellbeing, as detailed in the Aboriginal Resilience and Recovery Questionnaire, moderated the relationship between trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress symptom severity. Participants commonly endorsed symptoms of distress consistent with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and cultural idioms of distress as documented in the Aboriginal Australian Version of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. Two generations of child removal from one's natural family, experiences of racism, stressful life events experienced during the past 12 months, being male, and not having access to funds for basic living expenses were all associated with greater trauma symptom severity. Conversely, participants self-reported access to personal, relationship, community and cultural strengths was associated with lower trauma symptom severity. Regression analysis revealed that trauma exposure, stressful life events, access to basic living expenses, and personal, relationship, community, and cultural strengths were all important predictors of posttraumatic stress symptom severity. Participant access to strength and resources that included connections to community and culture, moderated the relationship between trauma exposure and trauma symptom severity.

Exposure to Starvation: Associations with HbA1c, Anthropometrics, and Trauma Symptoms Four Decades Later Among Cambodians Resettled in the USA.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological data suggest that populations exposed to starvation show increased incidence of type 2 diabetes but these studies are limited by lack of person-level data. Cambodians resettled in the USA survived severe malnutrition during distinct historical eras. We examined the relationship of individual exposure to starvation with current HbA1c, anthropometrics, and trauma symptoms among Cambodian Americans. METHODS: Participants were excluded for extant diabetes but all had elevated risk factors for type 2 diabetes and depression. Participants identified images on a 5-point scale that best depicted their body size during four distinct periods: before 1970 (peacetime), 1970-1975 (USA bombing campaign, widespread hunger), 1975-1979 (Pol Pot regime, mass starvation), and "now" (2016-2019, resettled in the USA). They reported trauma symptoms and provided anthropometrics and a blood sample. RESULTS: The n = 189 participants were mean = 55 years old and had glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) mean = 5.5%. Self-reported body size showed excellent validity by strong correlations between body thinness "now" and objectively measured waist circumference (r = -0.35), weight (r = -0.50), and body mass index (r = -0.50). Whereas there was some variability, modal self-reported body size started as normal during peacetime, became thinner during the USA bombing campaign, became emaciated during the Pol Pot regime, and rebounded to normal/slightly heavy "now." Body size during Pol Pot showed the strongest associations with long-term outcomes; thinner body size (greater starvation) was associated with higher trauma symptoms and higher HbA1c even after controlling for age, current waist circumference, and current body mass index. CONCLUSION: Greater degree of starvation was associated with higher HbA1c and trauma symptoms four decades later.

Initial testing of components of the cultural determinants of trauma recovery (CDTR) theory amongst American Gender-Based violence survivors: Structural equation modelling.

AIM: We tested key hypotheses derived from the Cultural Determinants of Trauma Recovery Theory (CDTR) with an American sample. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study using anonymous online surveys. METHODS: This study was conducted with 225 American survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) between August to November 2019. Demographics, distress (depression: PHQ8; PTSD: PCL-5), mental health service utilization (counselling and medication), sense of coherence (SOC), internal barriers to help-seeking (shame, frozen and problem management subscales: BHS-TR Internal) and the GBV healing (GBV-Heal) were used. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was conducted to test the hypotheses. RESULTS: The final SEM model showed that the relationship between distress and mental health service utilization was not mediated by internal help-seeking barriers; the relationship between distress and trauma healing was partially mediated by internal help-seeking barriers; the relationship between internal help-seeking barriers and trauma healing was partially mediated by SOC; mental health service utilization was not significantly associated with trauma healing. Overall, the relationship between distress and trauma healing was partially mediated by internal help-seeking barriers and SOC. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed some hypothetical pathways between distress and trauma healing. Further research with larger and international samples should be necessary to test the overall CDTR and compare groups. IMPACT: This study can help us focus on psychological interventions that enhance meaning and mitigate internal help-seeking barriers to promote holistic trauma recovery. Public and public contribution: The sample was gathered from a clinical population registry that alerts patients of potential research opportunities.

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder and post-migration living difficulties in traumatised refugees and asylum seekers: the role of language acquisition and barriers.

Background: Numerous traumatic experiences and post-migration living difficulties (PMLDs) increase the risk of developing symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) among Afghan refugees and asylum seekers, living in Austria. Research has repeatedly associated higher levels of CPTSD with higher levels of PMLDs. Summarizing PMLDs into empirically derived factors might facilitate a further understanding of their interaction with symptom presentation within distinct clusters of CPTSD. Objective: The current study aimed to investigate homogeneous subgroups of ICD-11 CPTSD and their association with demographic variables, traumatic experiences, and empirically derived factors of PMLDs. Method: Within a randomized controlled trail (RCT) CPTSD, PMLDs, and traumatic experiences were assessed in a sample of 93 treatment-seeking Afghan refugees and asylum seekers through a fully structured face-to-face and interpreter-assisted interview using the ITQ, the PMLDC, and a trauma checklist. Underlying clusters of CPTSD, superior factors of PMLDs, and their associations were investigated. Results: In total, 19.4% of the sample met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD and 49.5% for CPTSD. We identified a 2-cluster solution consisting of two distinct subgroups as best fitting: (1) a CPTSD cluster and (2) a PTSD cluster. The multitude of PMLDs was summarized into four superior factors. CPTSD cluster membership was associated with childhood potentially traumatic experience types, and one of four PMLD factors, namely 'language acquisition & barriers'. Conclusions: The results suggest that not PMLDs in general, but rather specific types of PMLDs, are associated with CPTSD. An assumed bidirectional relationship between these PMLD factors and CPTSD symptoms might lead to a downward spiral of increasing distress, and could be considered in treatment strategies.

Antecedentes: Numerosas experiencias traumáticas y dificultades de vida post-migración (DVPM) aumentan el riesgo de desarrollar síntomas de trastorno de estrés postraumático complejo (TEPT-C) entre los refugiados y solicitantes de asilo afganos que viven en Austria. La investigación ha asociado repetidamente niveles más altos de TEPT-C con niveles más altos de DVPM. Resumir las DVPM en factores derivados empíricamente podría facilitar una mayor comprensión de su interacción con la presentación de síntomas dentro de distintos grupos de TEPT-C.Objetivo: El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar subgrupos homogéneos de TEPT-C según la CIE-11 y su asociación con variables demográficas, experiencias traumáticas y factores derivados empíricamente de DVPM.Método: Dentro de un estudio controlado aleatorizado (ECA), se evaluaron TEPT-C, DVPM y experiencias traumáticas en una muestra de 93 pacientes, refugiados afganos y solicitantes de asilo, a través de una entrevista cara a cara totalmente estructurada y asistida por un intérprete utilizando el ITQ, el PMLDC y una lista de verificación de traumas. Se investigaron los grupos subyacentes de TEPT-C, los factores superiores de DVPM y sus asociaciones.Resultados: En total, el 19,4% de la muestra cumplió los criterios de diagnóstico de TEPT y el 49,5% de TEPT-C. Identificamos 2 grupos que constan de dos subgrupos distintos: (1) un grupo de TEPTC y (2) un grupo de TEPT. Las distintas DVPM se resumieron en cuatro factores superiores. La pertenencia al grupo de TEPT-C se asoció con tipos de experiencias potencialmente traumáticas en la infancia y uno de los cuatro factores de DVPM, denominada, 'adquisición y barreras del lenguaje'.Conclusiones: Los resultados sugieren que no las DVPM en general, sino los tipos específicos de DVPM, están asociados con el TEPT-C. Una supuesta relación bidireccional entre estos factores de DVPM y los síntomas de TEPT-C podría conducir a una espiral de angustia creciente, y podría considerarse en las estrategias de tratamiento.

Association of Racial Discrimination With Neural Response to Threat in Black Women in the US Exposed to Trauma.

Importance: Racial discrimination has a clear impact on health-related outcomes, but little is known about how discriminatory experiences are associated with neural response patterns to emotionally salient cues, which likely mediates these outcomes. Objective: To examine associations of discriminatory experiences with brainwide response to threat-relevant cues in trauma-exposed US Black women as they engage in an attentionally demanding task. Design, Setting, and Participants: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 1, 2014, to July 1, 2019, among 55 trauma-exposed US Black women to examine associations of racial discrimination experiences with patterns of neural response and behavior to trauma-relevant images in an affective attentional control task. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and trauma exposure were entered as covariates to isolate variance associated with experiences of racial discrimination. Exposures: Varying levels of trauma, PTSD symptoms, and experiences of racial discrimination. Main Outcomes and Measures: Experiences of Discrimination Questionnaire (EOD) (range, 0-9) for count of the number of situations for which each participant reported having unfair treatment for a racial reason. Experiences of trauma and PTSD symptoms were assessed with the Traumatic Events Inventory (TEI) (number of times the person was exposed to trauma; score range, 0-112) and PTSD Symptom Scale (PSS) (score range, 0-51). Response to trauma-relevant vs neutral distractor cues were assessed via functional magnetic resonance imaging during performance of an affective Stroop (attentional control) task. Statistical analyses were conducted at a whole-brain, voxelwise level with familywise error correction. Results: In this study of 55 Black women in the US (mean [SD] age, 37.7 [10.7] years; range, 21-61 years), participants reported a mean (SD) TEI frequency of 33.0 (18.8) and showed moderate levels of current PTSD symptoms (mean [SD] PSS score, 15.4 [12.9]). Mean (SD) EOD scores were 2.35 (2.44) and were moderately correlated with current PTSD symptoms (PSS total: r = 0.36; P=.009) but not with age (r = 0.20; P = .15) or TEI frequency (r = -0.02; P = .89). During attention to trauma-relevant vs neutral images, more experiences of racial discrimination were associated with significantly greater response in nodes of emotion regulation and fear inhibition (ventromedial prefrontal cortex) and visual attention (middle occipital cortex) networks, even after accounting for trauma and severity of PTSD symptoms (brainwide familywise error corrected; r = 0.33 for ventromedial prefrontal cortex; P = .02). Racial discrimination was also associated with affective Stroop task performance; errors on trials with threat-relevant stimuli were negatively correlated with experiences of racial discrimination (r = -0.41; P = .003). Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that experiences of racial discrimination associate with disproportionately greater response in brain regions associated with emotion regulation and fear inhibition and visual attention. Frequent racism experienced by Black individuals may potentiate attentional and regulatory responses to trauma-relevant stressors and lead to heightened modulation of regulatory resources. This may represent an important neurobiological pathway for race-related health disparities.

The Development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Symptoms in Iraqi Refugees: Associations with Acculturation and C-reactive Protein.

ABSTRACT: Refugees experience distress from premigration trauma, often exacerbated by postmigration difficulties. To develop effective interventions, risk factors for mental health symptoms need to be determined. Male Iraqi refugees (N = 53) to the United States provided background information and reported predisplacement trauma and psychological health within 1 month of their arrival. An inflammatory biomarker-C-reactive protein (CRP) was assessed approximately 1.5 years after arrival, and a contextual factor-acculturation-and psychological health were assessed 2 years after arrival. We tested whether acculturation and CRP were associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms at the 2-year follow-up, controlling for baseline symptoms, age, body mass index, and predisplacement trauma. Acculturation was inversely related to depression, and CRP was positively related to both PTSD and depression at the 2-year follow-up. Interventions targeting acculturation could help reduce the development of depression symptoms in refugees. The role of CRP in the development of PTSD and depression symptoms warrants further research.

The Relationship Between Adverse Life Events and Endogenous Inhibition of Pain and Spinal Nociception: Findings From the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk (OK-SNAP).

Adverse life events (ALEs) are a risk factor for chronic pain; however, mechanisms underlying this association are not understood. This study examined whether cumulative ALE exposure impairs endogenous inhibition of pain (assessed from pain report) and spinal nociception (assessed from nociceptive flexion reflex; NFR) in healthy, pain-free Native Americans (n = 124) and non-Hispanic Whites (n = 129) during a conditioned pain modulation (CPM) task. Cumulative ALE exposure was assessed prior to testing by summing the number of potentially traumatic events experienced by each participant across their lifespan. Multilevel modeling found that ALEs were associated with NFR modulation during the CPM task even after controlling for general health, body mass index, sex, age, blood pressure, sleep quality, stimulation intensity, stimulus number, perceived stress, and psychological distress. Low exposure to ALEs was associated with NFR inhibition, whereas high exposure to ALEs was associated with NFR facilitation. By contrast, pain perception was inhibited during the CPM task regardless of the level of ALE exposure. Race/ethnicity did not moderate these results. Thus, ALEs may be pronociceptive for both Native Americans and non-Hispanic Whites by impairing descending inhibition of spinal nociception. This could contribute to a chronic pain risk phenotype involving latent spinal sensitization. PERSPECTIVE: This study found that adverse life events were associated with impaired descending inhibition of spinal nociception in a sample of Native Americans and non-Hispanic Whites. These findings expand on previous research linking adversity to chronic pain risk by identifying a proximate physiological mechanism for this association.

Understanding the pathology of psychiatric disorders in refugees.

Displacement of people from their homes, families and countries is a current global crisis, with over 70 million people forcibly on the move. A substantial proportion of these people will end up in regions with a different language and culture, where they are registered as refugees or asylum seekers. Due to the underlying reasons for displacement (including conflicts, persecution or violation of human rights), displaced people are severely stress-exposed, which continues into their post-migration life and increases risk for developing psychiatric disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders and mood disorders. While landmark studies have illustrated the increased prevalence of psychopathology in asylum seeker and refugee populations following pre-/post-displacement stress, few studies add to our understanding of the basic biological mechanisms underpinning risk to psychiatric disorders in these populations. Additionally, the mechanisms underlying resilience despite significant adversity remain unclear. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning the development of psychiatric disorders in refugees can propel treatments (both drug and non-drug) that are capable of influencing biology at the molecular level, and the design of interventions. In the following review, we summarise the status quo of research investigating the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders in refugees, and propose new ways to address gaps in knowledge with multidisciplinary research.

A legacy of fear: Physiological evidence for intergenerational effects of trauma exposure on fear and safety signal learning among African Americans.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the influence of maternal trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms on children's physiological response to threat and safety signals during a fear conditioning task in trauma-exposed mothers and children. METHOD: Participants were African American mother-child dyads (N = 137; children aged 8-13 years). Mothers' trauma history and PTSD symptoms were assessed; Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was conducted from these measures to identify distinct classes. Children reported violence exposure and completed a differential fear conditioning task using fear-potentiated startle (FPS) responses to conditioned danger (CS+) and safety (CS-) signals. RESULTS: Four classes of maternal trauma history and PTSD symptoms emerged: 1) Lower Trauma, 2) Moderate Trauma, 3) High Sexual Abuse, and 4) High Trauma and PTSD Symptoms. Children's FPS to CS + and CS- were tested with maternal class as the between-subjects factor. FPS to the danger signal was not significantly different across maternal classes, but FPS to safety (CS-) was significantly higher for the Lower Trauma and High Trauma and PTSD Symptoms classes than either the Moderate Trauma or the High Sexual Abuse classes. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that maternal trauma impacts children's ability to modulate fear responses in the presence of a safety signal, independent of the children's own trauma exposure. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that children's fear inhibition is impacted by maternal trauma exposure. Prior studies have linked fear inhibition to mental health outcomes, highlighting the need to understand intergenerational modulation of fear learning and physiology.

Care providers' views on burden of psychosomatic symptoms of IS-traumatized female refugees participating in a Humanitarian Admission Program in Germany: A qualitative analysis.

BACKGROUND: Traumatized refugees often suffer from diverse psychosomatic symptoms. Female Yazidi refugees from Northern Iraq who survived attacks of the so-called "Islamic State" were brought to Germany to receive special medical and psychotherapeutic treatment in a unique worldwide humanitarian admission program (HAP). Here, we report on their psychosomatic symptoms and helpful strategies from the perspective of care providers. METHODS: Care providers (N = 84) in this HAP were interviewed in an individual setting as well as in focus groups to gather information about the HAP beneficiaries' psychosomatic symptoms. Data analysis followed Qualitative Content Analysis by Mayring. RESULTS: The care providers reported five main psychological burdens of the Yazidis: 1) insecurity regarding loss, 2) worries about family members, 3) ambivalence about staying in Germany or returning to Iraq, 4) life between two worlds and 5) re-actualization of the traumatic experiences. The predominant psychological symptoms the care providers noticed were fear, depressive symptoms, feelings of guilt, and sleep and eating disorders. Regarding somatic symptoms, the care providers mainly received complaints about pain in the head, back, chest and stomach. Helpful strategies for providing adequate health care were care providers' cooperating with physicians, precise documentation of beneficiaries' symptoms, and additional support in directing the beneficiaries through the health care system. Regarding psychotherapy, interpreters help to overcome language barriers, onsite psychotherapy, flexible therapy appointments, psychoeducational methods, time for stabilization, and support in coping with daily life aspects. In the care providers' experience, psychotherapists have to build a relationship of trust. After grief therapy, a trauma-specific therapy in a culturally adapted way is possible. CONCLUSION: The HAP is a unique model health care program to offer highly traumatized refugees medical and psychological help. Care providers reported on several (psycho-)somatic symptoms of the traumatized women. The strategies the HAP care providers perceived as helpful can be recommended for similar projects in the future.

The health status of newly arrived asylum-seeking minors in Denmark: a nationwide register-based study.

OBJECTIVES: Asylum-seeking minors are known to be at increased risk of physical and mental diseases compared to both native children and adult asylum seekers. We present a nationwide register-based study based on the health assessment of 7210 newly arrived minors in Danish asylum centres from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2015. METHODS: We describe socio-demographic characteristics, trauma history and symptoms of physical and mental health. To associate the reporting of traumatic events and signs of anxiety or depression, we performed logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: We found a high, albeit varying, prevalence of traumatic experiences, sleeping and eating problems, and head- and toothache. In the subgroup that was assessed for need of urgent support, more than two of every five minor scored above the threshold. In the subgroup examined by a doctor, one of every four had at least one abnormal finding. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of trauma and mental health symptoms and the association of the two were striking. Our findings underline that timely recognition and appropriate treatment of childhood traumas should be given high priority in the receiving communities.

"Like a ticking time bomb": the persistence of trauma in the HIV diagnosis experience among black men who have sex with men in New York City.

BACKGROUND: Black men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV compared to almost every other demographic group in the country and have worse outcomes along the care continuum. Diagnosis is a critical juncture. This study aims to explore the impact and meaning of an HIV diagnosis for Black MSM, and how this has changed over time, both for the individual's experience living with HIV as well as for Black MSM in general. METHODS: From 2017 to 2018, we conducted in-depth interviews with 16 black MSM living with HIV in New York City diagnosed between 1985 and 2016. RESULTS: Inductive analysis of the qualitative data allowed three major themes to emerge: diagnosis trauma, lack of patient -centeredness in the healthcare system, and acceptance of HIV diagnosis over time. CONCLUSIONS: This small pilot study signals that an HIV diagnosis experience possibly remains traumatic for black MSM even in the era of highly effective ART, and they often perceive a lack of patient-centeredness in the delivery of a new diagnosis. This has persisted over time. In most cases, black MSM in our sample overcame this trauma due to self-motivation, social support and seeking out and fostering trusting relationships with their HIV provider and the healthcare system.

The outbreak that was always here: Racial trauma in the context of COVID-19 and implications for mental health providers.

The present commentary offers a timely exploration of the racial trauma experienced by Asian, Black, and Latinx communities as it relates to COVID-19. Instances of individual, cultural, and structural racism and implications for mental health are discussed. Evidence-based strategies are identified for mental health professionals in order to support healing and mitigate the risk of further racial traumas. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Inequity and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color in the United States: The need for a trauma-informed social justice response.

COVID-19 has had disproportionate contagion and fatality in Black, Latino, and Native American communities and among the poor in the United States. Toxic stress resulting from racial and social inequities have been magnified during the pandemic, with implications for poor physical and mental health and socioeconomic outcomes. It is imperative that our country focus and invest in addressing health inequities and work across sectors to build self-efficacy and long-term capacity within communities and systems of care serving the most disenfranchised, now and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 epidemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Collective trauma and community support: Lessons from Detroit.

The COVID-19 crisis can be defined as a collective trauma, which contributes to an upheaval of community connection and functioning. The current pandemic has also illuminated disparities in mental health supports. In this commentary, we highlight one community organization, located in metro Detroit, that has responded to the trauma by bolstering resources and supports for residents, many of whom are ethnoracial minorities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Social and psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in African-American communities: Lessons from Michigan.

The mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are particularly relevant in African-American communities because African-Americans have been disproportionately impacted by the disease, yet they are traditionally less engaged in mental health treatment compared with other racial groups. Using the state of Michigan as an example, we describe the social and psychological consequences of the pandemic on African-American communities in the United States, highlighting community members' concerns about contracting the disease, fears of racial bias in testing and treatment, experiences of sustained grief and loss, and retraumatization of already-traumatized communities. Furthermore, we describe the multilevel, community-wide approaches that have been used thus far to mitigate adverse mental health outcomes within our local African-American communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

A culturally specific mental health and spirituality approach for African Americans facing the COVID-19 pandemic.

A series of 15-min videos were produced to provide resources to pastors in African-American communities to aid them in conveying accurate public and mental health information about COVID-19. Video presenters included trusted experts in public and mental health and pastors with considerable experience responding to the needs of the African-American community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four culturally specific core themes to consider when providing care to African Americans who are at increased risk during the pandemic were identified: ritual disruption, negative reactions for not following public health guidelines, trauma, and culture and trust. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Immune System Inflammation in Adults Residing on the Blackfeet Reservation: The Moderating Role of Sense of Belonging to the Community.

BACKGROUND: Previous research documents an association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and immune system inflammation. High chronic inflammation is believed to be one biological pathway through which childhood adversity may affect health into adulthood. The Blackfeet tribal community has high rates of childhood trauma and community members are disproportionately affected by inflammatory diseases. PURPOSE: To investigate whether belonging to the tribal community may moderate the relationship between childhood trauma and immune system inflammation in the Blackfeet tribal community. METHODS: In a sample of 90 adults residing on the Blackfeet reservation, we measured ACEs belonging to the tribal community and two markers of immune system inflammation, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP). RESULTS: We found that independent of age, gender, annual income, body mass index, and depressive symptoms, belonging to the tribal community and ACEs interacted to predict levels of both IL-6 and CRP (B= -.37, t[81] = -3.82, p < .001, R2 change = .07 and B = -.29, t[81] = -2.75, p = .01, R2 change = .08, respectively). The association between ACEs and markers of immune system inflammation was statistically significant for community members who reported low levels of belonging to the community. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study have important implications for intervention research seeking to reduce risk for inflammatory diseases for at-risk populations. Fostering stronger connections to the larger tribal community may positively affect risk for inflammatory diseases. Future work should examine the behavioral and psychosocial pathways through which stronger connections to community may confer health benefits.

PTSD and self-rated health in urban traumatized African American adults: The mediating role of emotion regulation.

OBJECTIVE: Although previous research has demonstrated a link between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and self-rated health, the role of regulatory processes within this relationship has yet to be fully understood for African American urban populations. The goal of the present study was to determine whether emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between PTSD diagnosis and self-rated health problems. METHOD: Data were collected from 446 adult participants (92% female, 97% African American) between the ages of 18 and 65 years who were recruited as part of the Grady Trauma Project, a National Institutes of Health-funded study of risk and resilience factors related to PTSD. Participants were recruited from a public hospital, and interviews included demographic characteristics, self-rating of health, assessment of emotion dysregulation using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and PTSD diagnosis using the Modified PTSD Symptom Scale. RESULTS: Results revealed that emotion dysregulation significantly mediated the relationship between PTSD and self-rated health. Exploratory analyses revealed that specific dimensions of emotion regulation were significant mediators in this relationship. Age, sex, education, marital status, income, and total number of lifetime traumas experienced were controlled for in all analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that emotion dysregulation may play a significant role in the PTSD-health relationship for African Americans. Future research investigating culturally relevant emotion regulation strategies are warranted given likely consequences for both physical and mental health outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).