Self-Help Plus for refugees and asylum seekers: an individual participant data meta-analysis.

QUESTION: Refugees and asylum seekers are at high risk of mental disorders due to various stressors before, during and after forceful displacement. The WHO Self-Help Plus (SH+) intervention was developed to manage psychological distress and a broad range of mental health symptoms in vulnerable populations. This study aimed to examine the effects and moderators of SH+ compared with Enhanced Care as Usual (ECAU) in reducing depressive symptoms among refugees and asylum seekers. STUDY SELECTION AND ANALYSIS: Three randomised trials were identified with 1795 individual participant data (IPD). We performed an IPD meta-analysis to estimate the effects of SH+, primarily on depressive symptoms and second on post-traumatic stress, well-being, self-identified problems and functioning. Effects were also estimated at 5-6 months postrandomisation (midterm). FINDINGS: There was no evidence of a difference between SH+ and ECAU+ in reducing depressive symptoms at postintervention. However, SH+ had significantly larger effects among participants who were not employed (ß=1.60, 95% CI 0.20 to 3.00) and had lower mental well-being levels (ß=0.02, 95% CI 0.001 to 0.05). At midterm, SH+ was significantly more effective than ECAU in improving depressive symptoms (ß=-1.13, 95% CI -1.99 to -0.26), self-identified problems (ß=-1.56, 95% CI -2.54 to -0.59) and well-being (ß=6.22, 95% CI 1.60 to 10.90). CONCLUSIONS: Although SH+ did not differ significantly from ECAU in reducing symptoms of depression at postintervention, it did present benefits for particularly vulnerable participants (ie, unemployed and with lower mental well-being levels), and benefits were also evident at midterm follow-up. These results are promising for the use of SH+ in the management of depressive symptoms and improvement of well-being and self-identified problems among refugees and asylum seekers.

Psychological flexibility in South Sudanese female refugees in Uganda as a mechanism for change within a guided self-help intervention.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the role of psychological flexibility as a potential mediator in the relationship between involvement in a guided self-help intervention, Self-Help Plus, and psychological distress in a sample of South Sudanese refugee women living in northern Uganda. METHOD: We conducted secondary analysis of data from a cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in 2018. We used multilevel mediation modeling to explore the relationship of psychological flexibility, as measured by the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II), as a mediating factor in the relationship between Self-Help Plus involvement and general psychological distress as measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-6 (K6). RESULTS: We found strong multilevel mediation of decreased K6 scores in the treatment group by AAQ-II scores (multilevel b = -3.28). A more pronounced mediation effect was discovered immediately post intervention (b = -1.09) compared to 3-month follow-up (b = -0.84). This is in line with the current literature that demonstrates the role of psychological flexibility as a primary mechanism of change in ACT-based interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological flexibility is a contributing component in the theory of change for this ACT-based intervention. Identifying the core components of interventions allows for more effective adaptation and implementation of relevant services, especially in low-resource contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Risk factors for mental disorder development in asylum seekers and refugees resettled in Western Europe and Turkey: Participant-level analysis of two large prevention studies.

BACKGROUND: In asylum seekers and refugees, the frequency of mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, is higher than the general population, but there is a lack of data on risk factors for the development of mental disorders in this population. AIM: This study investigated the risk factors for mental disorder development in a large group of asylum seekers and refugees resettled in high- and middle-income settings. METHODS: Participant-level data from two randomized prevention studies involving asylum seekers and refugees resettled in Western European countries and in Turkey were pooled. The two studies randomized participants with psychological distress, but without a diagnosis of mental disorder, to the Self-Help Plus psychological intervention or enhanced care as usual. At baseline, exposure to potentially traumatic events was measured using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire-part I, while psychological distress and depressive symptoms were assessed with the General Health Questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire. After 3 and 6 months of follow-up, the proportion of participants who developed a mental disorder was calculated using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. RESULTS: A total of 1,101 participants were included in the analysis. At 3- and 6-month follow-up the observed frequency of mental disorders was 13.51% (115/851) and 24.30% (207/852), respectively, while the frequency estimates after missing data imputation were 13.95% and 23.78%, respectively. After controlling for confounders, logistic regression analysis showed that participants with a lower education level (p = .034), a shorter duration of journey (p = .057) and arriving from countries with war-related contexts (p = .017), were more at risk of developing mental disorders. Psychological distress (p = .004), depression (p = .001) and exposure to potentially traumatic events (p = .020) were predictors of mental disorder development. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified several risk factors for the development of mental disorders in asylum seekers and refugees, some of which may be the target of risk reduction policies. The identification of asylum seekers and refugees at increased risk of mental disorders should guide the implementation of focused preventative psychological interventions.

Cost-effectiveness of the Self-Help Plus Intervention for Adult Syrian Refugees Hosted in Turkey.

Importance: The cost-effectiveness of the Self-Help Plus (SH+) program, a group-based, guided, self-help psychological intervention developed by the World Health Organization for people affected by adversity, is unclear. Objective: To investigate the cost-utility of providing the SH+ intervention combined with enhanced usual care vs enhanced usual care alone for Syrian refugees or asylum seekers hosted in Turkey. Design, Setting, and Participants: This economic evaluation was performed as a prespecified part of an assessor-blinded randomized clinical trial conducted between October 1, 2018, and November 30, 2019, with 6-month follow-up. A total of 627 adults with psychological distress but no diagnosed psychiatric disorder were randomly assigned to the intervention group or the enhanced usual care group. Interventions: The SH+ program was a 5-session (2 hours each), group-based, stress management course in which participants learned self-help skills for managing stress by listening to audio sessions. The SH+ sessions were facilitated by briefly trained, nonspecialist individuals, and an illustrated book was provided to group members. Th intervention group received the SH+ intervention plus enhanced usual care; the control group received only enhanced usual care from the local health care system. Enhanced usual care included access to free health care services provided by primary and secondary institutions plus details on nongovernmental organizations and freely available mental health services, social services, and community networks for people under temporary protection of Turkey and refugees. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome measure was incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained from the perspective of the Turkish health care system. An intention-to-treat analysis was used including all participants who were randomized and for whom baseline data on costs and QALYs were available. Data were analyzed September 30, 2020, to July 30, 2021. Results: Of 627 participants (mean [SD] age, 31.3 [9.0] years; 393 [62.9%] women), 313 were included in the analysis for the SH+ group and 314 in the analysis for the enhanced usual care group. An incremental cost-utility ratio estimate of T£6068 ($1147) per QALY gained was found when the SH+ intervention was provided to groups of 10 Syrian refugees. At a willingness to pay per QALY gained of T£14 831 ($2802), the SH+ intervention had a 97.5% chance of being cost-effective compared with enhanced usual care alone. Conclusions and Relevance: This economic evaluation suggests that implementation of the SH+ intervention compared with enhanced usual care alone for adult Syrian refugees or asylum seekers hosted in Turkey is cost-effective from the perspective of the Turkish health care system when both international and country-specific willingness-to-pay thresholds were applied.

Effectiveness of a WHO self-help psychological intervention for preventing mental disorders among Syrian refugees in Turkey: a randomized controlled trial.

Refugees are at high risk of developing mental disorders. There is no evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that psychological interventions can prevent the onset of mental disorders in this group. We assessed the effectiveness of a self-help psychological intervention developed by the World Health Organization, called Self-Help Plus, in preventing the development of mental disorders among Syrian refugees experiencing psychological distress in Turkey. A two-arm, assessor-masked RCT was conducted in two Turkish areas. Eligible participants were adult Syrian refugees experiencing psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire ≥3), but without a diagnosis of mental disorder. They were randomly assigned either to the Self-Help Plus arm (consisting of Self-Help Plus combined with Enhanced Care as Usual, ECAU) or to ECAU only in a 1:1 ratio. Self-Help Plus was delivered in a group format by two facilitators over five sessions. The primary outcome measure was the presence of any mental disorder assessed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview at six-month follow-up. Secondary outcome measures were the presence of mental disorders at post-intervention, and psychological distress, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, personally identified psychological outcomes, functional impairment, subjective well-being, and quality of life at post-intervention and six-month follow-up. Between October 1, 2018 and November 30, 2019, 1,186 refugees were assessed for inclusion. Five hundred forty-four people were ineligible, and 642 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to either Self-Help Plus (N=322) or ECAU (N=320). Self-Help Plus participants were significantly less likely to have any mental disorders at six-month follow-up compared to the ECAU group (21.69% vs. 40.73%; Cramer's V = 0.205, p<0.001, risk ratio: 0.533, 95% CI: 0.408-0.696). Analysis of secondary outcomes suggested that Self-Help Plus was not effective immediately post-intervention, but was associated with beneficial effects at six-month follow-up in terms of symptoms of depression, personally identified psychological outcomes, and quality of life. This is the first prevention RCT ever conducted among refugees experiencing psychological distress but without a mental disorder. Self-Help Plus was found to be an effective strategy for preventing the onset of mental disorders. Based on these findings, this low-intensity self-help psychological intervention could be scaled up as a public health strategy to prevent mental disorders in refugee populations exposed to ongoing adversities.

Effectiveness of Self-Help Plus in Preventing Mental Disorders in Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Western Europe: A Multinational Randomized Controlled Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Self-Help Plus (SH+) is a group-based psychological intervention developed by the World Health Organization for managing stress. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of SH+ in preventing mental disorders in refugees and asylum seekers in Western Europe. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial in 5 European countries. Refugees and asylum seekers with psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire score ≥3), but without a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) or ICD/10 diagnosis of mental disorder, as assessed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), were randomized to SH+ or enhanced treatment as usual (ETAU). The primary outcome was the frequency of mental disorders with the MINI at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included the frequency of mental disorders at postintervention, self-identified problems, psychological symptoms, and other outcomes. RESULTS: Four hundred fifty-nine individuals were randomly assigned to SH+ or ETAU. For the primary outcome, we found no difference in the frequency of mental disorders at 6 months (Cramer V = 0.007, p = 0.90, RR = 0.96; 95% CI 0.52-1.78), while the difference significantly favored SH+ at after the intervention (secondary outcome, measured within 2 weeks from the last session; Cramer V = 0.13, p = 0.01, RR = 0.50; 95% CI 0.29-0.87). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first randomized indicated prevention study with the aim of preventing the onset of mental disorders in asylum seekers and refugees in Western Europe. As a prevention effect of SH+ was not observed at 6 months, but rather after the intervention only, modalities to maintain its beneficial effect in the long term need to be identified.

Self-help plus for refugees and asylum seekers; study protocol for a series of individual participant data meta-analyses.

Background: Refugees and asylum seekers face various stressors due to displacement and are especially vulnerable to common mental disorders. To effectively manage psychological distress in this population, innovative interventions are required. The World Health Organization (WHO) Self-Help Plus (SH+) intervention has shown promising outcomes in reducing symptoms of common mental disorders among refugees and asylum seekers. However, individual participant differences in response to SH+ remain largely unknown. The Individual Participant Data (IPD) meta-analysis synthesizes raw datasets of trials to provide cutting-edge evidence of outcomes that cannot be examined by conventional meta-analytic approaches. Objectives: This protocol outlines the methods of a series of IPD meta-analyses aimed at examining the effects and potential moderators of SH+ in (a) reducing depressive symptoms at post-intervention and (b) preventing the six-month cumulative incidence of mental disorders in refugees and asylum seekers. Method: RCTs on SH+ have been identified through WHO and all authors have agreed to share the datasets of the trials. The primary outcomes of the IPD meta-analyses are (a) reduction in depressive symptoms at post-intervention, and (b) prevention of six-month cumulative incidence of mental disorders. Secondary outcomes include post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, well-being, functioning, quality of life, and twelve-month cumulative incidence of mental disorders. One-stage IPD meta-analyses will be performed using mixed-effects linear/logistic regression. Missing data will be handled by multiple imputation. Conclusions: These results will enrich current knowledge about the response to SH+ and will facilitate its targeted dissemination. The results of these IPD meta-analyses will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

Antecedentes: Los refugiados y solicitantes de asilo enfrentan numerosos estresores debido al desplazamiento y son especialmente vulnerables a trastornos de salud mental comunes. Para poder manejar efectivamente el malestar psicológico en esta población, se requieren intervenciones innovadoras. La intervención Self- Help Plus (SH+) de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) ha mostrado resultados prometedores en la reducción de síntomas de trastornos de salud mental comunes entre refugiados y solicitantes de asilo. Sin embargo, las diferencias individuales de los participantes en respuesta a SH+ permanecen mayormente desconocida. El meta-análisis de Datos de Participantes Individuales (IPD) sintetiza bases de datos puros para proveer evidencia de resultados de vanguardia que no puede ser examinada mediante enfoques meta-analíticos convencionales.Objetivos: Este protocolo delinea los métodos de una serie de meta-análisis de IPD enfocados en examinar los efectos y potenciales moderadores de SH+ en (a) reducir síntomas depresivos en la post-intervención y (b) prevenir la incidencia acumulada de trastornos mentales en refugiados y solicitantes de asilo durante seis meses.Método: Se identificaron RCT sobre SH+ a través de la OMS y todos los autores acordaron compartir la base de datos de sus ensayos. Los resultados primarios de los meta-análisis de IPD son (a) reducción en síntomas depresivos después de la intervención, y (b) prevención de la incidencia acumulada de trastornos mentales en refugiados y solicitantes de asilo durante 6 meses. Entre los resultados secundarios de incluyó síntomas de trastorno de estrés postraumático, bienestar, funcionamiento, calidad de vida e incidencia acumulada de trastornos de salud mental durante 12 meses. Se realizaran meta-análisis de IPD de una etapa usando regresión linear/logística de efectos mixtos. Los datos faltantes se manejaran mediante imputación múltiple.Conclusiones: Estos resultados enriquecerán el conocimiento actual sobre la respuesta a SH+ y facilitarán su diseminación en su público objetivo. Los resultados de estos meta-análisis de IPD serán publicados en revistas revisadas por pares.

Guided self-help to reduce psychological distress in South Sudanese female refugees in Uganda: a cluster randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Innovative solutions are required to provide mental health support at scale in low-resource humanitarian contexts. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a facilitator-guided, group-based, self-help intervention (Self-Help Plus) to reduce psychological distress in female refugees. METHODS: We did a cluster randomised trial in rural refugee settlements in northern Uganda. Participants were female South Sudanese refugees with at least moderate levels of psychological distress (cutoff ≥5 on the Kessler 6). The intervention comprised access to usual care and five 2-h audio-recorded stress-management workshops (20-30 refugees) led by briefly trained lay facilitators, accompanied by an illustrated self-help book. Villages were randomly assigned to either intervention (Self-Help Plus or enhanced usual care) on a 1:1 basis. Within 14 villages, randomly selected households were approached. Screening of women in households continued until 20-30 eligible participants were identified per site. The primary outcome was individual psychological distress, assessed using the Kessler 6 symptom checklist 1 week before, 1 week after, and 3 months after intervention, in the intention-to-treat population. All outcomes were measured at the individual (rather than cluster) level. Secondary outcomes included personally identified problems, post-traumatic stress, depression symptoms, feelings of anger, social interactions with other ethnic groups, functional impairment, and subjective wellbeing. Assessors were masked to allocation. This trial was prospectively registered at ISRCTN, number 50148022. FINDINGS: Of 694 eligible participants (331 Self-Help Plus, 363 enhanced usual care), 613 (88%) completed all assessments. Compared with controls, we found stronger improvements for Self-Help Plus on psychological distress 3 months post intervention (ß -1·20, 95% CI -2·33 to -0·08; p=0·04; d -0·26). We also found larger improvements for Self-Help Plus 3 months post-intervention for five of eight secondary outcomes (effect size range -0·30 to -0·36). Refugees with different trauma exposure, length of time in settlements, and initial psychological distress benefited similarly. With regard to safety considerations, the independent data safety management board responded to six adverse events, and none were evaluated to be concerns in response to the intervention. INTERPRETATION: Self-Help Plus is an innovative, facilitator-guided, group-based self-help intervention that can be rapidly deployed to large numbers of participants, and resulted in meaningful reductions in psychological distress at 3 months among South Sudanese female refugees. FUNDING: Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) Programme.

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Self-Help Plus (SH+) for preventing mental disorders in refugees and asylum seekers in Europe and Turkey: study protocols for two randomised controlled trials.

INTRODUCTION: This article describes two randomised controlled trials that will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Self-Help Plus (SH+), a group self-help intervention developed by the WHO to reduce distress. In these trials SH+ is being tested as a preventative intervention to lower the incidence of mental disorders in asylum seekers and refugees with psychological distress resettled in Europe and Turkey. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Two prospective, multicentre, randomised, rater-blinded, parallel-group studies will follow participants over a period of 12 months. One trial will be conducted in Europe and one in Turkey. In each trial, 600 asylum seekers and refugees screening positive on the General Health Questionnaire (≥3), but without a formal diagnosis of any mental disorders according to the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, will be randomly allocated to SH+or to enhanced treatment-as-usual. The primary outcome will be a lower incidence of mental disorders at 6 month follow-up. Secondary outcomes will include the evaluation of psychological symptoms, functioning, well-being, treatment acceptability and indicators of intervention cost-effectiveness. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The two trials received ethical clearance from the local Ethics Committees of the participating sites (seven sites), as well as from the WHO Ethics Committee. All participants will provide informed consent before screening and before study inclusion (a two-step procedure). The results of the trials will be disseminated in agreement with a dissemination plan that includes publication(s) in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at relevant national and international conferences and meetings. TRIALS REGISTRATION NUMBERS: NCT03571347, NCT03587896.

Compassion-Based Therapy for Trauma-Related Shame and Posttraumatic Stress: Initial Evaluation Using a Multiple Baseline Design.

Accumulating research suggests that shame can strongly contribute to the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Interventions that promote self-compassion have shown promise for reducing shame related to various clinical problems, but this approach has not been systematically evaluated for traumatized individuals. The aim of this study was to develop a brief compassion-based therapy and assess its efficacy for reducing trauma-related shame and PTSD symptoms. Using a multiple baseline experimental design, the intervention was evaluated in a community sample of trauma-exposed adults (N=10) with elevated trauma-related shame and PTSD symptoms. Participants completed weekly assessments during a 2-, 4-, or 6-week baseline phase and a 6-week treatment phase, and at 2 and 4weeks after the intervention. By the end of treatment, 9 of 10 participants demonstrated reliable decreases in PTSD symptom severity, while 8 of 10 participants showed reliable reductions in shame. These improvements were maintained at 2- and 4-week follow-up. The intervention was also associated with improvements in self-compassion and self-blame. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the intervention. Results suggest that the intervention may be useful as either a stand-alone treatment or as a supplement to other treatments.

A randomized controlled trial of an internet-based therapist-assisted indicated preventive intervention for prolonged grief disorder.

This trial assessed the feasibility, acceptability, tolerability, and efficacy of an Internet-based therapist-assisted cognitive-behavioral indicated prevention intervention for prolonged grief disorder (PGD) called Healthy Experiences After Loss (HEAL). Eighty-four bereaved individuals at risk for PGD were randomized to either an immediate treatment group (n = 41) or a waitlist control group (n = 43). Assessments were conducted at four time-points: prior to the wait-interval (for the waitlist group), pre-intervention, post-intervention, 6 weeks later, and 3 months later (for the immediate group only). Intent-to-treat analyses indicated that HEAL was associated with large reductions in prolonged grief (d = 1.10), depression (d = .71), anxiety (d = .51), and posttraumatic stress (d = .91). Also, significantly fewer participants in the immediate group met PGD criteria post-intervention than in the waitlist group. Pooled data from both groups also yielded significant reductions and large effect sizes in PGD symptom severity at each follow-up assessment. The intervention required minimal professional oversight and ratings of satisfaction with treatment and usability of the Internet interface were high. HEAL has the potential to be an effective, well-tolerated tool to reduce the burden of significant pre-clinical PGD. Further research is needed to refine HEAL and to assess its efficacy and mechanisms of action in a large-scale trial.

Treatment seeking behaviour in southern Chinese elders with chronic orofacial pain: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic orofacial pain (OFP) is common in general adult populations worldwide. High levels of psychological distress and impaired coping abilities are common among Western people with chronic OFP but limited information was found in southern Chinese people. This study aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of community dwelling elderly people with chronic OFP symptoms and their treatment seeking behaviour in Hong Kong. METHODS: An exploratory qualitative interview study was conducted. Elderly people experiencing chronic OFP symptoms were invited to take part in an individual semi-structured interview. A total of 25 semi-structured interviews were performed for 25 participants. RESULTS: Pertinent issues relating to the treatment seeking behaviour emerged from the interviews, many of which were inter-related and overlapping. They were organized into three major themes: (i) Impact of chronic OFP on daily life; (ii) Personal knowledge and feeling of chronic OFP; (iii) Management of chronic OFP. The participants were found to have the intention to seek professional treatment, but there were barriers which discouraged them continuing to seek professional treatment. They also received complementary treatment for chronic OFP, such as acupuncture, massage and "chi kung". Moreover, a wide range self-management techniques were also mentioned. On the other hand, those who did not seek professional treatment for the chronic OFP claimed that they had accepted or adapted to the pain as part of their lives. CONCLUSIONS: This qualitative study observed that elderly people affected by chronic OFP symptoms in Hong Kong sought many different ways to manage their pain including traditional and complementary approaches. The role of the dentist in dealing with chronic OFP is unclear. Multiple barriers exist to accessing care for chronic OFP. The findings may be used to inform future chronic OFP management strategies in Hong Kong.

Psychometric evaluation of the Moral Injury Events Scale.

Literature describing the phenomenology of the stress of combat suggests that war-zone experiences may lead to adverse psychological outcomes such as post-traumatic stress disorder not only because they expose persons to life threat and loss but also because they may contradict deeply held moral and ethical beliefs and expectations. We sought to develop and validate a measure of potentially morally injurious events as a necessary step toward studying moral injury as a possible adverse consequence of combat. We administered an 11-item, self-report Moral Injury Events Scale to active duty Marines 1 week and 3 months following war-zone deployment. Two items were eliminated because of low item-total correlations. The remaining 9 items were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis, which revealed two latent factors that we labeled perceived transgressions and perceived betrayals; these were confirmed via confirmatory factor analysis on an independent sample. The overall Moral Injury Events Scale and its two subscales had favorable internal validity, and comparisons between the 1-week and 3-month data suggested good temporal stability. Initial discriminant and concurrent validity were also established. Future research directions were discussed.

Co-occurring posttraumatic stress and depression symptoms after sexual assault: a latent profile analysis.

BACKGROUND: Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression frequently co-occur, but their distinctiveness following trauma remains unclear. We examined patterns of PTSD and depression symptoms after sexual assault to evaluate the extent to which assault survivors primarily reported symptoms of both disorders or whether there were meaningfully distinct subgroups with discordant PTSD and depression symptoms. METHODS: Latent profile analysis was used to examine self-reported PTSD and depression symptoms among 119 female sexual assault survivors at 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-months post-assault. RESULTS: At all time points, a 4-class solution fit the data best, revealing four subgroups with low, low-moderate, high-moderate, and severe levels of both PTSD and depression symptoms. Within each subgroup, PTSD symptom severity co-occurred with comparable depression symptom severity. At no time point were there reliable subgroups with discordant PTSD and depression symptom severities. Emotional numbing, hyperarousal, and overall PTSD symptom severity reliably distinguished each class from the others. Class membership at 1-month post-assault predicted subsequent class membership and functional impairment. LIMITATIONS: Additional research is needed to evaluate predictors of class membership, temporal stability of classes, and generalizability to other trauma populations. CONCLUSIONS: Co-occurring and comparably severe PTSD and depression symptoms are pervasive among female sexual assault survivors. The absence of a distinct subset of individuals with only PTSD or depression symptoms suggests that PTSD and depression may be manifestations of a general posttraumatic stress response rather than distinct disorders after trauma. Integrated treatments targeting both PTSD and depression symptoms may therefore prove more efficient and effective.

Differential social regulation of two pituitary gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors.

In many vertebrates, social interactions regulate reproductive capacity by altering the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. To better understand the mechanisms underlying social regulation of reproduction, we investigated the relationship between social status and one main component of the HPG axis: expression levels of gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRH-R). Social interactions dictate reproductive capacity in the cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni. Reproductively active territory holders suppress the HPG axis of non-territorial males through repeated aggressive encounters. To determine whether the expression of GnRH-R is socially regulated, we quantified mRNA levels of two GnRH-R variants in the pituitaries and brains of territorial (T) and non-territorial (NT) A. burtoni males. We found that T males had significantly higher levels of pituitary GnRH-R1 mRNA than NT males. In contrast, GnRH-R2 mRNA levels in the pituitary did not vary with social status. Pituitaries from both T and NT males expressed significantly higher mRNA levels of GnRH-R1 than GnRH-R2. GnRH mRNA levels in the brain correlated positively with GnRH-R1 mRNA levels in the pituitary but did not correlate with pituitary GnRH-R2. Measurements of GnRH-R1 and GnRH-R2 mRNA levels across the whole brain revealed no social status differences. These results show that, in addition to the known effects of social status on other levels of the HPG axis, GnRH receptor in the pituitary is also a target of social regulation.