The Dual Burden of Emerging Adulthood: Assessing Gambling Severity, Gambling-Related Harm, and Mental Health Challenges.

Growing concerns over gambling problems across age groups have sparked research in public health and psychology. During emerging adulthood, individuals are more susceptible to mental health problems and more likely to develop gambling problems than in other age groups. This study explored the potential differences between emerging adults and adults aged 30+ in terms of problem gambling severity (PGS), gambling-related harm (GRH), depression and anxiety, and the mediating role of depression and anxiety in the association between age, PGS, and GRH. A representative online sample of 3244 Israelis aged 18 and over was divided into two groups: 740 emerging adults aged 18-29 and 2504 adults aged 30+. Gambling behaviors, the Problem Gambling Severity Index, the Short Gambling Harm Screen, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 assessing depression and anxiety were administered. Emerging adults had significantly higher levels of GRH, PGS, and depression-anxiety than their older counterparts, above and beyond gender and education. Depression-anxiety fully mediated the associations between age and gambling-related outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of considering psychological well-being in efforts to address problem gambling and gambling-related harms, especially in emerging adults.

Cultural psychological factors in posttraumatic symptom development and expression: a study protocol.

Introduction: Cultural factors were shown to be particularly relevant for the development and expression of posttraumatic stress. Recently, the concept of cultural scripts of trauma has been introduced, which proposes that trauma sequelae elements may be sequentially linked and specifically associated with cultural factors. Furthermore, a cascade model is proposed, including trauma exposure, demographic characteristics, cultural affiliation, and trauma-related value orientations as influencing factors of posttraumatic development. The purpose of this Network Project is to investigate cultural psychological factors that contribute to the expression of posttraumatic stress.Methods: The present Network Project implements a mixed methods approach and will be conducted in 5 different study sites, including Switzerland, Israel, Georgia, China, and East Africa. In sub-study I, the cultural scripts of traumatic stress inventories (CSTIs) will be developed. These scales provide a pool of trauma sequelae elements for each cultural group. For this purpose, focus groups with trauma survivors and trauma experts will be conducted and analysed using qualitative research methods. Sub-study II implements a validation analysis of the CSTIs and the empirical investigation of a cultural cascade model. This quantitative approach will include a larger sample of individuals who experienced traumatic life events.Discussion: This contribution is timely and enriches the knowledge of trauma and culture. Future publications of this Network Project will address trauma sequelae from a cultural perspective and provide diagnostic and psychotherapeutic implications.

This paper presents a Network Project that investigates cultural factors in posttraumatic sequelae.The Network Project encompasses an innovative research design with both qualitative and quantitative methods.New developments in the field of cultural clinical psychology are introduced, including cultural scripts of trauma and a cascade model of cultural factors in posttraumatic symptom expression.

The association between negative war-related beliefs and probable PTSD and complex PTSD among Ukrainians during the 2022 Russian invasion.

The ongoing Ukraine-Russia war triggered significant mental health consequences, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD). A population study with 1895 Ukrainians explored the association between negative war-related beliefs and risk for PTSD and CPTSD. Negative war-related beliefs were shown to be significantly linked to increased risks for PTSD and more so for CPTSD. Interventions that address negative war-related beliefs could mitigate the mental health impact of war.

Prolonged grief disorder symptomology in three African countries: A network analysis and comparison.

Background: Bereavement is a globally prevalent life stressor, but in some instances, it may be followed by a persistent condition of grief and distress, codified within the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Network analysis provides a valuable framework for understanding psychological disorders at a nuanced symptom-based level. Aim: This study novelly explores the network structure of ICD-11 PGD symptomology in a non-Western sample and assesses the replication of this across three African country sub-samples in these data. Methodology: Network models were estimated using the "Inventory of Complicated Grief-Revised" in a sample of trauma-exposed individuals who experienced bereavement throughout life (N = 1,554) from three African countries (Ghana, n = 290; Kenya, n = 619; Nigeria, n = 645). These networks were statistically evaluated using the network comparison test. Results: It was found that "Feelings of Loss" and "Difficulty moving on" were the most central symptoms in the combined sample network. These findings were largely consistent for the Ghana and Nigeria sub-samples, however, network structure differences were noted in the Kenya sub-sample. Conclusion: The identified PGD network highlights particular indicators and associations across three African samples. Implications for the assessment and treatment of PGD in these cultural contexts warrant consideration.

Assessing complex PTSD and PTSD: validation of the German version of the International Trauma Interview (ITI).

Background: With the introduction of the ICD-11 into clinical practice, the reliable distinction between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) becomes paramount. The semi-structured clinician-administered International Trauma Interview (ITI) aims to close this gap in clinical and research settings.Objective: This study investigated the psychometric properties of the German version of the ITI among trauma-exposed clinical samples from Switzerland and Germany.Method: Participants were 143 civilian and 100 military participants, aged M = 40.3 years, of whom 53.5% were male. Indicators of reliability and validity (latent structure, internal reliability, inter-rater agreement, convergent and discriminant validity) were evaluated. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and partial correlation analysis were conducted separately for civilian and military participants.Results: Prevalence of PTSD was 30% (civilian) and 33% (military) and prevalence of CPTSD was 53% (civilians) and 21% (military). Satisfactory internal consistency and inter-rater agreement were found. In the military sample, a parsimonious first-order six-factor model was preferred over a second-order two-factor CFA model of ITI PTSD and Disturbances in Self-Organization (DSO). Model fit was excellent among military participants but no solution was supported among civilian participants. Overall, convergent validity was supported by positive correlations of ITI PTSD and DSO with DSM-5 PTSD. Discriminant validity for PTSD symptoms was confirmed among civilians but low in the military sample.Conclusions: The German ITI has shown potential as a clinician-administered diagnostic tool for assessing ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD in primary care. However, further exploration of its latent structure and discriminant validity are indicated.

This study validated the German International Trauma Interview (ITI), a semi-structured clinician-administered diagnostic interview for ICD-11 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.Internal reliability, inter-rater agreement, latent structure, and convergent validity were explored in trauma-exposed clinical and military samples from five different in- and outpatient centres in Germany and German-speaking Switzerland.The findings supported the German ITI's reliability, inter-rater agreement, convergent validity and usefulness from a patient perspective. Future research should explore its factor structure and discriminant validity, for which differences between the samples were found.

Complex posttraumatic stress disorder in intergenerational trauma transmission among Eritrean asylum-seeking mother-child dyads.

Background: Traumatic stress among forcibly displaced people has a variety of adverse consequences beyond individual mental health, including implications for poor socioemotional developmental outcomes for their children post-displacement.Objective: This study explored the intergenerational transmission of maternal ICD-11 Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) and depression among asylum-seeking mothers for their children's internalizing and externalizing difficulties.Method: Participants were 127 trauma-affected Eritrean mothers of preschool-aged children in Israel. The severity of child difficulties was compared between mothers with probable ICD-11 CPTSD (94.5% comorbid depression), ICD-11 PTSD (48.5% comorbid depression), unimorbid depression, and healthy mothers, using multivariate analyses of variance, while controlling for children's direct exposure to adverse life experiences.Results: Probable ICD-11 CPTSD and PTSD were present in 23.6% and 26.0% of mothers, respectively. Relative to maternal PTSD, CPTSD was significantly and strongly associated with elevated child internalizing symptoms (d = 2.44) and marginally significantly, although strongly, associated with child externalizing symptoms (d = 1.30). Post-hoc exploratory analyses documented that, relative to maternal PTSD and depression, CPTSD and depression comorbidity was marginally significantly but strongly associated with child internalizing (SMD = .67), but not externalizing symptoms (SMD = .35).Conclusions: Findings implicate maternal CPTSD and comorbid depression in child socio-emotional development and inform clinical assessment, prevention, and intervention to attenuate poor development among children in unstable post-displacement settings.

Trauma among forcibly displaced people has a variety of aversive multisystemic consequences, compromising the socioemotional development of non-exposed children.ICD-11 complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) and comorbid depression may be functionally important to elevated risk for maternal intergenerational trauma transmission, even relative to ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).To effectively attenuate intergenerational transmission of trauma post-displacement, efforts and resources should be invested in maternal mental health care as well as socio-culturally adapted, trauma-sensitive parenting training.