Structural brain features signaling trauma, PTSD, or resilience? A systematic exploration.

BACKGROUND: Studies have searched for neurobiological markers of trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis, and resilience to trauma to identify therapeutic targets for PTSD. Despite some promising results, findings are inconsistent. AIMS: The present study adopted a data-driven approach to systematically explore whether structural brain markers of trauma, PTSD, or resilience emerge when all are explored. MATERIALS & METHODS: Differences between clusters in the proportion of PTSD, healthy controls (HC), and trauma-exposed healthy controls (TEHC) served to indicate the presence of PTSD, trauma, and resilience markers, respectively. A total of 129 individuals, including 46 with PTSD, 49 TEHCs, and 34 HCs not exposed to trauma were scanned. Volumes, cortical thickness, and surface areas of interest were obtained from T1 structural MRI and used to identify data-driven clusters. RESULTS: Two clusters were identified, differing in the proportion of TEHCs but not of PTSDs or HCs. The cluster with the higher proportion of TEHCs, referred to as the resilience cluster, was characterized by higher volume in brain regions implicated in trauma exposure, especially the thalamus and rostral middle frontal gyrus. Cross-validation established the robustness and consistency of the identified clusters. DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION: Findings support the existence of structural brain markers of resilience.

Passive and active suicidal ideation among left-behind children in rural China: An evaluation of intrapersonal and interpersonal vulnerability and resilience.

OBJECTIVE: Although theoretical conceptualizations of suicide hold that passive and active suicidal ideation are etiologically distinct, existing research observing this distinction is modest, with most prior studies focusing exclusively on active ideation. Understanding processes associated with passive ideation is clinically important insofar as passive ideation may precede active ideation, and thus serve as an earlier intervention target prior to potential onset of suicidal behavior. We aimed to evaluate intrapersonal and interpersonal vulnerability and resilience factors for passive ideation and differentiating passive from active ideation. METHOD: Left-behind adolescents in rural China (n = 371) were assessed for passive and active ideation, depressive symptoms, rumination, grit, peer support, and peer victimization. RESULTS: Overall, 15.9% of the sample endorsed passive ideation without active ideation, and 17.8% endorsed active ideation. In multivariate analyses, rumination and grit differentiated left-behind children with passive ideation from those with no ideation. Depressive symptom severity predicted active ideation among adolescents with passive ideation. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings suggest that rumination and grit may characterize passive ideation. Although passive and active ideation may differ modestly in vulnerability and resilience factors, depressive symptoms may be important to monitor among those with passive ideation and have not yet experience active ideation.