Interventions for professional trauma caregivers: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The present meta-analysis aimed to investigate which are the most efficient psychological and physical interventions for professional caregivers. METHOD: The study was realized using information extracted from 28 randomized controlled trials, totaling 2,168 participants, with mean ages between 22.88 and 48.54, of which 64.7% were females. The records were identified in relevant international databases of scientific articles, such as Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Cochrane, and dissertation databases ProQuest Dissertations, DART-Europe E-theses Portal, and EThOS, for gray literature. The targeted population was represented by professional trauma caregivers, a group consisting of medical personnel, psychologists, and social workers. RESULTS: Out of the 28 trials included, 16 studies were performed on medical personnel, four on mental health personnel, two on social workers, and six on mixed groups. The statistical analysis revealed a main effect size of g = 0.541, 95% CI [0.383, 0.700], p < .001, which indicates an overall medium effect of the interventions. Effect sizes were compared and analyzed based on continuous and categorical moderators, which did not prove significant except for the female percentage. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings support that all interventions are adequate and outperform control groups. Based on the literature review that was made before the onset of this meta-analysis, there seems to be no other study realized in such an exhaustive format. The implications predominantly target practitioners in how to approach professional trauma caregivers who seek treatment. Future research should further investigate this population as a whole and consider including culture as a moderator. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Mental health literacy and academic performance (MHLAP) in high school students: a randomized clinical trial protocol.

BACKGROUND: Mental health literacy is a promising avenue of intervention for addressing the development of psychopathology, as well as its associated consequences, such as a decrease in academic performance. The current study aims to test the effectiveness of such an intervention in high school students, focusing on two main formats of delivery: (1) automated and (2) blended. METHODS: To achieve this aim, a randomized clinical trial with direct comparisons at three time points between three conditions (automated, blended, and waitlist) was designed. Power analyses yielded a necessary sample size of 264 high school students. The participants will be selected from Romanian high schools. DISCUSSION: The current study aims to contribute to the mental health literacy literature by testing the effectiveness of an educational intervention concerning mental health in terms of its benefits for reducing psychopathology and increasing academic performance. The success of such an intervention bears important implications for addressing mental health in the educational system. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT06217744, version 1, 22 January 2024.

Psychometric evaluation of the PCL-5: assessing validity, diagnostic utility, and bifactor structures.

Background: The changes DSM-5 brought to the diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulted in revising the most widely used instrument in assessing PTSD, namely the Posttraumatic Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5).Objective: This study examined the psychometric properties of the Romanian version of the PCL-5, tested its diagnostic utility against the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5), and investigated the latent structure of PTSD symptoms through correlated symptom models and bifactor modelling.Method: A total sample of 727 participants was used to test the psychometric properties and underlying structure of the PCL-5 and 101 individuals underwent clinical interviews using SCID-5. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were performed to test the diagnostic utility of the PCL-5 and identify optimal cut-off scores based on Youden's J index. Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs) and bifactor modelling were performed to investigate the latent structure of PTSD symptoms.Results: Estimates revealed that the PCL-5 is a valuable tool with acceptable diagnostic accuracy compared to SCID-5 diagnoses, indicating a cut-off score of >47. The CFAs provide empirical support for Anhedonia, Hybrid, and bifactor models. The findings are limited by using retrospective, self-report data and the high percentage of female participants.Conclusions: The PCL-5 is a psychometrically sound instrument that can be useful in making provisional diagnoses within community samples and improving trauma-informed practices.

This study offers an in-depth analysis of the Romanian version of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), exploring its psychometric properties, diagnostic utility, and latent structure.An optimal cut-off score was identified for PTSD diagnosis using the SCID-5, providing essential insights into the diagnostic process and enhancing its utility in clinical assessments.Using bifactor modelling and other statistical methods, various PTSD models were compared to offer valuable guidance for future research, assessment, and interventions in this field.

Pretrauma risk factors and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms following subsequent exposure: Multilevel and univariate meta-analytical approaches.

The endeavour to comprehend why certain individuals develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms subsequent to experiencing traumatic events, while others do not, underscores the paramount importance of pretraumatic risk factors. This meta-analysis summarises the extant results of studies assessing risk factors prior exposure and PTSD symptoms following an index event on the same participants. It includes 43 studies (N = 19,239) yielding 174 effect sizes of pretraumatic risk factors categories such as demographic factors, cognitive factors, personality traits, coping styles, psychopathology, psychophysiological and environmental factors, which were examined using a three-level meta-analysis. Additionally, univariate random-effects meta-analyses were performed to separately investigate individual risk factors reported in more than one study. The findings revealed significant, small and medium associations for all categories, except for demographic factors and coping styles, also highlighting that certain individual risk factor domains (i.e. previous mental disorders, negative emotionality, sleep complaints and PTSD symptoms) represent the strongest predictors for PTSD symptoms after subsequent exposure. Several moderators were also investigated for individual risk factors. Future research could benefit from considering the interplay of pretraumatic risk factors to draw a more complex picture of the aetiology and underlying mechanisms of PTSD symptoms.

The structure of PTSD. Development of the Post Traumatic Symptom scale from a clinician-based perspective.

Background: Nations marked by a Marxist-Leninist ideology have suffered greatly due to a culture of abuse emphasized by the absolute absence of psychology, thus contributing to a diminished ability in recognizing the consequences of traumatic experiences. Objective: To improve the assessment of the presence and severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in such a cultural context, our paper aimed at developing an alternative self-report measure for PTSD - the Post Traumatic Symptom Scale (PTSs), developed by clinicians with wide relevant expertise, based on the natural language people use to describe its subjective experience. This research used multiple samples consistent with the corresponding objectives. Mokken Scale Analysis and the Classical Test Theory were both employed. The proposed scale was tested against five competing PTSD models, whilst also investigating the symptoms' clusters in two different samples by using, to our knowledge, a network analysis approach for the first time. Method: The results indicated excellent psychometric properties regarding internal consistency and temporal reliability, as well as convergent and discriminant validity. The results of MSA showed that the scale fully conforms to the assumptions of the monotone homogeneity model, interpreted as positive evidence for its use in clinical purposes. The factor analyses pointed that the newer models outperformed the standard DSM-5 model, with bifactor models displaying better fit indexes than second-order models. Finally, a distinct pattern of symptom activation in the high-risk group (i.e. first-responders) was found, bringing support for symptoms overlapping between PTSD and affective disorders, thus reinforcing the idea of bridge symptoms which has significant clinical implications. Results: This study presents an alternative sound instrument for measuring PTSD symptomatology focused on how people naturally describe their subjective experiences. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed alongside limitations. HIGHLIGHTS: The construction of PTSs encompasses cultural trauma and one's subjective experience.PTSs was tested against the five major competing models of PTSD.Network analyses suggest different patterns in a student sample vs. a first-responders one, with the accent on the negative alterations in cognitions and mood (NACM) model.

Spontaneous thought and microstate activity modulation by social imitation.

The human mind wanders spontaneously and frequently, revisiting the past and imagining the future of self and of others. External and internal factors can influence wandering spontaneous thoughts, whose content predicts subsequent emotional states. We propose that social imitation, an action that increases well-being and closeness by poorly understood mechanisms, impacts behavioural states in part by modulating post-imitation mind-wandering. In 43 young subjects, we find that imitating the arm movements of an actor alters the dynamics and the content of subsequent resting-state spontaneous thoughts. Imitation-sensitive features of spontaneous thoughts correlate with behavioural states and personality traits. EEG microstate analysis reveals that global patterns of correlated neuronal activity predict imitation-induced changes in spontaneous thoughts. Exploratory analyses indicate a possible modulatory effect of social imitation via the endogenous release of oxytocin. Thus, social imitation can induce selective modulations of ongoing activity in specific neural networks to change spontaneous thought patterns as a function of personality traits, and to ultimately orchestrate behavioural states.

Factors impacting the experience of empathic distress in social anxiety: a path analysis approach.

Personal distress is a manifestation of empathy characterized by a tendency to respond to others' difficulties by increasing one's distress. Previous work on socially anxious individuals has shown mixed results, consistent with a model of social anxiety symptomatology characterized by increased personal distress in empathy eliciting situations, which is driven by emotional dysregulation. The current study aimed to test a serial mediation model to uncover the role of emotional dysregulation in the relationship between social anxiety and empathic distress. 330 young adults were included in the sample. Social anxiety symptomatology, difficulty identifying one's feelings, expressive suppression, and empathic distress were analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling. Measurement and structural models were supported by data, with social anxiety exhibiting direct and indirect effects on empathic distress. Results also suggest that expressive suppression exhibits a negative effect on the distress exhibited in empathy eliciting situations, which brings forth relevant theoretical and clinical implications.

Childhood trauma, dissociation, alexithymia, and anger in people with autoimmune diseases: A mediation model.

BACKGROUND: Despite research linking dissociation, alexithymia, and anger with childhood trauma and ADs, the investigation addressing the relationships between the potential mediators has not yet been established within the literature. OBJECTIVE: The present study examined the relationship between childhood trauma and autoimmune disorders, using a multiple mediation model that included dissociation, alexithymia, and anger as hypothesized mediators. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 306 autoimmune patients and 292 self-declared healthy controls were included in the study. They completed self-report questionnaires regarding childhood abuse, alexithymia, dissociation, and anger. METHODS: Multiple mediation analysis was conducted to investigate the study's proposed model. RESULTS: The results of the Structural Equation Model (SEM) suggest an indirect relationship between childhood trauma and autoimmune disorders, mediated by dissociation [z = 4.57, p < .01, ß = 0.19, 90% CI (0.08-0.10)], alexithymia [z = 10.74, p < .01, ß = 0.43, 90% CI (0.08-0.10)], but not by anger [z = 1.58, p = .11, 90% CI (0.08-0.10)]. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are in line with previous studies that show associations between childhood trauma, dissociation, alexithymia, and ADs. They indicate that mental health professionals and medical doctors should assess childhood trauma in autoimmune patients. They also should consider the possible maintaining role of dissociation and alexithymia in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Personality Structure Through the Lens of the HEXACO Model.

Across 5 different samples, totaling more than 1,600 participants from India, Indonesia, Oman, Romania, and Thailand, the authors address the question of cross-cultural replicability of a personality structure, while exploring the utility of exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) as a data analysis technique in cross-cultural personality research. Personality was measured with an alternative, non-Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality framework, provided by the HEXACO-PI (Lee & Ashton, 2004 ). The results show that the HEXACO framework was replicated in some of the investigated cultures. The ESEM data analysis technique proved to be especially useful in investigating the between-group measurement equivalence of broad personality measures across different cultures.