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This preliminary study examines the link between war-related auditory (pseudo)hallucinations and symptoms of acute ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD (CPTSD) amidst ongoing conflict, with a specific focus on CPTSD. The research, which analyzed data from 2028 Israeli residents following the traumatic events of October 7, 2023, investigated the perception of non-existent sirens and their association with acute PTSD and CPTSD symptoms. The findings reveal that (pseudo)hallucinations were more prevalent among individuals with acute CPTSD symptoms compared to those with PTSD symptoms alone. Additionally, auditory (pseudo)hallucinations were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of CPTSD versus PTSD. These results were consistent for those directly and indirectly exposed individuals to the October 7 attack. Despite its cross-sectional nature, the study provides valuable insights into trauma-related auditory (pseudo)hallucinations in wartime contexts., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The Relationship Between Specific Auditory Hallucinations and Acute PTSD vs. Complex PTSD Following Direct and Indirect Exposure to the October 7 Events in Israel. I declare I have no competing interest. Dr. Yafit Levin, on behalf of all authors., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia remain clinically and theoretically understudied and represent an unmet psychiatric need. Negative symptoms are assumed to be related to other psychiatric disorders, but their association with dissociative symptoms is yet to be explored, particularly in light of depression and anxiety symptoms. We examined the five domains of negative symptoms (anhedonia, asociality, avolition, blunted affect and alogia) in an Israeli national sample of 1930 participants of whom 645 (33.4%) were with increased risk for dissociative disorder. The results show that anhedonia, blunted affect and alogia significantly associated with risk for dissociative disorder, above and beyond depression and anxiety. When assessing for negative symptoms it may be worth screening for dissociation and vice versa and thus make a more accurate clinical picture of the interplay between them., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare no conflict of interest or otherwise. The paper is a purely an academic research., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The 2022 Russian invasion of the Ukraine created a large-scale humanitarian crisis that has intensified as the conflict persists. The impact of armed conflict, such as forced migration, exposure to violence, supply shortages, destruction of infrastructure, and interruption of essential services, can have serious negative consequences for the mental health and wellbeing of Ukrainians living through the invasion and its aftermath. At the same time threat to a nation can trigger a wave of patriotism. Such feelings of patriotic belonging, love, pride and caring for a country can help maintain national group cohesion and respect for civic authorities. We studied demographic and war related factors associated with patriotic attitudes and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a national Ukraine sample of 2000 respondents six weeks into this crisis. Respondents completed an online inventory assessing patriotic attitudes, PTSD symptoms, having relatives wounded or killed, having relatives who left Ukraine due to the war, alongside key demographics. Hierarchical regressions found that having relatives that were wounded or that left Ukraine because of the war and those coming from a Ukrainian speaking region were associated with patriotic attitudes. Patriotic attitudes were positively associated with elevated risk for PTSD symptoms. Mental health professionals should consider the potential mental health burden of existential national conflicts amongst civilian populations with strongly patriotic attitudes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Symptom network analysis has become an essential tool for researchers and clinicians investigating the structure of mental disorders. Two methods have been used; one relies on partial correlations, and the second relies on zero order correlations with forced-directed algorithm. This combination was used to examine symptom connections for ICD-11 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD (CPTSD) as the symptoms for these disorders have been known to be organized in a multi-dimensional and hierarchical fashion. We aimed to examine whether networks of ICD-11 CPTSD symptoms reproduced across samples from three African countries., Methods: We produced network models based on data from 2524 participants in Nigeria (n = 1018), Kenya (n = 1006), and Ghana (n = 500). PTSD and CPTSD symptoms were measured using the International Trauma Questionnaire (Cloitre et al., 2018)., Results: The CPTSD network analysis using force-directed method alongside partial correlations based on Gaussian Graphical Models (GGM) revealed the multidimensional-hierarchal structure of CPTSD. The within-cluster symptoms of Disturbances in Self Organization (DSO) and PTSD were strongly correlated with each other in all networks, and the cross-cluster symptoms were lower. The most central symptom was 'feelings of worthlessness', a symptom of Negative Self-Concept that is part of the CPTSD cluster. The networks were very similar across the three countries., Conclusions: Findings support the ICD-11 model of PTSD and CPTSD in three African countries., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Anxiety, perceived control and trust in information sources have all been shown to significantly influence health and social behaviours during pandemics. We measured these factors in a nationally representative on-street survey collected across five regions of Thailand (N = 1000, May 2020, response rate 82.6%). Anxiety was positively associated with stocking up on food (OR 2.62 (95% CI 1.88-3.66)) and taking vitamins (OR 2.37 (1.59-3.54)); perceived control with (recommended) coughing into an elbow (OR 2.42 (1.80-3.26)), checking on others (OR 1.52 (1.00-2.31)), and negatively with stockpiling (OR 0.72 (0.55-0.96)). Those relying on family/friends, doctors online or foreign sources were more likely to take vitamins (ORs 4.11, 2.88. 2.82), respondents using TV news less likely to stock up on food (OR 0.57 (0.37-0.86)) and to wear a mask for self-protection (OR 0.27 (0.10-0.73)). Comparing findings with analogous cross-sectional data on anxiety collected at the start of the pandemic (Feb 2020, Goodwin et al., 2020) there was no significant difference between personal anxiety in the two surveys (F (1, 1197) = 0.72, p = .40)) but perceived control was lower in the later survey (F (1, 1197) = 6.72 p = .01)). Findings suggest reduced perceived control as the pandemic developed and illuminate possible negative impacts of anxiety and low sense of control on pandemic behaviours., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The novel Coronavirus COVID-19 has led the WHO to warn of the risk of potentially disruptive behaviors. However, the association between maladaptive actions and mental health has not been empirically assessed. A national study of 1293 participants from the UK recorded location, underlying medical conditions and non-recommended behaviors along with psychological distress. Elevated psychological distress was associated with living in London, underlying medical conditions and practicing non-recommended behaviors. Findings suggest that medical authorities should address the association between psychological distress and adoption of potentially maladaptive behaviors., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In line with ICD-11 new conceptualization of Adjustment disorder (AjD), a self-report Adjustment Disorder-New Module (ADNM) was developed and validated. Nevertheless, the ADNM-20 is a long research tool and potentially problematic in the use in epidemiological and clinical studies. The present study introduces the brief ADNM-8 and the ultra-brief ADNM-4, examines their validity and establishes cut-off scores for their clinical use. The study used a representative national sample of 1003 Israelis who reported on the ICD-11 stress spectrum ranging from AjD, PTSD, complex PTSD and complicated grief. Construct validity was assessed via confirmatory factor analysis and cut-off scores were established through ROC analysis. The original and brief instruments were highly correlated (r > 0.918 or better). Cronbach's Alpha for the Brief ADNM-8 and the Ultra-Brief ADNM-4 were above 0.800. Correlations with stress related conditions indicated a good convergent and construct validity for both instruments as well. The ultra-brief ADNM-4 was found to have a very good fit with the data. These findings indicate that the brief ADNM-8 and the ultra-brief ADNM-4 can serve as a brief screening tools for assessing AjD symptoms according to the ICD-11 definition., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Direct exposure to traumatic events often precipitates sleep disorders. Sleep disturbance has also been observed amongst those indirectly exposed to trauma, via mass media. However, previous work has focused on traditional media use, rather than contemporary social media. We tested associations between both traditional and social media consumption and insomnia symptoms following 2015 terror attacks in Paris France, controlling for location and post-traumatic symptomology. 1878 respondents, selected to represent the national French population, completed an internet survey a month after the Bataclan attacks (response rate 72%). Respondents indicated different media use, post-traumatic stress and insomnia. Controlling for demographics, location and PTSD, insomnia was associated with both traditional (β 0.10, P = .001) and social media use (β 0.12, P = .001). Associations between social media and insomnia were independent of traditional media use. Interventions targeted at social media may be particularly important following mass trauma., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Terrorist attacks have the capacity to threaten our beliefs about the world, cause distress across populations and promote discrimination towards particular groups. We examined the impact of two different types of attacks in the same city and same year on psychological distress and probable posttraumatic stress symptoms, and the moderating effects of religion or media use on distress/posttraumatic symptoms and inter-group relations. Two panel surveys four weeks after the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack (N = 1981) and the November 2015 Bataclan concert hall/restaurant attacks (N = 1878), measured intrinsic religiosity, social and traditional media use, psychological distress (K6), probable posttraumatic stress symptoms (proposed ICD-11), symbolic racism and willingness to interact with Muslims by non-Muslims. Prevalence of serious mental illness (K6 score > 18) was higher after November 2015 attacks (7.0% after the first attack, 10.2% the second, χ2 (1) = 5.67, p < 0.02), as were probable posttraumatic stress symptoms (11.9% vs. 14.1%; χ2 (1) = 4.15, p < 0.04). In structural equation analyses, sex, age, geographic proximity, media use and religiosity were associated with distress, as was the interaction between event and religiosity. Distress was then associated with racism symbolism and willingness to interact with Muslims. Implications are considered for managing psychological trauma across populations, and protecting inter-group harmony., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)