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Background: After a traumatic incident in the workplace organisations want to provide support for their employees to prevent PTSD. However, what is safe and effective to offer has not yet been established, despite many organisations offering some form of intervention after a traumatic event. Objective: To systematically review the evidence for post-incident psychosocial interventions offered within one month of a workplace trauma, and to compare the content, effectiveness and acceptability of these interventions. Given the lack of a yet clearly established evidence-base in this field, we sought to examine both published empirical research as well as guidelines published by expert groups working with staff in high-risk roles. Methods: We conducted systematic searches for empirical research across bibliographic databases and searched online for clinical practice guidelines to April 2023. We were also referred to potentially relevant literature by experts in workplace trauma. Both empirical research and clinical guidelines were appraised for their quality. Results: A total of 80 research studies and 11 clinical practice guidelines were included in the review. Interventions included Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD), Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), unspecified Debriefing, Trauma Risk Management (TRiM), Psychological First Aid (PFA), EMDR, CBT and group counselling. Most research and guidance were of poor quality. The findings of this review do not demonstrate any harm caused by CISD, CISM, PFA, TRiM, EMDR, group counselling or CBT interventions when delivered in a workplace setting. However, they do not conclusively demonstrate benefits of these interventions nor do they establish superiority of any specific intervention. Generic debriefing was associated with some negative outcomes. Current clinical guidelines were inconsistent with the current research evidence base. Nevertheless, interventions were generally valued by workers. Conclusions: Better quality research and guidance is urgently needed, including more detailed exploration of the specific aspects of delivery of post-incident interventions. Organisations often seek to provide some form of psychosocial intervention after a traumatic event in the workplace. Previous reviews have contraindicated particular forms of 'debriefing', however, the evidence for post-incident psychosocial interventions in the workplace has not previously been systematically reviewed. Research evidence was generally of poor quality with limited evidence of effectiveness and clinical guidelines were inconsistent with the evidence. Nevertheless, research did not demonstrate harm from most established interventions and support was valued by workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition affecting millions of people worldwide. Existing treatments often fail to address the complexity of its symptoms and functional impairments resulting from severe and prolonged trauma. Electroencephalographic Neurofeedback (NFB) has emerged as a promising treatment that aims to reduce the symptoms of PTSD by modulating brain activity. Objective: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of ten clinical trials to answer the question: how effective is NFB in addressing PTSD and other associated symptoms across different trauma populations, and are these improvements related to neurophysiological changes? Method: The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta analyses guidelines. We considered all published and unpublished randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomised studies of interventions (NRSIs) involving adults with PTSD as a primary diagnosis without exclusion by type of trauma, co-morbid diagnosis, locality, or sex. Ten controlled studies were included; seven RCTs and three NRSIs with a total number of participants n = 293 (128 male). Only RCTs were included in the meta-analysis (215 participants; 88 male). Results: All included studies showed an advantage of NFB over control conditions in reducing symptoms of PTSD, with indications of improvement in symptoms of anxiety and depression and related neurophysiological changes. Meta-analysis of the pooled data shows a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms post-treatment SMD of −1.76 (95% CI −2.69, −0.83), and the mean remission rate was higher in the NFB group (79.3%) compared to the control group (24.4%). However, the studies reviewed were mostly small, with heterogeneous populations and varied quality. Conclusions: The effect of NFB on the symptoms of PTSD was moderate and mechanistic evidence suggested that NFB leads to therapeutic changes in brain functioning. Future research should focus on more rigorous methodological designs, expanded sample size and longer follow-up. Neurofeedback (NFB) was found to have moderate beneficial effects on PTSD symptoms, and positive effects on secondary outcomes such as depression and anxiety, according to a meta-analysis of seven randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The beneficial effects of NFB were observed across diverse populations, including those with different types of trauma (military and civilians) and from different ethnic backgrounds. Results suggest that modulation of alpha rhythm might be a viable NFB protocol in patients with PTSD, as changes in neurophysiological functioning, such as connectivity in the Default Mode Network (DMN) and Salience Network (SN), were observed post-NFB and were correlated with a decrease in PTSD severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People forced to leave their homes, such as refugees and internally displaced persons, are exposed to various stressors during their forced displacement, putting them at risk for mental disorders. Objective: To summarize evidence on the efficacy of psychosocial interventions aiming to promote mental health and/or to prevent mental symptoms by fostering transdiagnostic skills in forcibly displaced persons of all ages. Method: Four databases and reference lists were searched for randomized controlled trials on interventions in this population on 11 March 2022. Thirty-six studies were eligible, 32 studies (comprising 5299 participants) were included in random-effects multilevel meta-analyses examining the effects of interventions on mental symptoms and positive mental health (e.g. wellbeing) as well as moderators to account for heterogeneity. OSF Preregistration-ID: 10.17605/OSF.IO/XPMU3 Results: Our search resulted in 32 eligible studies, with 10 reporting on children/adolescents and 27 on adult populations. There was no evidence for favourable intervention effects in children/adolescents, with 44.4% of the effect sizes pointing to potentially negative effects yet remaining non-significant. For adult populations, our meta-analyses showed a close-to-significant favourable effect for mental symptoms, M(SMD) = 0.33, 95% CI [–0.03, 0.69], which was significant when analyses were limited to high-quality studies and larger for clinical compared to non-clinical populations. No effects emerged for positive mental health. Heterogeneity was considerable and could not be explained by various moderators (e.g. type of control, duration, setting, theoretical basis). Certainty of evidence was very low across all outcomes limiting the generalizability of our findings. Conclusion: The present review provides at most weak evidence for an effect favouring transdiagnostic psychosocial interventions over control conditions for adult populations but not for children and adolescents. Future research should combine the imperative of humanitarian aid in face of major crises with studying the diverse needs of forcibly displaced persons to improve and tailor future interventions. This review is the first to examine the efficacy of transdiagnostic interventions for mental health promotion and prevention of mental disorders in forcibly displaced persons of all ages. Overall, we found no favourable effect of transdiagnostic interventions in both children/adolescents and adults. Excluding studies at high risk of bias, there was weak evidence for a small favourable effect in adults, but not in children and adolescents. Thus, so far, there is weak evidence for transdiagnostic interventions in forcibly displaced persons. Research efforts need to match care needs: While most people live and need care in low-income countries, the majority of research has been conducted in high-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) is a preventative, capacity‐building intervention in which mental health professionals partner with early childhood professionals to indirectly improve the environments and relationships that young children experience. Prior research has demonstrated that IECMHC is associated with positive outcomes for children, teachers, and classrooms. Over the past decade, IECMHC implementation and research have expanded, warranting an updated review. The current paper provides an update of the IECMHC evidence base. Included studies (n = 16) were systematically gathered, screened, and coded for context, intervention characteristics, methods and measures, outcomes across ecological levels, and alignment with the IDEAS Impact Framework's guiding questions. Our analysis replicates prior reviews, describing the positive impact of IECMHC on outcomes such as child externalizing behavior, teacher self‐efficacy, and teacher‐child interactions. Beyond updating prior reviews, this analysis describes emerging, nuanced findings regarding the mechanisms of change and the differential impact of IECMHC. We augment our review with descriptions of evaluations that did not meet our inclusion criteria (e.g., IECMHC in the home visiting context, unpublished evaluation reports) to provide context for our findings. Finally, we provide policy and practice implications and articulate an agenda for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women who have had miscarriages or stillbirths are known to have a high risk for enduring grief. However, the course and frequency of enduring grief in this subgroup are not fully understood. Objective: Our aims were to assess the intensity of grief and its course in women with miscarriages or stillbirths and to estimate the frequency of severe grief reactions in this population. Additionally, we compared subgroups with miscarriages versus stillbirths and with single versus recurrent pregnancy loss. Method: A systematic literature search of the databases MEDLINE, psycINFO and PSYNDEX was conducted to consider all studies published between 2000 and 31 March 2022 in English or German on the prevalence and intensity of grief in women who had miscarriages or stillbirths. Studies that used validated assessment methods were included in this systematic review. The PRISMA guidelines were followed. Results: Study characteristics and grief data were extracted independently by two investigators from 13 cross-sectional and eight longitudinal studies from 11 countries (N = 2597). All studies used self-reporting instruments. According to 17 of 21 studies (81%), grief is markedly elevated in women after miscarriages or stillbirths. The studies are very heterogeneous regarding the samples, the length of pregnancies and the time of assessment regarding grief after miscarriages. Most studies document intense grief and frequent severe grief reactions – with a decrease over time – in women who have had miscarriages or stillbirths. Clear conclusions regarding corresponding differences between women with miscarriages and stillbirths or single and recurrent pregnancy losses cannot be drawn. Conclusions: Pronounced grief is frequent in women who had miscarriages or stillbirths. More longitudinal studies are needed to examine the course of grief in this group and to identify those women who develop prolonged grief disorder, depression or other mental-health problems. Pronounced grief is frequent in women who had miscarriages or stillbirths. More longitudinal studies are needed to examine the course of grief in this group and to identify those women who develop prolonged grief disorder, depression or other mental-health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because we aimed to identify trends in wildlife health literature with the potential to affect conservation outcomes, we focused on wildlife health studies in which a combination of complementary methods were used to provide a comprehensive overview on the health status of an individual and its population. Health assessment methods used in wildlife health assessment studies All included studies used at least 2 health assessment methods. Trend topics and health assessment methods used in wildlife health assessment studies Blood analysis was the most common health assessment method, followed by body composition assessment, physical examination, and fecal analysis (Figure 5). Studies conducted in Costa Rica were most represented (78 studies/M km SP 2 sp ), followed by studies conducted in Ecuador (36 studies/M km SP 2 sp ), Denmark (24 studies/M km SP 2 sp ), Slovakia (21 studies/M km SP 2 sp ), and the United Kingdom (21 studies/M km SP 2 sp ). [Extracted from the article]

The psychological treatment of comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) is clinically challenging, and outcomes are often poor. This paper describes a systematic review and meta-analysis which sought to establish the current efficacy for a number of established psychological approaches for adults and adolescents, in comparison to interventions for SUD alone, or other active approaches, following a pre-registered protocol. This review followed PRISMA and Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. Data extraction and risk of bias judgements using Cochrane criteria were undertaken by all authors. Primary outcomes were PTSD severity and substance use post-treatment. The quality of findings was assessed using GRADE. Following a comprehensive search, conducted to 13 September 2021, 27 studies were included. We found a relatively high level of dropout across studies. In our main comparisons, we found no benefits for present-focused treatment approaches aimed at improving coping skills beyond those for SUD-only interventions. We found modest benefits for trauma-focused intervention plus SUD intervention post-treatment for PTSD (standardized mean difference (SMD) = −0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.64, −0.08), and at 6–13 months for PTSD (SMD = −0.48, 95% CI −0.81, −0.15) and alcohol use (SMD = −0.23, 95% CI −0.44, −0.02). There were no benefits for cognitive restructuring interventions as a group, but we found a modest effect for integrated cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) for PTSD post-treatment (SMD = −0.33, 95% CI −0.62, −0.04). There was evidence of some benefit for trauma-focused intervention over present-focused intervention for PTSD from a single study and for reduction in dropout for incentivized attendance for trauma-focused intervention from another single study. Most findings were of very low quality. There is evidence that trauma-focused therapy and ICBT can improve PTSD for some individuals, but many patients do not fully engage with treatment and average treatment effects are modest. For PTSD, evidence was strongest for trauma-focused CBT-based approaches, but effects were modest. There was little evidence of any added benefit on substance use, beyond that of standard addiction treatments, for any included intervention. Dropout from treatment was high [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The negative impact of trauma work has been well documented in mental health professionals. There are three main phenomena used to describe these effects: Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS), Vicarious Trauma (VT) and Compassion Fatigue (CF). To date, the majority of research has focused on the contribution of individual level factors. However, it is imperative to also understand the role of organizational factors. This review examines the role of organizational factors in ameliorating or preventing STS, VT, and CF in mental health professionals. We further aimed to identify specific elements of these factors which are perceived to be beneficial and/or detrimental in mitigating against the effects of STS, VT, and CF. Studies were identified by searching the electronic databases Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, Web of Science and SCOPUS with final searches taking place on 10 March 2021. Twenty-three quantitative studies, eight qualitative studies, and five mixed methods studies were included in the final review. A narrative synthesis was conducted to analyse the findings. The results of the review highlight the importance of regular supervision within supportive supervisory relationships, strong peer support networks, and balanced and diverse caseloads. The value of having an organizational culture which acknowledges and validates the existence of STS was also imperative. Organizations have an ethical responsibility to support the mental health professionals they employ and provide a supportive environment which protects them against STS. This review provides preliminary evidence for the types of support that should be offered and highlights the gaps in the literature and where future research should be directed. Further research is needed to evaluate which strategies – and under what conditions – best ameliorate and prevent STS. Organizations have a responsibility to protect mental health professionals from vicarious trauma. Regular supervision, peer support, diverse caseloads, specific trauma training, and a culture which validates vicarious trauma were identified as key protective factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In June 2021, 40 years have passed since the first cases of HIV infection were detected. Nonetheless, people living with HIV (PLWH) still suffer from intense HIV-related distress and trauma, which is nowadays mostly linked to the still-existing stigmatization of PLWH. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the association between HIV/AIDS stigma and psychological well-being among PLWH. We also explored whether this association varies as a function of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics as well as study publication year and stigma measurement. A structured literature search was performed on Web of Science, Scopus, PsyARTICLES, MedLine, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases. The inclusion criteria were quantitative, peer-reviewed articles published in English between 1996 and 2020. After selection, 64 articles were accepted for further analysis (N = 25,294 participants). The random-effects pooled estimate revealed an overall negative and medium-strength association between stigma and well-being (r = −.31, 95% CI [−.35; −.26]). The participants' age modified this effect with a stronger association for older PLWH. Other sociodemographic and clinical variables as well as publication year and stigma measurement did not explain the variation in association between stigma and well-being across studies. The present meta-analysis and systematic review not only showed an expected negative relationship between stigma and well-being but also revealed a substantial heterogeneity between studies that suggests a strong role of context of a given study. This finding calls for more advanced theoretical and analytical models to identify protective and vulnerability factors to effectively address them in clinical practice and interventions. In this meta-analysis, the relationship between HIV/AIDS stigma and well-being of people living with HIV was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been described as an independent risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia. At the same time, cognitive deterioration and increased loss experiences in dementia may increase liability for the reactivation of traumatic memories and thereby PTSD symptoms. Objective: In order to investigate co-occurrence of PTSD in dementia this systematic literature review summarizes all the available evidence on reported comorbidity rates of PTSD in patients with dementia. Method: PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL were searched for potential publications investigating the co-occurrence of PTSD in dementia until 25 November 2019. Cohort and cross-sectional studies were included. To assure current comorbidity of PTSD in dementia, only publications with a recent PTSD diagnosis (<2 years before onset of dementia) were selected. Results: Of the 860 identified abstracts, three studies (0.35%) met the eligibility criteria and were included. These three studies concerned only military veteran populations, and they comprised two cross-sectional cohort studies and one prospective cohort study. The estimated comorbidity rate of PTSD in veterans with dementia varied between 4.7% and 7.8%. Conclusions: The limited research available shows comorbidity rates only in military veterans, which were possibly dependent on investigated population with respect to dementia severity and possibly associated behavioural and psychiatric symptoms of dementia (BPSD). In dementia patients the comorbidity with PTSD may be high and we suggest that worldwide the impact of PTSD in dementia is high and probably underestimated. Research and care on this topic should improve urgently with the current expanding prevalence of dementia. A first step to improve quality of dementia research and care would be to develop a structured tool to diagnose PTSD in these patients. Dementia patients may have a high comorbidity rate of post-traumatic stress disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation science and practice commonly draw on the theories and methods of social psychology to explain human cognition, emotion, and behavior germane to biodiversity conservation. We created a systematic map of the cross‐disciplinary conservation science literature, which draws on social psychology concepts and methods in their application broadly described as conservation psychology. Established protocols were used to systematically collect and collate peer‐reviewed research published in an explicit selection of multidisciplinary conservation journals. We sought to catalog the literature, elucidate trends and gaps, and critically reflect on the state of conservation psychology and its research practices that aim to influence conservation outcomes. The volume of publications per year and per decade increased from 1974 to 2016. Although a diversity of research designs and methods was applied, studies disproportionately focused on specific concepts (attitudes and beliefs), locations (North America and Europe), and contexts (terrestrial, rural). Studies also tended to be descriptive, quantitative, and atheoretical in nature. Our findings demonstrate that although conservation psychology has generally become more visible and prominent, it has done so within a limited space and suggest that disciplinary research principles and reporting standards must be more universally adopted by traditional and multidisciplinary conservation journals to raise the floor of empirical research. Article impact statement: Exploring the past helps conservation psychology highlight successes, recognize disparities, and shape the future of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports a systematic review of the literature examining the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), family functioning (FF) and mental health (MH) problems among children and adolescents. The current review aims to thoroughly investigate the relationship between ACEs, FF and MH, and to synthesise the findings in the literature. Three databases were searched, and a narrative synthesis of the final thirty‐four articles is presented. The results of the systematic review indicate that the association between FF and child/adolescent MH is mixed; ACEs and child/adolescent MH are related; ACEs and FF are related; and demographic factors impact on the association between the three main variables. The literature suggests a strong association between ACEs, child and adolescent MH problems, and FF, and some overlap between these variables is evident. This systematic review highlights the importance of family‐focused care and the value of asking children about their experience of adverse childhood experiences in clinical practice. Practitioner points: The literature suggests a strong relationship between ACEs, FF, and MH problemsFF mediates the relationship between specific ACEs, and child/adolescent MH problems, although further research is warrantedClinicians working with children and adolescents with MH problems should be mindful of family‐centred care and ask children about their experience of ACEs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-pharmacological and non-psychological approaches to the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have often been excluded from systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Consequently, we know little regarding their efficacy. To determine the effect sizes of non-pharmacological and non-psychological treatment approaches for PTSD. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analyses following Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. A pre-determined definition of clinical importance was applied to the results and the quality of evidence was appraised using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. 30 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of a range of heterogeneous non-psychological and non-pharmacological interventions (28 in adults, two in children and adolescents) were included. There was emerging evidence for six different approaches (acupuncture, neurofeedback, saikokeishikankyoto (a herbal preparation), somatic experiencing, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and yoga). Given the level of evidence available, it would be premature to offer non-pharmacological and non-psychological interventions routinely, but those with evidence of efficacy provide alternatives for people who do not respond to, do not tolerate or do not want more conventional evidence-based interventions. This review should stimulate further research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present systematic review examined post-migration variables impacting upon mental health outcomes among asylum-seeking and refugee populations in Europe. It focuses on the effects of post-settlement stressors (including length of asylum process and duration of stay, residency status and social integration) and their impact upon post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. Twenty-two studies were reviewed in this study. Length of asylum process and duration of stay was found to be the most frequently cited factor for mental health difficulties in 9 out of 22 studies. Contrary to expectation, residency or legal status was posited as a marker for other explanatory variables, including loneliness, discrimination and communication or language problems, rather than being an explanatory variable itself. However, in line with previous findings and as hypothesised in this review, there were statistically significant correlations found between family life, family separation and mental health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep disturbance has been described as a 'hallmark' symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although there are robust findings of self-reported sleep disturbance in PTSD, evidence of sleep disturbance measured using actigraphy is less certain. To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine whether there are any significant differences between individuals with and without PTSD in actigraph-derived sleep measures. Case-control studies comparing participants with current PTSD to those without PTSD were eligible for inclusion. Sleep parameters of interest were: (1) total sleep time; (2) sleep onset latency; (3) wake after sleep onset (WASO); and (4) sleep efficiency. Data were meta-analysed as standardised mean differences (SMDs) and potential sources of heterogeneity were explored through meta-regression. Six actigraphy studies with 405 participants were included. There was no evidence of a statistically significant difference between those with and without PTSD in total sleep time (SMD 0.09, 95%CI −0.23 to 0.42); WASO (SMD 0.18, 95%CI −0.06 to 0.43); sleep latency (SMD 0.32, 95%CI −0.04 to 0.69); or sleep efficiency (SMD −0.28, 95%CI −0.78 to 0.21). Further high-quality research is required to determine whether there is a true difference in sleep between those with and without PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psychosis is a public health concern. There is increasing evidence suggesting trauma can play a pivotal role in the development and maintenance of psychosis. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an effective treatment for trauma and could be a vital addition to the treatment of psychosis. Objective: To explore the evidence for EMDR as a treatment for psychosis, focussing on the safety, effectiveness and acceptability of this intervention for this population. Methods: Four databases (Cochrane, EMBASE, MEDLINE PsychINFO), and the Francine Shapiro Library were systematically searched, along with grey literature and reference lists of relevant papers. No date limits were applied as this is an area of emerging evidence. Studies were screened for eligibility based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The included studies were quality assessed and data was extracted from the individual studies, and synthesized using a narrative synthesis approach. Results: Six studies met the inclusion criteria (1 RCT, 2 Pilot studies, 2 Case series and 1 Case report). Across the studies EMDR was associated with reductions in delusional and negative symptoms, mental health service and medication use. Evidence for reductions in auditory hallucinations and paranoid thinking was mixed. No adverse events were reported, although initial increases in psychotic symptoms were observed in two studies. Average dropout rates across the studies were comparable to other trauma-focused treatments for PTSD. The acceptability of EMDR was not adequately measured or reported. Conclusion: EMDR appears a safe and feasible intervention for people with psychosis. The evidence is currently insufficient to determine the effectiveness and acceptability of the intervention for this population. Larger confirmative trials are required to form more robust conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the established efficacy of psychological therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) there has been little systematic exploration of dropout rates. Objective: To ascertain rates of dropout across different modalities of psychological therapy for PTSD and to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. Method: A systematic review of dropout rates from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of psychological therapies was conducted. The pooled rate of dropout from psychological therapies was estimated and reasons for heterogeneity explored using meta-regression. Results:: The pooled rate of dropout from RCTs of psychological therapies for PTSD was 16% (95% CI 14–18%). There was evidence of substantial heterogeneity across studies. We found evidence that psychological therapies with a trauma-focus were significantly associated with greater dropout. There was no evidence of greater dropout from therapies delivered in a group format; from studies that recruited participants from clinical services rather than via advertisements; that included only military personnel/veterans; that were limited to participants traumatized by sexual traumas; that included a higher proportion of female participants; or from studies with a lower proportion of participants who were university educated. Conclusions: Dropout rates from recommended psychological therapies for PTSD are high and this appears to be particularly true of interventions with a trauma focus. There is a need to further explore the reasons for dropout and to look at ways of increasing treatment retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The empirical literature of network analysis studies of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) has grown rapidly over the last years. Objective: We aimed to assess the characteristics of these studies, and if possible, the most and least central symptoms and the strongest edges in the networks of PTSS. Method: The present systematic review, conducted in PsycInfo, Medline, and Web of Science, synthesizes findings from 20 cross-sectional PTSS network studies that were accepted for publication between January 2010 and November 2018 (PROSPERO ID: CRD42018112825). Results: Results indicated that the network studies investigated a broad range of samples and that most studies used similar analytic approaches including stability analysis. Only strength centrality was generally adequately stable. Amnesia was consistently reported to have lowest strength, while there was substantial heterogeneity regarding which nodes had highest strength centrality. The strongest edge weights were typically within each DSM-IV/DSM-5 PTSD symptom cluster. Conclusions: Hypothesis-driven studies are needed to determine whether the heterogeneity in networks resulted from differences in samples or whether they are the product of underlying methodological reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common and debilitating disorder which has a significant impact on the lives of sufferers. A number of early psychological interventions have been developed to try to prevent chronic difficulties. Objective: The objective of this study was to establish the current evidence for the effectiveness of multiple session early psychological interventions aimed at preventing or treating traumatic stress symptoms beginning within three months of trauma exposure. Methods: Randomized controlled trials of early multiple session psychological interventions aimed at preventing or reducing traumatic stress symptoms of individuals exposed to a traumatic event, fulfiling trauma criteria for an ICD or DSM diagnosis of PTSD were identified through a search of the Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Group Clinical Trials Registers database, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and PILOTS. Two authors independently extracted study details and data and completed risk of bias assessments. Analyses were undertaken using Review Manager software. Quality of findings were rated according to ‘Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation’ (GRADE) and appraised for clinical importance. Results: Sixty-one studies evaluating a variety of interventions were identified. For individuals exposed to a trauma who were not pre-screened for traumatic stress symptoms there were no clinically important differences between any intervention and usual care. For individuals reporting traumatic stress symptoms we found clinically important evidence of benefits for trauma-focused cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT-T), cognitive therapy without exposure and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Differences were greatest for those diagnosed with acute stress disorder (ASD) and PTSD. Conclusions: There is evidence for the effectiveness of several early psychological interventions for individuals with traumatic stress symptoms following trauma exposure, especially for those meeting the diagnostic threshold for ASD or PTSD. Evidence is strongest for trauma-focused CBT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To review the safety and efficacy of early interventions after sexual assault in reducing or preventing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Method: Systematic searches were performed on studies (1980–2018) that examined the efficacy of interventions for PTSD within 3 months after sexual assault. Results: The review identified 7 studies (n = 350) with high risk of bias that investigated 5 interventions. Only two studies reported on safety. Contact with the authors of six studies provided no indications for the occurrence of adverse events. Two studies reported the efficacy using PTSD diagnosis as dependent variable but found no difference between groups. All studies reported on efficacy using PTSD severity as dependent variable. For the meta-analysis, 4 studies (n = 293) were included yielding significantly greater reductions of PTSD severity than standard care at 2 to 12 months follow-up (g = −0.23, 95% CI [−0.46, 0.00]), but not at 1 to 6 weeks post-intervention (g = −0.28, 95% CI [−0.57, 0.02]). The heterogeneity of the interventions precluded further analyses. Discussion: Findings suggest that early interventions can lead to durable effects on PTSD severity after sexual assault. However, due to limited availability of data, it is impossible to draw definite conclusions about safety and efficacy of early interventions, and their potential to prevent PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to clinical guidelines, trauma-focused psychotherapies (TF-PT) such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are recommended as first-line treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). TF-CBT and EMDR are equally effective and have large effect sizes. However, many patients fail to respond or have comorbid symptoms or disorders that only partially decline with TF-PT. Thus, there is growing interest in augmenting TF-PT through adjuvant interventions. Objective: The current systematic review aims to assess whether adjuvant interventions improve outcome among adult PTSD patients receiving TF-PT. Methods: We searched the databases PubMed, PILOTS, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library for controlled clinical trials examining whether adjuvant interventions lead to more symptom reduction in adult PTSD patients receiving TF-PT. Thirteen randomized controlled trials fitted the inclusion criteria. These were evaluated for internal risk of bias using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Review of Interventions. Results: Most studies have a substantial risk for internal bias, mainly due to small sample sizes. Thus, no strong conclusion can be drawn from the current empirical evidence. Preliminary evidence suggests that exercise and cortisol administration may have an adjuvant effect on PTSD symptom reduction. Breathing biofeedback showed a trend for an adjuvant effect and an effect for accelerated symptom reduction. Conclusions: Currently, it is not possible to formulate evidence-based clinical recommendations regarding adjuvants interventions. While several adjuvant interventions hold the potential to boost the effectiveness of TF-PT, the realization of sufficiently powered studies is crucial to separate plausible ideas from interventions proven to work in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]