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Depression is associated with impairments in cognitive control. Considering the lack of mechanistic models accounting for cognitive control deficits in depression, the expected value of control (EVC) theory offers a mechanistic view for allocating cognitive control emphasizing motivational components (efficacy, value). Efficacy refers to the possibility that an effort leads to a special outcome and reward refers to the value (amount) associated with the outcome. This study aimed to examine the role of the EVC in depression. This study used a within-between-subject design. Participants with depression (n = 36) and healthy controls (n = 31) completed a clinical diagnostic interview, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the General Health Questionnaire-12, and a computer-based incentivized Stroop Color-Word Paradigm in which levels of efficacy (high vs. low) and the amount of rewards (high vs. low) were presented as cues before target stimuli. We found significant interaction effects of group × efficacy and efficacy × reward in terms of reaction time in the Stroop Paradigm. Follow-up analyses indicated the Depressed group were significantly slower than Controls on high efficacy trials, but the two groups did not differ significantly on low efficacy trials. Additionally, on high efficacy trials, reward did not influence performance, but on low efficacy trials, high reward improved performance in both groups. Lack of neurological measures and eye tracking techniques. Overall, our findings suggest that reward and efficacy may jointly improve cognitive control allocation and highlight the need for further research examining EVC theory as a mechanistic account of cognitive control deficits in depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this article was to provide an overview of the development and recommendations from the Australian evidence-based clinical practice guideline for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The guideline aims to promote accurate and timely identification and diagnosis, and optimal and consistent treatment of ADHD. Methods: Development integrated the best available evidence with multidisciplinary clinical expertise and the preferences of those with lived experience, underpinned by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework. The 23 guideline development group members included psychiatrists, paediatricians, general practitioners, psychologists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, educators, Indigenous psychologists, and people with a lived experience; with two independent chairs and a methodologist. Where appropriate, evidence reviews from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2018 'Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Diagnosis and Management' guideline were updated. Fifty prioritised clinical questions were addressed in 14 systematic reviews (new and updated from NICE 2018) and 28 narrative reviews. Results: The 113 clinical recommendations apply to young children (5 years and under), children, adolescents and adults. They provide guidance for clinicians on identification, screening, diagnosis, multimodal treatment and support, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. The guideline and supporting information are available online: https://adhdguideline.aadpa.com.au/ Conclusions: The guideline was approved by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia and relevant medical and allied health professional associations. It is anticipated that successful implementation and uptake of the guideline by organisations, health care providers and other professionals will increase delivery of evidence-based treatment and improve health outcomes for the more than 800,000 Australians with ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tendency of Indigenous people to direct their frustration and anger, due to oppression, toward members of their own group is known as lateral violence. While settler-colonization is often attributed as the main cause of lateral violence, research has not examined what specific aspects lead to lateral violence in Aboriginal communities. In a qualitative study, using yarning and thematic analysis, 17 Aboriginal Australians (53% male, 47% female) ranging in age from 18 to over 60, discussed what they believed to be the causes of lateral violence. Knowledge holders identified historical and contemporary causes and perpetuating factors of lateral violence, all of which were related to settler-colonialism. These causes included living in a colonial society, native title, access and competition for limited resources, the process of obtaining confirmation of Aboriginality certificate, identity issues and internalized racism, past traumas, and returning back to traditional lands. Settler-colonialism is a structure through which lateral violence was, and is, allowed to flourish. Challenges to the settler-colonial system need to be made to effectively combat lateral violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People living with HIV can experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Complex relationships exist between HIV, PTSD and cognitive impairments. This cross‐sectional study compared three cognitive impairments (false memory, attentional bias, deficits in future thinking) among people living with HIV with and without PTSD in Iran. People living with HIV with PTSD (n = 20) and without PTSD (n = 20) completed measures of psychological symptomatology, dot‐probe task, Deese Roediger McDermott paradigm and future thinking task at Razavi Khorasan Health Center. The PTSD group, when compared to the non‐PTSD group, recognised a significantly greater number of false memories (p <.001; η2 =.58), had an attentional bias toward threat‐related words (p <.001; η2 =.35) and imagined fewer specific future events (p <.001; η2 =.31). People living with HIV with PTSD may have difficulties with false memory, attentional biases, and generating future events. Since psychological treatments are limited in Iran, this research highlighted some potential cognitive targets for people living with HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brooding rumination is positively associated with symptoms of both depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, non-clinical cross-cultural research indicates that culture may influence these associations. This study aimed to examine the moderating effect of cultural group (Australian versus Malaysian) on the associations between brooding rumination and symptoms of depression and PTSD. European Australians (n = 109) and Malaysians of varying Asian heritages (n = 144) completed an online questionnaire containing the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, PTSD checklist for DSM-5 and the Ruminative Response Scale-Short Form. First, Malaysian participants had higher brooding rumination than Australian participants. Second, higher levels of brooding rumination were positively associated with depression and PTSD symptom severity. Third, contrary to our expectations, cultural group did not moderate the relationships between brooding rumination and symptoms of depression and PTSD. If replicable, these results suggest that existing assessment and treatment approaches that target brooding rumination may apply to Malaysian individuals with depression and PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Lateral violence occurs when oppressed group members take out their anger and frustrations, due to their experiences of oppression, on members of their own group. It is common among Indigenous people, including Aboriginal Australians. Limited literature exists on the holistic impacts of lateral violence on Aboriginal Australians. This study investigated the impacts of lateral violence on Aboriginal social and emotional well-being (SEWB) and identity. Method: Seventeen Aboriginal knowledge-holders (53% males, 47% females) participated in either a yarning circle or individual yarn. Knowledge-holders were aged from 18 to 65 years. Yarns were analyzed using thematic analysis and yarn summaries. Results: Themes identified included: (a) influences of lateral violence on SEWB (subthemes: mind and emotions, body, family and kinship, community, culture, Country, and spirit); (b) lateral violence and identity (subthemes: "genuine" Aboriginal and confidence in identity); and (c) interconnected influences of lateral violence on identity and SEWB. The influences of lateral violence were found to encompass all domains of SEWB. Lateral violence also impacts Aboriginal identity and creates notions of an (in)authentic Aboriginal person, which can further undermine Aboriginality and SEWB. Conclusion: As a population who already experience poor SEWB, the additional negative consequences of lateral violence further deteriorate the SEWB of Aboriginal Australians. Lateral violence must be addressed urgently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer has been considered a potentially traumatic experience and is a distinct pathway by which one might develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study compared the efficacy of COmpetitive MEmory Training (COMET), an intervention aimed at altering dysfunctional self-representations, and MEmory Specificity Training (MEST), an intervention targeting autobiographical memory deficits, on PTSD and depression symptoms. As a secondary aim, we also investigated the effect of COMET and MEST on trauma-related attentional biases. Methods: Sixty newly diagnosed cancer patients with PTSD were randomly assigned to either the COMET (n = 30) or MEST groups (n = 30). Each participant completed the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-5, Beck Depression Inventory-II and a dot-probe task. The groups then underwent either COMET or MEST. All the assessments were re-conducted after the treatment (post-treatment) and at three months post-treatment (follow-up). Results: The COMET group had significantly fewer PTSD and depression symptoms compared to the MEST group at post-training and follow-up. Both groups indicated a significant reduction in attentional biases following training. Conclusions: This study suggests that COMET is a promising brief intervention for the treatment of PTSD in cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood trauma is associated with a range of psychiatric disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, our understanding of the different types of childhood trauma and its impact on the different types and severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) is still in its infancy. We conducted a systematic review to synthesise the current knowledge on the possible relationships between childhood trauma and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in clinical and non-clinical populations. We systematically searched four electronic databases for studies reporting on childhood trauma and OCS severity. Subsequently, we qualitatively synthesised results of eligible studies and effect sizes were also calculated. Twenty-four studies were included in this systematic review. Most studies used OCD samples (k = 16), with a few studies using a sample comprising of a range of psychiatric disorders (k = 6) and some studies using a general community sample (k = 2). Overall, there was support for a significant relationship between childhood trauma and OCS severity (8 out of 16 of the studies using OCD clinical samples, both studies using general population samples, and 5 out of 6 studies used mixed psychiatric samples). We found evidence of a significant relationship between exposure to childhood trauma and OCS severity across clinical and non-clinical populations. Our results also suggest that a range rather than a single type of childhood trauma was associated with OCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impaired ability to recall specific autobiographical memories is characteristic of depression, which when reversed, may have therapeutic benefits. This cluster-randomized controlled pilot trial investigated efficacy and aspects of acceptability, and feasibility of MEmory Specificity Training (MEST) relative to Psychoeducation and Supportive Counselling (PSC) for Major Depressive Disorder (N = 62). A key aim of this study was to determine a range of effect size estimates to inform a later phase trial. Assessments were completed at baseline, post-treatment and 3-month follow-up. The cognitive process outcome was memory specificity. The primary clinical outcome was symptoms on the Beck Depression Inventory-II at 3-month follow-up. The MEST group demonstrated greater improvement in memory specificity relative to PSC at post-intervention (d = 0.88) and follow-up (d = 0.74), relative to PSC. Both groups experienced a reduction in depressive symptoms at 3-month follow-up (d = 0.67). However, there was no support for a greater improvement in depressive symptoms at 3 months following MEST relative to PSC (d = −0.04). Although MEST generated changes on memory specificity and improved depressive symptoms, results provide no indication that MEST is superior to PSC in the resolution of self-reported depressive symptoms. Implications for later-phase definitive trials of MEST are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study examined the recollection of autobiographical material in memory among Iranian military veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and healthy non-trauma-exposed control subjects. Participants completed the Autobiographical Memory Test, Autobiographical Memory Interview (counterbalanced), Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Wechsler Memory Scale-III and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised. The PTSD group generated fewer specific episodic and semantic details of autobiographical memory compared to the non-PTSD and control groups. Working memory did not significantly moderate the relationship between PTSD diagnosis and reduced autobiographical memory specificity but did moderate the relationship between PTSD diagnosis and semantic recall; semantic memory recall was not significantly related to working memory ability for those with PTSD but was related to working memory ability for trauma survivors without PTSD. While the data provide some support for the expectation that higher working memory ability is associated with an increased ability to retrieve specific memories (i.e. semantic memory recall in those without PTSD), the findings are also consistent with the view that for those with PTSD the demands on working memory required for affect regulation cancel out this influence of working memory in augmenting access to specific memories. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Accuracy of memory is critical in legal and clinical contexts. These contexts are often linked with high levels of emotional distress and social sources that can provide potentially distorting information about stressful events. This study investigated how distress was associated with susceptibility to misinformation about a trauma analogue event. We employed an experimental design whereby in Phase 1, participants (N = 243, aged 20-72, 122 females, 117 males, 4 gender diverse) watched a trauma film (car crash) and heard an audio summary that contained misinformation (misled items), true reminders (consistent items), and no reminders (control items) about the film. Participants rated their total distress, and symptoms of avoidance, intrusions, and hyperarousal, in response to the film. They then completed cued recall, recognition, and source memory tasks. One week later in Phase 2, participants (N = 199) completed the same measures again. Generalised linear mixed models were used. A significant misinformation effect was found, and importantly, participants with higher distress levels showed a smaller misinformation effect, owing to especially poor memory for consistent items compared to their less distressed counterparts. Distress was also associated with improved source memory for misled items. Avoidance of the film's reminders was associated with a smaller misinformation effect during immediate retrieval and a larger misinformation effect during delayed retrieval. Findings suggest that distress is associated with decreased susceptibility to misinformation in some cases, but also associated with poorer memory accuracy in general. Limitations are discussed, and the need for further research is highlighted., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is thought to be associated with altered responses to social stimuli and interpersonal signals. However, limited evidence exists that CM is linked to larger comfortable interpersonal distance (CID) - the physical distance humans prefer towards others during social interactions. However, no previous study has investigated this association in a comprehensive sample, yielding sufficient statistical power. Moreover, preliminary findings are limited to the European region. Finally, it is unclear how CM affects CID towards different interaction partners, and whether CID is linked to social functioning and attachment. To address these outstanding issues, adults (N = 2986) from diverse cultures and socio-economic strata completed a reaction time task measuring CID towards an approaching stranger and friend. Higher CM was linked to a larger CID towards both friends and strangers. Moreover, insecure attachment and less social support were associated with larger CID. These findings demonstrate for the first time that CM affects CID across countries and cultures, highlighting the robustness of this association., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Difficulties in executive functioning (EF) can result in impulsivity, forgetfulness, and inattention. Children living in remote/regional communities are particularly at risk of impairment in these cognitive skills due to reduced educational engagement and poorer access to interventions. This vulnerability has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and strategies are needed to mitigate long-term negative impacts on EF. Here we propose a pilot trial investigating the benefits, feasibility, and acceptability of a school-based EF intervention for primary school students (6-8 years) living in regional, developmentally vulnerable, and socio-economically disadvantaged communities. Students were randomised to a digital intervention or teaching as usual, for 7 weeks. Children completed measures of EF and parents/educators completed ratings of everyday EF and social/emotional wellbeing at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. Change in EFs (primary outcome), everyday EF, and social/emotional wellbeing (secondary outcomes) from pre- to post-intervention and pre-intervention to 3-month follow-up were examined. Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention was assessed through educator feedback and intervention adherence.Protocol Registration: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 20 April 2023. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/WT3S2 . The approved Stage 1 protocol is available here: https://osf.io/kzfwn ., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose of Review: This review provides an overview of recent literature examining psychological problems in the context of political violence among Afghan children., Recent Findings: Using recent literature (2018-2023) we identified: 1) heightened levels of psychological problems experienced by children in Afghanistan; 2) the factors associated with these psychological problems, including loss of family and community members, poverty, continuous risk of injury and death, gender, substance use, war, daily stressors, and poor access to education; 3) psychological problems have potentially worsened since the 2021 political changes; 4) conflict and poverty have resulted in violence against children being a serious issue; 5) emerging psychological interventions have been adapted to Afghan contexts; and 6) there is a desperate need for psychological assistance and further research in the region. All children in Afghanistan have experienced conflict and political violence. While children are not responsible for this conflict, it has impacted their mental health. Further research is needed to examine the development and evaluation of interventions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Cross-cultural research has elucidated many important differences between people from Western European and East Asian cultural backgrounds regarding how each group encodes and consolidates the contents of complex visual stimuli. While Western European groups typically demonstrate a perceptual bias towards centralised information, East Asian groups favour a perceptual bias towards background information. However, this research has largely focused on the perception of neutral cues and thus questions remain regarding cultural group differences in both the perception and recognition of negative, emotionally significant cues. The present study therefore compared Western European (n = 42) and East Asian (n = 40) participants on a free-viewing task and a subsequent memory task utilising negative and neutral social cues. Attentional deployment to the centralised versus background components of negative and neutral social cues was indexed via eye-tracking, and memory was assessed with a cued-recognition task two days later. While both groups demonstrated an attentional bias towards the centralised components of the neutral cues, only the Western European group demonstrated this bias in the case of the negative cues. There were no significant differences observed between Western European and East Asian groups in terms of memory accuracy, although the Western European group was unexpectedly less sensitive to the centralised components of the negative cues. These findings suggest that culture modulates low-level attentional deployment to negative information, however not higher-level recognition after a temporal interval. This paper is, to our knowledge, the first to concurrently consider the effect of culture on both attentional outcomes and memory for both negative and neutral cues., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Falon et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

While interest in mental health literacy (MHL) is growing rapidly, cross-cultural research focusing on MHL is developing more slowly. This inaugural systematic review explored the recognition and beliefs about the causes of mental health disorders amongst Arab men living in high income Western countries (HIWC), their help-seeking beliefs, behaviors, and sources of help, as well as barriers and facilitators to help-seeking. Six electronic database searches were conducted using Medline, Embase, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science. These searches yielded a total of 9,460 citations. After applying inclusion criteria through both database and manual hand searches, 46 studies were identified. The findings corresponded with four of the socioecological model's five factors: intrapersonal, interpersonal, societal, and institutional. Intrapersonal factors included attributing mental health illness to life and migration stressors, and religious reasons. Interpersonal and societal factors included men favoring informal help-seeking sources as stigma was a barrier to formal help-seeking. Institutional factors around the perceived cultural competence of healthcare professionals and access difficulties were obstacles to seeking formal help. The growth in Arab migration to HIWC highlights the need for culturally tailored care. Research is needed to understand the perspectives of healthcare providers working with Arab men in addition to how men's stigmatizing attitudes are an obstacle to formal help-seeking. Interventions should be designed to address the unique mental health needs of Arab men, recognizing that some explanatory beliefs may not align with current Western models of mental health. Moreover, efforts should be made to integrate men's informal sources of support into treatment planning., Competing Interests: Declarations of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Despite the universal nature of suffering, few studies have examined how Indigenous ethnic minorities in non-western regions understand and respond to adversity. This study explored the epistemology of suffering among the Temiar ethnic group of Peninsular Malaysia using participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts of 43 participants were coded through inductive thematic analysis and a consensual qualitative approach. Three-tier themes were defined and named after subsequent analysis of core ideas and domains in the data. Major adversities reported included a lack of basic needs, lack of land-rights and unjust treatment from authorities, destruction of the forest environment and livelihood, and lack of accessibility and facilities, which were attributed to authorities' negligence of responsibilities, increasing human-animal conflict, environmental threats and imposed lifestyle changes. Faced with adversity, the Temiar endeavoured to survive by working crops and gathering forest resources. They utilized resources from family, fellow villagers, external agencies and spiritual-religious traditions. Theoretical mapping of attribution styles into the Ecological Rationality Framework revealed predominantly external-focused and concrete-perceptual rationalities privileged by strong-ties societies. These findings pointed to the resilience of a strong-ties community while adapting to the systemic suffering and risk factors stemming from a rationality mismatch with modernization and globalization trends. To conclude, we advocate for culture-sensitive mental health and psychiatric practices, as well as sustainable development for the well-being of Indigenous communities locally and globally., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the role of cognitive and emotional variables in distinguishing between adolescents with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and either low or high symptoms of depression., Method: Adolescents ( N = 90) aged between 13 and 17 years ( M age = 15.53, SD = 1.13) who had been exposed to an earthquake in Iran and had (a) not developed PTSD ( n = 30), (b) developed PTSD with low symptoms of depression ( n = 30), and (c) developed PTSD with high symptoms of depression ( n = 30) completed a clinical interview, cognitive tasks, and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire., Results: We found that those with PTSD had poorer performance on executive functioning (inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory), episodic future thinking, and attention bias and had greater maladaptive emotion regulation strategies than healthy controls. Among those with PTSD, adolescents with high symptoms of depression performed worse on measures of executive function, attention bias, episodic future thinking, and the emotion regulation strategies of rumination and catastrophizing than adolescents with low depressive symptoms., Conclusion: Exploring these cognitive and emotion difficulties can assist in further understanding PTSD and depression and improve targeted interventions among adolescents. This is of particular relevance in Iran where the need for policies and interventions targeting PTSD has been identified. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: Perceived social support is an established predictor of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after exposure to a traumatic event. Gender is an important factor that could differentiate responses to social support, yet this has been little explored. Symptoms of complex PTSD are also common following trauma but have been under-researched in this context. Large scale studies with culturally diverse samples are particularly lacking. Objectives: In a multi-country sample, we examined: (a) gender differences in perceived social support and both posttraumatic stress symptom severity (PTSS) and complex posttraumatic stress symptom severity (CPTSS); (b) associations between social support and PTSS/CPTSS; and (c) the potential moderating role of gender in the relationship between perceived social support and trauma-related distress. Method: A total of 2483 adults ( M age   = 30yrs, 69.9% females) from 39 countries, who had been exposed to mixed trauma types, completed the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the International Trauma Questionnaire (which captures PTSS/CPTSS). Regression analyses examined associations between gender, perceived social support, and PTSS/CPTSS; and tested for gender by social support interactions in predicting PTSS/CPTSS scores. Models were adjusted for age and socioeconomic status. Results: In our cross-country sample, females had greater PTSS/CPTSS than males ( B  = .23 [95% CI 0.16, 0.30], p  < .001; B  = .20 [0.12, 0.27], p  < .001; respectively), but there was no evidence of gender differences in perceived social support ( B  = .05 [-0.05, 0.16], p  = .33). For both genders, low perceived social support was associated with higher PTSS/CPTSS (females: B  = -.16 [-0.20, -0.12], p  < .001; B  = -.27 [-0.30, -0.24], p  < .001; respectively; males: B  = -.22 [-0.29, -0.15], p  < .001; B  = -.31 [-0.36, -0.26], p  < .001; respectively), and for PTSS only we found weak evidence that this association was stronger for males vs. females ( B  = .07 [0.04, 0.14, p  = .04). Conclusion: Individuals who feel more socially supported have lower trauma-related distress, and this association is similar in males and females. PTSD/CPTSD interventions may benefit from augmenting perceived social support, regardless of gender.

Background: Childhood trauma has negative immediate and long-term impacts on depression. Questions remain, however, regarding the cognitive factors influencing this relationship. This study aimed to investigate the role of three cognitive factors - cognitive overgeneralisation, rumination and social problem-solving - as mediating factors in the relationship between childhood trauma and symptoms of depression. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in Iran from March to July 2023. Participants ( N  = 227; Mean age 32.44 ± 8.95 years) with depression completed measures of childhood trauma, depression, self-overgeneralisation, cognitive errors, memory specificity, rumination and social problem-solving. The conceptual model was assessed using structural equation modelling. Results: Structural equation modelling indicated that childhood trauma had a positive direct effect on depression symptoms. Childhood trauma had a positive indirect effect on depression symptoms through both self-overgeneralisation and rumination and a negative indirect effect on depression through effective social problem-solving strategies. Conclusions: The findings suggest increased exposure to childhood trauma may be associated with elevated depression and self-overgeneralisation, rumination, and effective social problem-solving strategies may play an important role in this relationship. These findings hold potential implications for those working with patients with depression and a history of childhood trauma.

Background: Appraisals are central to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, few studies have examined how culture influences the associations between different types of trauma-related appraisals and PTSD symptoms. Objective: This study investigated cultural influences on appraisals of control and their associations with PTSD symptoms. Method: European Australian ( n  = 140, M age = 35.80, SD  = 12.44; 21 men, 97 women, 20 gender diverse/prefer not to report) and Chinese Australian ( n  = 129, M age = 30.16, SD  = 8.93, 21 men, 97 women, 20 gender diverse/prefer not to report) trauma survivors completed measures of appraisals, cultural values, and PTSD symptoms. Results: Findings showed that the Chinese Australian group was associated with greater Chinese cultural beliefs about adversity (i.e. emphasizing the value of adversity and people's ability to overcome adversity) and fewer fatalism appraisals (i.e. appraising one's destiny as externally determined), which in turn were atemporally associated with fewer PTSD symptoms; these atemporal indirect associations were moderated by self-construal and holistic thinking. The Chinese Australian group also reported fewer secondary control appraisals (i.e. attempts to change aspects of the self and accept current circumstances), which were atemporally associated with greater PTSD symptoms. In contrast, the European Australian group was associated with fewer primary control appraisals (i.e. perceived ability to personally change or control a situation), which were atemporally associated with greater PTSD symptoms. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of considering the influence of culture on appraisals in PTSD. However, it must be noted that causal relationships cannot be inferred from cross-sectional mediation analyses and thus, future longitudinal research is needed.

Background: Little research has considered the influence of culture on control appraisals in the context of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)., Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether cultural group moderated the relationship between control (primary and secondary) appraisals and PTSD symptoms in trauma survivors from Western (Australian) and Asian (Malaysian) cultural contexts., Methods: Trauma survivors (107 Australian with European cultural heritage; 121 Malaysian with Malay, Indian or Chinese cultural heritage) completed an online survey assessing PTSD symptoms and appraisals of control., Results: Cultural group moderated the association between primary control and PTSD symptoms; the positive association was significant for the Australian group but not the Malaysian group. While cultural group did not moderate the association between secondary control and PTSD symptoms, there was an indirect pathway between secondary control appraisals and PTSD symptoms through interdependent self-construal for both cultural groups., Conclusion: The findings indicate that cultural group and self-construal influence the associations between different types of control appraisals and PTSD. Further research exploring the role of culture and different appraisal types in PTSD is needed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Reyneke, Lee, Li, Haque, Abdullah, Tan, Liddell and Jobson.)

Background: It is unclear whether there is a specific association between stressful experiences and obsessive-compulsive symptoms or whether this relationship is due to stressful experiences increasing risk for psychopathology generally., Aims: The current study examined the association between stressful experiences and obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions, while adjusting for coexisting psychiatric symptoms and psychological distress in a young adult transdiagnostic at-risk sample., Methods: Forty-three participants completed self-report measures assessing obsessive-compulsive symptoms, stressful experiences, and a range of other psychiatric symptoms. Regression models examined the relationship between stressful experiences and different obsessive-compulsive symptoms dimensions (i.e., symmetry, fear of harm, contamination, and unacceptable thoughts), adjusting for the influence of coexisting psychiatric symptoms and psychological distress., Results: The results showed that there was an association between stressful experiences and obsessive-compulsive symptoms dimension of symmetry. Symptoms of borderline personality disorder were positively associated with the obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions of symmetry and fear of harm symptoms. Symptoms of psychosis were found to be negatively associated with the obsessive-compulsive symptoms dimension of fear of harm., Conclusions: These findings have implications for understanding the psychological mechanisms that underlie symmetry symptoms and highlight the need to study OCS dimensions separately to inform more precise, mechanism-targeted interventions., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest To the best of our knowledge, there are no conflict of interests., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Importance: Adolescents who experience conflict in humanitarian contexts often have high levels of psychiatric distress but rarely have access to evidence-based interventions., Objective: To investigate the efficacy of Memory Training for Recovery-Adolescent (METRA) intervention in improving psychiatric symptoms among adolescent girls in Afghanistan., Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial included girls and young women aged 11 to 19 years with heightened psychiatric distress living in Kabul, Afghanistan, and was conducted as a parallel-group trial comparing METRA with treatment as usual (TAU), with a 3-month follow-up. Participants were randomized 2:1 to receive either METRA or TAU. The study occurred between November 2021 and March 2022 in Kabul. An intention-to-treat approach was used., Interventions: Participants assigned to METRA received a 10-session group-intervention comprised of 2 modules (module 1: memory specificity; module 2: trauma writing). The TAU group received 10 group adolescent health sessions. Interventions were delivered over 2 weeks., Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcome measures were self-reported posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms after the intervention. Secondary outcomes were self-reported measures of anxiety, Afghan-cultural distress symptoms, and psychiatric difficulties. Assessments occurred at baseline, after modules 1 and 2, and at 3 months after treatment., Results: The 125 participants had a mean (SD) age of 15.96 (1.97) years. Overall sample size for primary analyses included 80 adolescents in the METRA group and 45 adolescents in TAU. Following the intention-to-treat principle, generalized estimating equations found that the METRA group had a 17.64-point decrease (95% CI, -20.38 to -14.91 points) in PTSD symptoms and a 6.73-point decrease (95% CI, -8.50 to -4.95 points) in depression symptoms, while the TAU group had a 3.34-point decrease (95% CI, -6.05 to -0.62 points) in PTSD symptoms and a 0.66-point increase (95% CI, -0.70 to 2.01 points) in depression symptoms, with the group × time interactions being significant (all P < .001). METRA participants had significantly greater reductions in anxiety, Afghan-cultural distress symptoms, and psychiatric difficulties than TAU participants. All improvements were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Dropout in the METRA group was 22.5% (18 participants) vs 8.9% for TAU (4 participants)., Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, those in the METRA group had significantly greater improvements in psychiatric symptoms relative to those in the TAU group. METRA appeared to be a feasible and effective intervention for adolescents in humanitarian contexts., Trial Registration: anzctr.org.au Identifier: ACTRN12621001160820.

This research aimed to conduct an initial investigation into the relationships between the "misinformation effect" and trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Study 1 was a pilot study developing an online misinformation paradigm that could assess the influence of emotion and arousal on memory distortions. Participants ( n  = 162, M age  = 39.90; SD  = 10.90) were recruited through TurkPrime. In Study 2 community members ( n  = 116, M age  = 28.96; SD  = 10.33) completed this misinformation paradigm and measures of trauma exposure, PTSD, and depression. Study 1 found memory for central details was better for high-arousal than low-arousal and neutral-arousal images. Peripheral memory appeared worse for negative and neutral images than positive images. Study 2 found that, when controlling for age and gender, PTSD symptoms significantly predicted proportion of correct responses on control items. However, there was no evidence to indicate that trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms nor depression symptoms, were associated with proportion of correct responses on misled items. Valence and arousal did not influence these associations. These findings have important implications in clinical and legal contexts where individuals with a history of trauma, or who are experiencing symptoms of PTSD or depression, are often required to recall emotionally-laden events. There is a surprising dearth of research into the misinformation effect in clinical populations and further research is required.

Objective: While moral injury can influence psychological outcomes experienced by adult refugees, no research to date has examined moral injury among young refugees. This study aimed to investigate the associations between moral injury and mental health in young people with refugee backgrounds., Method: Participants were 85 young refugees (58.80% female), aged on average 20.78 years ( SD = 2.29, range = 16-25 years), living in Melbourne Australia. This community sample completed measures of moral injury appraisals, traumatic stress, resilience, and mental health using an online survey., Results: Moral injury appraisals significantly correlated with poorer mental health. Regression analyses demonstrated that moral injury predicted differences on externalizing symptoms but not internalizing or PTSD symptoms. Further, the relationship between traumatic stress and externalizing symptoms was mediated by moral injury appraisals. Similarly, the relationship between postmigration living difficulties and internalizing symptoms was mediated by moral injury appraisals., Conclusions: Findings indicated young people with refugee backgrounds also experience moral injury appraisals and these are associated with poor mental health. Further research is needed to understand the factors associated with psychological outcomes experienced by young refugees and to guide clinical assessments and novel interventions for this population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: Social support is an important feature in understanding posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its treatment. Non-clinical research has identified distinct profiles of culturally appropriate social support. Despite this, little research has examined cultural influences on social support in the context of PTSD. Objective: This study examined cultural differences in the associations between social support and symptoms of PTSD. Method: The study employed a cross-sectional design. Australian ( n  = 91) and Malaysian ( n  = 91) trauma survivors completed an online survey assessing PTSD symptomatology and social support (explicit and implicit social support, perceived helpfulness of support provider, attitudes towards professional help-seeking). A quasi-experimental paradigm assessed the influence of mutual (i.e. the sharing of support between relationship partners) and non-mutual support (i.e. where one person constantly receives support, while the other person constantly provides support) on negative emotion and subjective distress. Results: First, explicit social support was negatively associated with PTSD symptoms for the Australian group but not the Malaysian group. Second, perceived helpfulness of support from family was negatively associated with PTSD symptoms for the Malaysian group but not the Australian group. Third, the Malaysian group reported significantly greater distress for non-mutual support and significantly fewer negative emotions and distress for mutual support than the Australian group. Fourth, the Malaysian group reported that they were significantly more open to acknowledging psychological problems and the possibility of seeking professional help for these problems than the Australian group. Conclusions: As the PTSD social support literature continues to evolve, it is essential that cultural influences are considered given the important theoretical and clinical implications.

Background: Using critical discourse analysis, this study examined the portrayal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian Government policies regarding alcohol and other drug (AOD) use., Methods: We used critical discourse analysis, informed by an Indigenous Research Paradigm, to analyse texts and contexts of six key Australian Government AOD drug policies; two Aboriginal AOD data documents, two reporting documents and two AOD strategy documents., Results: The social practice analysis found issues of power imbalance relating to the socio-political situation the documents were created in. Textual analysis identified: culture being performative or functional in documents; cultural unsafety in construction of targets and outcomes, and; the decentring of Aboriginal peoples in the framing of the documents. The discourse analysis identified that the documents often wrote about Aboriginal peoples rather than writing documents with or by Aboriginal peoples. This typically: absented complexities of consultation occurring within a complex power imbalanced cultural interface; did not support an Aboriginal paradigm; centred Gubba people in power and; promoted a paternalistic view of 'helping' Aboriginal people., Conclusions: There is an urgent need to move from policy relating to Aboriginal affairs that relies on a deficit discourse, to more effective AOD policy that improves power balance in policy development, is written with or by Aboriginal people, is inclusive of Aboriginal epistemologies and ontologies, and represents a paradigm-shift to a strength-based approach., Competing Interests: Declarations of Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

This study investigated whether the associations between emotion regulation and cognitive appraisals and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) differ between Asian American and European American trauma survivors. Asian American (n = 103) and European American (n = 104) trauma survivors were recruited through mTurk and completed an on-line questionnaire assessing cognitive appraisals, emotion regulation and PTSD symptomatology. The European American group reported greater trauma-specific rumination, psychological inflexibility, seeking out others for comfort, and negative self-appraisals than the Asian American group. The Asian American group reported greater secondary control appraisals and cultural beliefs about adversity than the European American group. Second, cultural group moderated the associations between (a) brooding rumination, (b) fatalism, (c) self-blame, and (d) negative communal self-appraisals and PTSD symptoms. These associations were larger for the European American group than the Asian American group. Third, there was an indirect pathway from self-construal (independent and interdependent) to PTSD symptoms through certain emotion regulation approaches and cognitive appraisals. Additionally, cultural group was found to moderate several of these indirect effects. These findings highlight the importance of considering cultural background and cultural values in understanding the processes involved in PTSD. Further research in this area is needed., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objective: High numbers of adolescents today are exposed to conflict-related trauma, with trauma-exposure being associated with adverse biopsychosocial outcomes. Here we investigated the influence of trauma-exposure and high levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms on cognitive functioning in trauma-related compared to neutral contexts., Method: Afghan adolescent refugees with high levels of PTSD symptomatology and non-trauma-exposed Afghan adolescent refugee controls (N = 47; 43% female; aged 13-19 years, M = 15.49, SD = 1.40) completed a visual working memory task including affective (trauma-related) and neutral distractors., Results: Working memory capacity in the context of trauma-related distractors (and not neutral distractors) was significantly poorer in trauma-exposed refugees with high levels of PTSD when compared to non-trauma-exposed controls., Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of investigating posttraumatic cognitive functioning within affective contexts and suggest that affective working memory capacity may constitute a promising target for intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: A lack of posttrauma social support is an important contributor to the maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is a paucity of cross-cultural research regarding social support in PTSD. This article considers how culture (with a specific focus on independent and interdependent self-construal) influences posttrauma social support and its relationship with PTSD., Method: We review models of PTSD elucidating the role of social support and explored empirical support for the relationship between social support and PTSD. We consider the role of culture in social support and conducted a review of literature examining culture, social support, and PTSD. Finally, we discuss theoretical and clinical implications and future research directions., Results: Functional social support tended to be negatively associated with PTSD; supportive social environments tended to foster disclosure of trauma; and increased number, diversity, and continuity of social contact in one's social relationships might reduce the risk of PTSD. In nontrauma research, researchers have identified distinct profiles of culturally appropriate social support, which differs between cultures. Cross-cultural research examining social support in PTSD was limited (k = 14, N = 18,552), and findings were inconsistent., Conclusions: The nontraumatic stress literature clearly demonstrates cross-cultural differences in preferences for, and psychological and physiological benefits of, social support. However, the psychotraumatology literature lags concerningly behind. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy, acceptability and feasibility of using modified written exposure therapy (m-WET) to treat symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Afghan adolescent girls in the aftermath of a terrorist attack., Methods: 120 Afghan (Hazara) adolescent girls who had been exposed to the Sayed al-Shuhada school terrorist attack were randomly assigned to the m-WET ( n = 40), trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT) ( n = 40), or control groups ( n = 40). m-WET involved five consecutive daily group sessions where participants simply wrote about the terrorist attack including thoughts and feelings. TF-CBT was an intensive five-session group intervention. The control group had no additional contact. The trial was undertaken at a local non-government organization in Kabul. The primary analysis was comparing PTSD symptoms (Child Revised Impact of Event Scale-13) in the three groups at post-intervention and three-month follow-up., Results: Overall, participant and facilitator satisfaction with m-WET was high. Acceptability of m-WET was relatively high, with 15% drop-out in the m-WET group and all m-WET sessions were attended. While the groups did not differ significantly in PTSD symptoms at baseline, the m-WET group had significantly lower levels of PTSD symptoms compared to the control group at post-intervention and follow-up. There was no significant difference between the m-WET and TF-CBT groups., Conclusion: The findings suggest m-WET may be promising intervention for the treatment of PTSD among adolescent girls in humanitarian settings. Further research in the area is warranted., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Ahmadi, Musavi, Samim, Sadeqi and Jobson.)

Objective: This study aimed to explore whether posttrauma cognitions and maladaptive coping strategies mediated the association between perceived social support (availability of social network and quality of specific relationships) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Method: A community sample of trauma survivors ( N = 67, 84% female) completed self-report measures assessing relationship quality, perceived availability of social network support, PTSD symptoms, negative posttrauma appraisals and maladaptive coping strategies. Results: Posttrauma appraisals mediated the association between quality of relationships (support, conflict and depth) and PTSD symptoms, and between availability of social network support and PTSD symptoms. Further, there was an indirect pathway between social support (quality of relationship and availability of social network) and PTSD symptoms through negative cognitive appraisals and maladaptive coping strategies (serial mediation). Conclusions: Our results are consistent with theoretical predictions that socially supportive (support, depth and social network availability) and unsupportive (conflict) relationships are associated with PTSD, through cognitive appraisal and coping processes. Clinical implications for further integrating interpersonal support into cognitive therapies were discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Objectives: People suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often experience distressing traumatic memories. Therapeutic methods that apply a secondary task while clients recall a trauma memory may further assist in modifying the vividness and emotionality of the trauma memory and in reducing intrusions. In this experiment, we aimed to investigate whether the emotional valence (positive vs. neutral) and sensory modality (visual vs. auditory) of a secondary task reduces the vividness and emotionality of the trauma memory and the proactive interference. Method: Sixty PTSD patients exposed to road traffic accident traumas were randomized to one of four groups in a 2 (emotional valence: positive, neutral) × 2 (modality: visual, auditory) design. Participants were then exposed to a positive or a neutral clip that was visual or auditory and were required to recall the trauma memory during exposure to the clip. Vividness and emotionality of the trauma memory and proactive interference were assessed before and after exposure to the clip and at a 1-week follow-up. Results: Results revealed that participants who recalled the trauma memory while exposed to the positive clip reported their trauma memory as being less distressing (but not less vivid) and indicated less proactive interference than did participants exposed to the neutral clip. Nevertheless, modality had no significant effect in attenuating the proactive interference under conditions of modality congruence. Conclusion: Inducing positive emotion while performing a dual task may be an effective module in therapeutic approaches. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: The aim of the current study was to conduct a preliminary investigation into time perception in adolescents with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and healthy controls., Method: Iranian adolescents with PTSD (n = 15) or MDD (n = 15) and healthy, non-trauma-exposed control participants (n = 15) completed 3 measures of time perception: a verbal time estimation task, a production task, and a reproduction task., Results: The PTSD group was found to have significantly poorer overall time perception accuracy compared to the control group (d = 1.38). Group differences were dependent on the type of time perception task; the groups did not differ significantly on the time reproduction task but did differ significantly on the verbal time estimation task and production task. The PTSD group had significantly poorer time estimate accuracy (i.e., underestimates) on the verbal estimation task than did the MDD group (d = 1.10), and the control group performed at the intermediate level. The PTSD and MDD groups did not differ significantly on the production task, but both clinical groups had significantly poorer performance than did the control group (ds> .76). Finally, working memory mediated the relationship between group and time perception accuracy (95% confidence interval [2.10, 38.69])., Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for further research examining time perception in PTSD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: Worldwide, 68.5 million individuals are refugees, asylum seekers, or internally displaced. Although many studies have examined mental health concerns in this population, few studies have assessed sleep or examined the relationship between sleep and mental health or psychosocial functioning., Objectives: The objectives were to (1) examine the prevalence of sleep disturbance within refugees and asylum seekers from diverse backgrounds, (2) examine mental health and psychosocial factors associated with sleep disturbance, and (3) explore whether symptoms cluster together in unique subsets of individuals., Methods: Clinician-administered interview data (N = 2703) were obtained from a large mental health service in greater Melbourne, Australia. Data included patient demographics, sleep disturbance, mental health (anxiety, depression, traumatic stress symptoms), and psychosocial concerns (family dysfunctions, interpersonal difficulties, social isolation)., Results: A total of 75.5% of the sample reported moderate or severe sleep disturbance. Severity of sleep disturbance was positively correlated with severity of mental health symptoms, psychosocial concerns, age, and migration status. This was true in both refugee and asylum seeker populations and in both adults and children. Cluster analyses revealed 3 subsets of individuals: those with "severe sleep and anxiety symptoms," "mild to moderate symptoms," and "mild symptoms." Using "mild symptoms" as the comparator, being a refugee and increasing age were associated with a 1.57- and 1.02-fold increase, respectively, in the likelihood of classification as "severe sleep and anxiety problems" and 1.70- and 1.02-fold increase, respectively, in the likelihood of classification as "mild to moderate symptoms.", Conclusion: These findings suggest that systematic screening of sleep disturbance among refugees and asylum seekers during health-related visits is needed., (Copyright © 2019 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This research investigated the role of Islamic appraisals, trauma-related appraisals, and religious coping in Muslim trauma survivors., Method: We report 2 studies of Muslim trauma survivors with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) living in the United Kingdom (Study 1) and a sample of Muslim trauma survivors living in Northern Iraq (Study 2). In both studies participants completed the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale, Brief Religious Coping Scale, Islamic Appraisal Questionnaire, and Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory in Arabic., Results: First, it was found that negative religious coping differentiated between trauma survivors with and without PTSD (Study 1) and was significantly correlated with PTSD symptoms (Study 2). Second, negative Islamic appraisals were significantly associated with greater PTSD symptoms whereas positive Islamic appraisals were significantly associated with fewer PTSD symptoms (Study 2). Third, negative trauma-related appraisals correlated significantly with, and uniquely predicted, PTSD symptoms (Study 2). Finally, trauma-related appraisals were found to mediate the relationship between negative Islamic appraisals and negative religious coping and PTSD symptoms., Conclusions: These findings suggest that the theoretical emphasis on trauma-related cognitions may also be applicable to our understanding of PTSD in Muslim trauma survivors. However, for this population, trauma-related appraisals and subsequent coping strategies may be influenced by Islamic beliefs and values. Clinically, our findings suggest that addressing PTSD symptoms in Muslim trauma survivors may require clinicians to consider the impact of trauma on the survivor's religious appraisals and relationship with God. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).)

Two studies examined the role of culture on cognitive appraisals of trauma and associated implications for posttraumatic psychological adjustment. Study 2 also investigated the reliability and validity of a new measure assessing public and communal aspects of trauma-associated appraisals (Public and Communal Self Appraisals Measure; PCSAM). Study 1's non-clinical sample (N = 75) and Study 2's sample of British and Asian trauma survivors with and without PTSD (N = 95) provided an everyday and trauma memory, completed an Appraisal Inventory, the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory and measures of PTSD. Study 2 participants also completed the PCSAM. Conjoined, there were cultural differences in appraisals of everyday and trauma experiences. Nonetheless, there appeared to be cultural similarities in the dysfunctional appraisals of those with PTSD. The PSCAM had good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and discriminative validity. Findings are discussed in terms of combining cultural models of self with current PTSD models.