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Trigger warnings are defined as alerts presented before media to warn that the content may represent a trauma reminder. Their usefulness in higher education has been at the center of debate. While originally created to help individuals with posttraumatic stress symptoms decide whether or not to engage with material that could elicit, or 'trigger' symptoms, trigger warnings have been implicated in perpetuating the avoidant behaviors that maintain the posttraumatic stress syndrome. Much of the literature thus far describes trigger warnings as creating a nocebo effect (fostering negative expectations), but these studies use only self-report measures. The present study aimed to build upon the nocebo hypothesis to assess psychophysiological responses (heart rate, respiration rate, skin conductance) to the phrase 'trigger warning' as compared to alternative warning phrases and to examine whether PTSD symptoms or receptivity of trigger warnings influence this reactivity. Students (N = 106) were randomly assigned to see either the phrase 'trigger warning' a PG-13 movie rating, or no warning before watching a movie clip. Viewing the trigger warning increased heart rate, respiration rate, and skin conductance measures more than viewing either the PG-13 or control stimuli. Moreover, posttraumatic stress symptoms and receptivity towards trigger warnings did not account for the relationship between warning exposure and reactivity. Ideas for future research and future trigger warning deployment are discussed., Author(s): Madeline J. Bruce [sup.1] [sup.2] , Sara M. Stasik-O'Brien [sup.1] , Heather Hoffmann [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.258643.e, 0000 0004 1936 8104, Department of Psychology, Knox College, , 2 [...]

Psychotherapy delivered via telehealth technology is not an artifact of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Indeed, widespread, telehealth‐delivered, evidence‐based psychotherapy preceded the pandemic, as did randomized controlled noninferiority trials supporting this modality. It is, thus, not difficult to predict that telehealth will be an integral part of daily clinical life moving forward. With respect to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) specifically, there is a substantial number of studies on the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of evidence‐based treatments provided via videoconferencing. In this review, we delineate the literature establishing strong support for remote delivery of prolonged exposure (PE) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT); there is also promising support for written exposure therapy (WET) and trauma‐focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF‐CBT). We also mention adjunctive and integrative modifications to better serve patients with PTSD. One such intervention, behavioral activation and therapeutic exposure (BATE), has several studies supporting telehealth delivery, whereas concurrent treatment of PTSD and substance use disorders using the PE protocol (COPE) and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT‐I) would benefit from further research. Integrating instrumental peer support into telehealth‐delivered PE shows promise in retaining patients in treatment. Finally, we provide ideas to maximize telehealth delivery effectiveness, explore future research directions, and discuss ways to advocate for the expansion of telehealth services from an equity perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Problem: Trigger warnings (TWs) are alerts before media signaling readers that upcoming material may serve as trauma reminders. In the context of campus sexual assault, some undergraduates have advocated for TWs in classrooms, which has led to polarized debate. As one of few empirical investigations into the issues, the present study explored predictors of TW advocacy that reflect presumed or hypothesized motivations for advocacy reflected in the debate. Method: Participants (n = 51) were traditional undergraduates who completed measures of TW attitudes, trait-like avoidance, posttraumatic stress, and institutional betrayal. Results: Results of a hierarchical linear regression revealed that institutional betrayal emerged as the only significant predictor among these factors (p =.023). Conclusions: The finding improves understanding of the context, potential motivations, future directions of investigation, and represents one of first few empirical contributions to the TW debate. It supports the conclusion that many students requesting TWs in classrooms are motivated, in part, by the belief that their educational institution has not proven trustworthy in valuing their safety and emotional wellbeing., Trigger warnings (TWs) are alerts before presented media signaling consumers that upcoming material may be disturbing (Boysen et al., 2018). They warn particularly those with posttraumatic concerns or posttraumatic stress [...]

Objective: Contemporary theories conceptualize the anniversary of a traumatic event as a trauma reminder capable of activating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The current study uses the cognitive stress and growth model to examine this model's usefulness in characterizing anniversary reactions. Method: Participants (N = 197) were MTurk workers who endorsed an "emotionally charged reaction on or near the anniversary of a tragic event." They completed assessments of PTSD, posttraumatic growth (PTG), sense of control, rumination, and trauma centrality. Results: Multiple regression analyses found both anniversary-related stress and PTSD symptoms were associated with similar factors with similar magnitude across both outcomes. Trauma centrality was uniquely associated with anniversary-related PTG. Conclusions: Anniversaries marked by stress are characterized by factors similar to PTSD generally, but growth-related reactions have different correlates compared to PTG outside the reaction. These findings suggest the anniversary period may be a time of self-reflection about the event and its impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have seen increased attention to and motivation for addressing sexual violence. Physician sexual misconduct (PSM) represents a significant violation and abuse of power, with consequences for both patients and public trust in medicine. In the United States, the Federation of State Medical Boards released updated policies in 2020 imploring increased transparency and stronger punishments for PSM cases. This brief report presents an assessment of how transparent medical board websites are in disclosing PSM now 2 years after this policy paper. We reviewed the websites for all 50 states and Washington, DC, to examine how easily a consumer could find a list of board orders, profiles of licensees, and PSM case summaries. In total, 24 states provided a list of orders, and 21 states provided case summaries. Many barriers to finding clearly discussed PSM‐related information remain, including many outdated licensee profiles. Ideas for continued efforts to document and discuss PSM to help foster evidence‐based policy recommendations are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Both structural (e.g., ageism) and personal (e.g., stigma) barriers hinder older adult's access to and engagement with mental health care). These barriers are particularly problematic for those vulnerable to interpersonal violence and abuse (e.g., due to social isolation). This study presents a quality improvement program aimed at older adults who have experienced significant stress events, particularly elder mistreatment, within a larger trauma specialty clinic. Leveraging home-based telemedicine, the clinic provides evidence-based psychotherapy tailored to older adults' needs., Methods: From 2021 through 2023, the authors retrospectively examined treatment initiation, engagement, completion, and clinical outcomes among 231 older adults age 60+ who reported trauma that met DSM-5 criterion A criteria for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression and other mental health comorbid conditions related to their traumatic event. The clinic uses an automated measurement-based care approach that facilitates Quality Improvement projects, allowing us to track treatment initiation, engagement, completion, and clinical outcomes for all patients., Results: The results indicated high treatment completion, high engagement with telemedicine-delivered interventions, and, most importantly, significant changes in clinical outcomes., Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of expanding telemedicine-based mental health services for older adults, challenging ageist norms, and prioritizing older adults' mental health needs by providing tailored services to this patient population., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.