Early life adversity (ELA) has been linked to elevated inflammatory biomarkers and low circulating anti-inflammatory adiponectin levels among adults. Since inflammation is a key contributor to cardiometabolic diseases, lower adiponectin levels may be associated with an increased risk for these conditions. Women have a higher risk of cardiometabolic disease, so identifying mitigating factors specific to this population is crucial. Social support can mitigate the stress effects on cardiometabolic health, and emotional support is a particularly important functional component of social support for women. This study examined whether emotional support moderates the relationship between ELA and adiponectin levels among adolescent females. ELA and emotional support were assessed in 217 female participants (ages 13–17 years, M = 15.3) using standardized instruments, and adiponectin levels were measured from serum samples. Adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, annual income, and adiposity, emotional support moderated the relationship between ELA and adiponectin levels. Participants with more severe ELA who reported higher levels of emotional support exhibited higher adiponectin levels compared to average or lower levels of emotional support. These findings suggest that high emotional support during adolescence is not only a social protective factor but could also provide resilience against the biochemical impacts of ELA, including cardiometabolic diseases, highlighting the benefit of incorporating emotional support strategies in interventions for such high-risk youth.
School personnel are frequently exposed to student trauma, placing them at risk for secondary traumatic stress (STS) and potentially compromising the school’s capacity to effectively support traumatized youth. However, the conceptualization of STS within education remains ambiguous, and the experiences of staff, particularly in Ireland and the U.K., are underexplored. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of secondary trauma among school personnel in Ireland and the U.K. to understand its effects and identify sources of perceived support. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with 11 school personnel, purposively sampled from primary and secondary schools in the U.K. and Ireland. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, within a constructivist paradigm. Four main themes were constructed: (1) A System Under Strain, detailing institutional failures and performative support; (2) The Intrusive Weight of Trauma, describing the emotional and personal toll, including STS symptoms like intrusion and mood changes; (3) The Nurturer and The Fixer, exploring the negotiation of professional identity and personal responsibility toward trauma-impacted students; and (4) Navigating the Burden, a patchwork of informal coping mechanisms in the absence of formal support. STS is a significant occupational risk for educators, potentially exacerbated by systemic failures. The findings suggest that school staff experience some symptoms consistent with STS. However, not all criteria indicative of clinical levels are represented, and the concept of ”mirrored trauma” is proposed to describe how staff’s personal histories and identities may shape the unique manifestation of STS in this population. Staff call for a shift from a focus on individual resilience to creating system-wide, trauma-informed support structures. This systemic support is argued to be essential for both staff well-being and child trauma recovery. Potential implications for school policy are discussed.
Research on adolescent trauma and posttraumatic stress, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has continued to grow, yet its knowledge structure and temporal trends remain insufficiently mapped. Based on 4,417 English-language articles retrieved from PubMed and Web of Science, this study used BERTopic topic modeling, semantic clustering, a cross-topic semantic network, and topic prevalence trend analysis to examine the field’s topic structure, semantic connections, and temporal changes. The results identified 14 topics organized into three research pathways: Macro-Crisis and High-Adversity Contexts; Psychosocial Trauma, Psychopathology, and Clinical Care; and Neurobiological Mechanisms of Youth PTSD. The field has expanded continuously since 2000, with the three pathways showing distinct temporal characteristics. Topics within the macro-crisis and high-adversity pathway followed diverse trajectories, and some showed pronounced event sensitivity; the psychosocial trauma, psychopathology, and clinical care pathway exhibited localized reconfiguration of research attention; and research on neurobiological mechanisms showed relatively steady long-term development. Cross-cluster network analysis indicated that PTSD Diagnosis and Assessment in Youth constituted a relatively stable semantic connection across pathways, whereas Maltreatment and Trauma-Related Psychopathology provided only a weaker, threshold-sensitive supplementary connection. Overall, the field has developed along three relatively distinct but partially connected research pathways, with clear structural differentiation and localized and unevenly distributed cross-pathway semantic connections. These findings provide a structural framework for future cross-context comparisons, measurement alignment, and evidence integration.
Tizz Time is a protective behaviours-infused, trauma-informed violence prevention programme informed by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research. It is a play-based, child-led programme created for early years children aged three to six years old. Tizz Time aims to promote the voice of the child and to provide support to children who may have experienced adversity or trauma at home or within their community. Process Analysis research methodology was used to review and develop the aims, outcomes and objectives of Tizz Time as well as develop a Logic Model. Qualitative interviews were carried out with teachers and the facilitator of Tizz Time to assess initial indicators of success and explore the feasibility and implementation of the programme, including facilitators and barriers. Staff and teachers responded positively to the trauma-informed training aspect of the programme; they reported increased knowledge in trauma-informed practice and shared what they learned widely throughout their schools. Positive changes in children’s behaviour and emotion regulation were also observed. Data monitoring format recommendations were set up to allow for future impact review and outcome analysis. Tizz Time is one of the few violence prevention programmes for this age group. This study considers the programme's potential outcomes against the wider public health approach to violence prevention.
The literature has shown that women who perpetrated crimes report high rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which are associated with impaired adult attachment and the development of psychopathic traits (e.g., impulsivity and emotional dysregulation). Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) have been associated with adaptive functioning, even in the presence of ACEs. Despite this, the combined role of adult attachment dimensions and PCEs in the relationship between ACEs and psychopathic traits remains insufficiently understood in incarcerated women. This study aims to examine how ACEs are associated with psychopathic traits, with a specific focus on the potential moderating role of attachment dimensions and PCEs. A sample of 164 incarcerated women (M = 38.75, SD = 11.99) completed the ACEs Scale, the Benevolent Childhood Experiences Scale, the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale–Short Form, and the Adult Attachment Scale–Revised. Results showed that ACEs were positively associated with psychopathic traits, particularly lifestyle and antisocial facets, whereas PCEs were negatively associated with the lifestyle facet. Moderated moderation analyses revealed no significant three-way interactions between ACEs, PCEs, and any of the attachment dimensions (anxiety, comfort with closeness, or trust in others) after FDR correction. These findings suggest facet-specific associations between ACEs and psychopathic traits and indicate that the hypothesized protective role of PCEs was not conditioned by adult attachment dimensions in this sample of incarcerated women.
