Background: Premenstrual dysphoric disorders [PMDD] often emerge during adolescence and cause significant impairment to female adolescents. While studies have examined the relationship between child maltreatment [CM] and PMDD symptoms among women, studies with adolescents are scarce, particularly in Nigeria. Objectives: The association between CM profiles and PMDD symptoms, depression and anxiety symptoms, suicidal ideation and social support was examined. Participants and Settings: A school-based sample of 296 female adolescents [aged 10-22 years old] was enrolled in 11 local government areas within the Ibadan metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria. Methods: Self-report data from the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire [CTQ], Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Scale modified for adolescents (PSST-A), and validated measures of depression and anxiety symptoms, suicidal ideation, and social support were analyzed with a two-step latent class analysis approach [LCA]. Results: Three classes were identified: High Abuse Class 1 [N = 97], High Neglect Class [N = 41] and Limited Abuse Neglect Class [N = 158]. Membership in the High Abuse and High Neglect Classes was associated with greater odds of PMDD symptoms relative to the Limited Abuse/Neglect Class. Respondents inHigh Abuse Class and who screened positive for PMDD symptoms reported higher levels of suicidal ideation, depression and anxiety compared to those in High Neglect Class and Limited Abuse/Neglect Class. Additionally, among respondents classified in the High Abuse Class, screening positive for PMDD symptoms was associated with higher reported levels of child maltreatment. Respondents in the High Abuse Class had a lower level of social support than those in the High Neglect Class and Limited Abuse or Neglect Class. Conclusion: High exposure to abuse and neglect was associated with increased reporting of PMDD symptoms. Targeted interventions to reduce PMDD symptoms severity are critical to improving menstrual and reproductive health and overall quality of life among girls. Early identification of female adolescents with high exposure to childhood maltreatment may support timely intervention for those experiencing PMDD symptoms.

Background: Data re-use and secondary analysis present significant opportunities to advance knowledge in the traumatic stress and psychotherapy research fields and fully realize the contributions of prior research participants. However, to enable meaningful cross-study analyses of intervention studies, systematic approaches to characterizing intervention components are needed.Objective: This paper describes the development of a comprehensive framework for categorizing practice elements in child traumatic stress interventions, designed as part of the Child Trauma Prevention and Treatment (CTPT) Data Archive project.Method: Through review of existing literature, expert consultation, and systematic refinement, we developed a framework for categorizing practice elements in child traumatic stress interventions.Results: We identified 54 practice elements across five categories targeting the child, parent/family, elements addressing any intervention participant, the broader context, and process elements. This framework enables researchers to describe child traumatic stress interventions at a granular level, facilitating novel analyses examining specific intervention components across nominally distinct intervention models. Application of this framework to active arms within multiple intervention studies demonstrates its utility for characterizing diverse prevention and treatment approaches.Conclusions: This work represents an essential step toward enhancing the value of integrated data resources and advancing evidence-based traumatic stress interventions for children and families.

Emerging research highlights important distinctions in symptomatology between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) resulting from a single, discrete event, complex interpersonal traumas in the past, and the pervasive effects of chronic, ongoing complex trauma. Despite these well-documented differences, much of the existing practice and professional guidelines for PTSD-focused interventions apply a uniform framework across the distinct clinical presentations resulting from different types and timing of trauma exposure. This gap carries significant clinical consequences, as individuals may be treated for PTSD and comorbid diagnoses or behavioral difficulties without recognition of the impact of persistent ongoing exposure to trauma. The present article is a clinical applications paper that directly builds upon a prior published theoretical and empirical literature review study that introduces the construct of persistent trauma. The objectives are to (1) examine the effects of persistent trauma; (2) explore four types of persistent trauma exposure differentiated by the predictability and preventability of past and current trauma; and (3) offer intervention strategies tailored to each type of persistent trauma. Using a composite case study methodology, we present intervention strategies to inform treatment for children and families who continue to experience each form of persistent trauma.

OBJECTIVE:This individual participant data meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy with a trauma focus (CBT-TF) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Furthermore, we examined the effect of moderators on PTSD symptom severity. METHOD:This study included randomized controlled trials comparing CBT-TF to an inactive or active comparison group for adults with PTSD. The primary and secondary outcomes were PTSD symptom severity and remission, respectively. Moderators included sociodemographic and clinical variables. RESULTS:Twelve studies compared CBT-TF with inactive (n = 625) and 11 with active comparison conditions (n = 706). The one-stage individual participant data meta-analysis found that CBT-TF was more effective than inactive comparison conditions (β = -0.78; OR = 2.34) and not significantly different from active comparison conditions (β = 0.02; OR = 0.53) in reducing PTSD symptom severity and achieving PTSD remission, respectively. When comparing CBT-TF with inactive treatments, moderator analysis found that divorced participants had greater PTSD symptoms postintervention following CBT-TF than participants who were single, cohabitating, or married receiving CBT-TF, both in the completer (β = 0.93) and full-sample (β = 0.59) analyses. For the active treatment comparison, moderator analysis found that participants taking psychotropic medication had lower PTSD symptoms following CBT-TF than those not taking psychotropic medication in the completer analysis (β = -0.39). CONCLUSION:Based on our moderator analyses, further research is needed to understand the effect of psychotropic medication on the CBT-TF intervention process. Moreover, divorced participants with PTSD receiving CBT-TF might benefit from enhanced support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

To mark 15 years of the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, editors reviewed the past 15-year years of research on trauma exposure and its consequences, as well as developments in (early) psychological, pharmacological and complementary interventions. In all sections of this paper, we provide perspectives on sex/gender aspects, life course trends, and cross-cultural/global and systemic societal contexts. Globally, the majority of people experience stressful events that may be characterized as traumatic. However, definitions of what is traumatic are not necessarily straightforward or universal. Traumatic events may have a wide range of transdiagnostic mental and physical health consequences, not limited to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research on genetic, molecular, and neurobiological influences show promise for further understanding underlying risk and resilience for trauma-related consequences. Symptom presentation, prevalence, and course, in response to traumatic experiences, differ depending on individuals’ age and developmental phase, sex/gender, sociocultural and environmental contexts, and systemic socio-political forces. Early interventions have the potential to prevent acute posttraumatic stress reactions from escalating to a PTSD diagnosis whether delivered in the golden hours or weeks after trauma. However, research on prevention is still scarce compared to treatment research where several evidence-based psychological, pharmacological and complementary/ integrative interventions exist, and novel forms of delivery have become available. Here, we focus on how best to address the range of negative health outcomes following trauma, how to serve individuals across the age spectrum, including the very young and old, and include considerations of sex/gender, ethnicity, and culture in diverse contexts, beyond Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) countries. We conclude with providing directions for future research aimed at improving the well-being of all people impacted by trauma around the world. The 15 years EJPT webinar provides a 90-minute summary of this paper and can be downloaded here [http://bit.ly/4jdtx6k].

Background Childhood abuse is linked to emotional dysregulation and anger across the lifespan, but its neural correlates in late-life depression (LLD) remain unclear. Methods Ninety-eight adults aged ≥60 years with LLD underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scan. Childhood abuse (emotional, physical, or sexual) was assessed with the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) questionnaire, trait anger-hostility with the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (N2), and rumination with the Ruminative Responses Scale. Region of Interest (ROI)-to-ROI resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) among 164 atlas regions was compared between participants with and without a history of childhood abuse, controlling for age, gender, education, and depression severity with FDR correction for multiple comparisons. Associations between childhood abuse, rs-FC, and anger were examined using linear regression. Indirect effects were tested with mediation analyses using 5000 bootstrap resamples and bias-corrected confidence intervals. Results Participants with childhood abuse histories (n = 52) showed greater rs-FC in three cortico-cerebellar pathways compared with those without childhood abuse histories (n = 46): right anterior supramarginal gyrus (aSMG)-right cerebellar lobule VI, right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) pars opercularis-left cerebellar lobule X, and left Heschl's gyrus-right cerebellar lobule VI. Childhood abuse was associated with anger-hostility (p = 0.003). Anger-hostility correlated with each of these rs-FCs, but only aSMG-cerebellum rs-FC remained significant on a multivariate basis. In exploratory parallel mediation analyses (n = 83), this rs-FC and rumination showed significant indirect effects, jointly explaining ~50 % of the association of childhood abuse with anger-hostility. Conclusions In LLD, aSMG-cerebellar hyperconnectivity and rumination are parallel pathways linking childhood abuse to chronic anger.

BACKGROUND:Child maltreatment (CM) is prevalent among residentially-placed or incarcerated adolescents and is a risk factor for behavioral health disorders. No study conducted in a low-income country has empirically compared the types of CM and adverse outcomes experienced by these high-risk adolescents. OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to identify profiles of CM-and their association with behavioral health problems among at-risk adolescents in Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING:Participants comprised adolescents in juvenile detention facilities (N = 102) and adolescents in residential placements (N = 103) aged 10-17 years old. METHODS:A two-step latent class analysis (LCA) was applied with data from validated self-report measures of CM to identify distinct profiles of maltreatment and their association with validated self-report measures of behavioral health problems and PTSD symptoms. RESULTS:Three latent classes were identified: (1) witnessing violence and neglect class (N = 20,10 %); physical and emotional abuse class (N = 41,20 %); and multiple maltreatment class (N = 144, 70 %). The physical and emotional abuse class (class 2) and the multiple maltreatment class (class 3) reported significantly higher rates of other adversities (i.e., parent/guardian incarceration and poverty) and more severe angry and irritable symptoms, traumatic experiences, thought disturbances, and somatic complaints when compared to the witnessing violence and neglect class. The multiple maltreatment class had more severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms than the other two classes. The witnessing violence and neglect class, however, had more severe anxiety depression symptoms than the other classes and more severe suicidal ideation than the multiple maltreatment class. CONCLUSION:The findings underscore the role of exposure to multiple forms of maltreatment (i.e., poly-victimization) among incarcerated and institutionalized adolescents, and highlight the need to address depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation in youths who have witnessed violence or experienced neglect. Integrating CM and PTSD screening into mental health service for these vulnerable youth could enhance their rehabilitation and treatment by identifying and remediating the adverse effects of different patterns of poly-victimization and CM.

Attachment trauma, as cogently formulated by Farina and Schimmenti (2025), involves traumatic experiences that fundamentally disrupt attachment bonding with primary caregivers and result in impairments in core self and relational capacities that include but extend beyond the symptoms of formal psychiatric nosology. An overview is provided of a clinical framework that similarly is grounded in clinical and scientific evidence of the adverse effects of a combination of traumatic victimization and attachment disruption, Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD). Six domains of self-dysregulation are identified by DTD, including affective, somatic, attention/ memory, behavioral, interpersonal, and self-identity coherence, and evidence linking the features of DTD with attachment trauma is summarized. This commentary concludes that attachment trauma, as formulated by Farina and Schimmenti, offers an important framework to enable providers, theorists, and researchers to develop clinical formulations and approaches to treatment that explicitly recognize and directly address the all too often overlooked alterations in core self-regulatory capacities that result from coping with the traumatic disruption or loss of attachment security.

Trauma is a global issue and public health concern. Political decisions may directly impact rates of trauma exposure, be it individual trauma or mass disaster, and guide how we deal with the consequences of trauma. In this editorial, we warn that the current U.S. administration’s decisions are impacting exposure to and consequences of trauma worldwide as well as disrupting the field of traumatic stress in research and practice.

The opioid epidemic has exposed a gulf in mental health research, treatment, and policy: Most patients with comorbid trauma-related disorder (TRD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) (TRD + OUD) remain undiagnosed or unsuccessfully treated for the combination of TRD symptoms and opioid use. TRD treatments tend to be psychotherapies that are not accessible or practical for many individuals with TRD + OUD, due to TRD treatment models not systematically incorporating principles of harm reduction (HR). HR practices prioritize flexibility and unequivocally improve outcomes and save lives in the treatment of OUD. Considering the urgent need to improve TRD + OUD treatment and outcomes, we propose that the OUD and TRD fields can be meaningfully reconciled by integrating HR principles with classic phasic treatment for TRD. Adding a "prestabilization" phase of treatment for TRD - largely analogous to the precontemplation Stage of Change - creates opportunities to advance research, clinical practice, and policies and potentially improve patient outcomes.

OBJECTIVE:Youth who have been exposed to potentially traumatic events are at risk of developing chronic and severe adjustment problems. However, some youth exposed to potentially traumatic events exhibit better-than-expected adaptation. Person-centered analyses, based on multiple criteria for adaptive behavior and adversity, are well-suited to empirically identifying different patterns of adaptation among high-risk youth. METHOD:Data from 381 youth from three at-risk subgroups in Portugal were collected using self-reported measures of trauma history, trauma-related symptomatology, coping skills, and perceived social support. Distinct classes of adaptation after traumatic experiences were examined with latent class analysis. RESULTS:Four classes were identified: (a) trauma-related psychopathology class (13.6%), (b) adaptive resilience class (36.8%), (c) low resources class (11.4%), and (d) high resources class (38.2%). Trauma-related psychopathology class and low resources class were characterized by high levels of maladjustment. Similarly to the low resources class, the trauma-related psychopathology class reported a significantly higher likelihood of trauma-related psychopathology and higher levels of problem-solving skills. The adaptive resilience class and high resources class also reported lower levels of maladjustment, and the high resources class reported higher levels of coping skills and lower levels of externalizing problems than any other class. CONCLUSION:Clinicians treating children's internalizing mental health or externalizing behavior problems should assess trauma history and trauma-related psychopathology, as well as protective resources that may enhance resilience such as skills for problem solving and social support seeking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Recognition of the high prevalence of trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress reactions among young offenders has led to calls for a shift toward the implementation of trauma-informed approaches in juvenile justice systems. However, meeting the clinical needs of youth in this population not only requires comprehending the profound effects of polyvictimization, developmental trauma, and complex PTSD but also an appreciation of the ways in which traumatic experiences and posttraumatic sequela intersect with diverse youth identities, including ethnicity and race, gender, sexual minority status, developmental stage, and gang involvement, which in turn may affect engagement in treatment. Ethical, legal, and clinical challenges specific to providing services in the context of the juvenile justice system also must be considered, including complications related to confidentiality, protection from self-incrimination, threats to psychological safety, and the potential for secondary traumatic stress among service providers delivering trauma-focused interventions in forensic contexts. This paper reviews those issues and goes on to describe the existing evidence base for interventions for posttraumatic reactions among justice-involved youth, as well as its limitations, and points toward future directions for research and clinical developments that could to expand the precision and reach of mental health services for youth at risk or already involved in the legal system.