Cultural group and self-construal moderate the association between expressive suppression and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

Few studies have considered the influence of cultural factors on the associations between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and key emotion regulation strategies, such as expressive suppression and reappraisal. This study investigated the influences of cultural background and self-construal orientation on PTSD symptoms and both suppression and reappraisal. Chinese Australian (n = 129) and European Australian (n = 140) trauma survivors completed an online survey assessing suppression and reappraisal (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire), cultural values (Self Construal Scale), and PTSD symptoms (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5).

Investigating whether offshore immigration detention and processing are associated with an increased likelihood of psychological disorders.

Immigration policies designed to deter people from seeking asylum are gaining traction in many Western nations, with the UK recently attempting to establish an offshore immigration processing centre in Rwanda. This letter outlines emerging evidence from Australia on the negative long-term psychological effects of offshore processing on people seeking asylum.

Torture Exposure Modulates Cognitive Control and Attention Neural Network Connectivity During a Go/NoGo Task.

Background: Torture trauma is characterized by intentional uncontrollable acts, but the long-term effects of torture exposure on cognitive control brain mechanisms are unknown.

Methods: A final sample of 33 torture survivors (TSs) and 44 non-TSs, all with a refugee background, completed a Go/NoGo response inhibition task during functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. Data-driven independent component analysis identified active networks across the task and on Go, NoGo, and error of commission trials.

The impact of age-related differences in emotion dysregulation on refugee mental health and social outcomes.

The refugee experience is typically characterized by exposure to numerous premigration traumatic events and postmigration stress in the resettlement environment. Refugees' experiences can lead to elevated rates of psychopathology, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Emotion regulation is a key mechanism contributing to mental health outcomes among refugees.

Moral injury appraisals and complex PTSD in refugees: A longitudinal study.

Objective: Refugees show elevated rates of complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). However, relatively little is known regarding the psychological mechanisms that underlie the association between exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and CPTSD following exposure to war, persecution and displacement. In this study, we investigated the potential mediating role of moral injury appraisals (cognitive appraisals regarding the experience and consequences of morally transgressive events) in the association between PTE exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and disturbances in self-organization (DSO) symptoms.

Self-construal modulates default mode network connectivity in refugees with PTSD.

Background: While self-construal and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are independently associated with altered self-referential processes and underlying default mode network (DMN) functioning, no study has examined how self-construal affects DMN connectivity in PTSD.

Methods: A final sample of 93 refugee participants (48 with DSM-5 PTSD or sub-syndromal PTSD and 45 matched trauma-exposed controls) completed a 5-minute resting state fMRI scan to enable the observation of connectivity in the DMN and other core networks. A self-construal index was calculated by substracting scores on the collectivistic and individualistic sub-scales of the Self Construal Scale.

Cultural differences in appraisals of control and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

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. This study investigated cultural influences on appraisals of control and their associations with PTSD symptoms.

Does culture moderate the encoding and recognition of negative cues? Evidence from an eye-tracking study.

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.

Examining the associations between control (primary and secondary) appraisals and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in Malaysian and Australian trauma survivors.

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.

Opponent intrinsic brain network connectivity profiles associated with posttraumatic fear and dysphoria symptoms in trauma-exposed refugees.

Objective: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) studies report functional alterations in the connectivity between intrinsic brain networks in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but PTSD heterogeneity is rarely considered. Evidence points to fear (e.g.

Refugee visa insecurity disrupts the brain's default mode network.

Background: Research has largely focused on the psychological consequences of refugee trauma exposure, but refugees living with visa insecurity face an uncertain future that also adversely affects psychological functioning and self-determination.

Objective: This study aimed to examine how refugee visa insecurity affects the functional brain.

Method: We measured resting state brain activity via fMRI in 47 refugees with insecure visas (i.

The mental health effects of changing from insecure to secure visas for refugees.

Objective: In response to growing numbers of refugees worldwide, host governments are increasingly implementing temporary protection policies; however, little is known regarding the mental health impact of these policies. This online longitudinal study investigated whether refugees who transitioned from low visa security (e.g.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Refugees.

The number of refugees and internally displaced people in 2022 is the largest since World War II, and meta-analyses demonstrate that these people experience elevated rates of mental health problems. This review focuses on the role of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in refugee mental health and includes current knowledge of the prevalence of PTSD, risk factors, and apparent differences that exist between PTSD in refugee populations and PTSD in other populations. An emerging literature on understanding mechanisms of PTSD encompasses neural, cognitive, and social processes, which indicate that these factors may not function exactly as they have functioned previously in other PTSD populations.

Intolerance of uncertainty, posttraumatic stress, depression, and fears for the future among displaced refugees.

Introduction: The vast majority of the 100 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide live in a state of prolonged uncertainty with limited resettlement prospects and access to resources. Little is known, however, regarding how refugees and asylum-seekers cope with this uncertainty.

Methods: In this study, we investigated the longitudinal association between a measure of how people cope with uncertainty (intolerance of uncertainty (IU)), fears for the future, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and depression symptoms.

The impact of COVID-19 stressors on refugee mental health and well-being in the context of sustained displacement.

Refugees and asylum seekers in contexts of sustained displacement represent particularly vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to identify profiles of COVID-19 stressors in refugees in a transit context (i.e.

Mapping the availability of translated versions of posttraumatic stress disorder screening questionnaires for adults: A scoping review.

The most used questionnaires for PTSD screening in adults were developed in English. Although many of these questionnaires were translated into other languages, the procedures used to translate them and to evaluate their reliability and validity have not been consistently documented. This comprehensive scoping review aimed to compile the currently available translated and evaluated questionnaires used for PTSD screening, and highlight important gaps in the literature.

Does culture moderate the relationships between rumination and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression?

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.

Investigating the associations between cognitive appraisals, emotion regulation and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder among Asian American and European American trauma survivors.

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.

Context, coping, and mental health in refugees living in protracted displacement.

There is currently an unprecedented number of forcibly displaced people worldwide. Little is known, however, about how external stressors and internal coping strategies intersect to influence mental health in displaced refugees, particularly whether specific types of coping strategies are more or less effective across different levels of external stress. This study aimed to understand whether positive and negative internal coping strategies were differentially associated with mental health across high and low levels of external stressors in displaced refugees.

Impact of displacement context on psychological distress in refugees resettled in Australia: a longitudinal population-based study.

Aims: Refugees typically spend years in a state of protracted displacement prior to permanent resettlement. Little is known about how various prior displacement contexts influence long-term mental health in resettled refugees. In this study, we aimed to determine whether having lived in refugee camps community settings prior to resettlement impacted the course of refugees' psychological distress over the 4 years following arrival in Australia.

Understanding the effects of being separated from family on refugees in Australia: a qualitative study.

Objective: To understand the impact of family separation on refugees living in Australia.

Method: Thirteen participants with a refugee background and experiencing separation from family participated in a semi-structured qualitative interview. Interviews were coded and a thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo software.

Cognitive mechanisms underlying the association between trauma exposure, mental health and social engagement in refugees: A longitudinal investigation.

Backgrounds: Refugees and asylum-seekers are at heightened risk for developing psychological symptoms following exposure to trauma and displacement. Despite this, relatively little is known about the cognitive mechanisms that underlie common mental disorders in refugees.

Methods: In this study, we investigated the associations between self-efficacy, beliefs about others (relating to benevolence and trust) and psychological and social outcomes in 1079 refugees from Arabic, Farsi, Tamil or English-speaking backgrounds who were residing in Australia.

Profiles of post-migration stressors and mental health in refugees: A latent class analysis.

Studies have documented the mental health effects of pre-migration trauma on resettled refugees and identified distinct psychological symptom profiles using person centred statistical techniques (e.g., latent class analysis; LCA).