In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the mental health consequences of trauma exposure pose a substantial personal, societal, and economic burden. Yet, the significant need for evidence-based mental health treatment remains largely unmet. To unlock the potential for mental health care for trauma survivors in lower-resource contexts, it is critical to map treatment barriers and identify strategies to improve access to evidence-based, culturally appropriate, and scalable interventions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Existing clinical trials of cognitive behavioural therapies with a trauma focus (CBTs-TF) are underpowered to examine key variables that might moderate treatment effects. We aimed to determine the efficacy of CBTs-TF for young people, relative to passive and active control conditions, and elucidate putative individual-level and treatment-level moderators.
Methods: This was an individual participant data meta-analysis of published and unpublished randomised studies in young people aged 6-18 years exposed to trauma.
Torture is designed to silence, render powerless, oppress and terrify not just the individual torture survivor but the whole society where the act of torture occurs. The aftermath of torture can include trauma spectrum disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder as well as other mental health problems, in addition to chronic pain and disability. Rehabilitation for torture survivors therefore needs to include empowerment at its heart.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Interpersonal violence damages mental health and frequently leads to aggressive defence strategies. If survivors are subsequently blamed for the events, both consequences worsen. Stigma flourishes, especially when survivors are silenced so that details of the trauma remain unknown.
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