Trauma-related moderators of associations between sex hormones and PTSD symptoms: a replication-extension.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) disproportionately affects women and recent evidence suggests that unique associations between sex hormones (e.g. estradiol and progesterone) and PTSD symptoms may contribute to this difference.

Effects of behavioral interventions on stress reactivity in adults with substance use disorders.

Objective: Heightened reactivity to stress is associated with poor treatment outcome in people with substance use disorders (SUDs). Behavioral strategies can reduce stress reactivity; however, these strategies are understudied in people with SUDs. The objective of this study was to test the effect of two behavioral strategies (cognitive reappraisal and affect labeling) on stress reactivity in people with SUDs.

Age and gender differences in motives for z-drug misuse: Findings from the 2015 to 2019 NSDUH survey.

Background And Objectives: Approximately 9% of people who are exposed to a nonbenzodiazepine sedative-hypnotic medication ("z-drug") misuse this medication, yet, the reasons why people misuse z-drugs are not well-characterized.

Methods: Using population survey data, we examined gender and age differences in motives for z-drug misuse.

Results: Results suggested women and older adults have higher odds of misusing z-drugs for sleep, and young adults have higher odds of misusing for recreation.

Impact of cognitive behavioural therapy on neural, inflammatory, & autonomic markers in a sample with PTSD and cardiovascular risk: protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial.

Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at heightened risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to the general population. Inflammation and autonomic dysfunction are candidate mechanisms of CVD risk in PTSD; however, these mechanisms have not been well-characterised in the PTSD-CVD link. Further, these mechanisms may operate through altered stress-related neural activity (SNA).

Probing the neurocardiac circuit in trauma and posttraumatic stress.

The neurocardiac circuit is integral to physiological regulation of threat and trauma-related responses. However, few direct investigations of brain-behavior associations with replicable physiological markers of PTSD have been conducted. The current study probed the neurocardiac circuit by examining associations among its core regions in the brain (e.

Gender differences in illicit drug access, use and use disorder: Analysis of National Survey on Drug Use and Health data.

Although gender differences in the prevalence of substance use disorders (SUD) have been well-characterized, little is known about when gender differences emerge along the continuum of substance use. Understanding the contribution of gender to risk at key transition points across this continuum is needed to identify potential mechanisms underlying gender differences and to inform improved gender-responsive interventions. To characterize gender differences in the progression of cannabis, cocaine, and heroin use, the current study used data from the United States-based 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to quantify gender differences in: (1) perceived access to drugs, (2) lifetime drug use among individuals with at least some access, and (3) past-year SUD among those who had ever used each drug.

The Role of Emotion Dysregulation in Heightened Alcohol Craving Related to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Symptoms.

Compared to their male counterparts, women with alcohol use disorders (AUD) alone and those with symptoms of co-occurring emotional disorders (posttraumatic stress disorder, PTSD, and depression) are particularly likely to have increased alcohol craving in response to negative affect and daily stressors. Emotion dysregulation is one transdiagnostic construct that may underlie heightened craving in response to stress within this population. In a secondary data analysis, the current study examined emotion dysregulation as a mediator of the associations of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depression symptoms with heightened stress-induced alcohol craving, as measured in the lab.

The dynamic relationship of negative emotional content in the context of trauma-focused writing interventions on improvements in cognitive reappraisal: A pilot study.

Objective: Writing about traumatic experiences is beneficial for the reduction of posttraumatic stress symptoms, yet little research has examined the linguistic content of trauma-focused writing interventions. The current pilot study had two aims (a) characterize changes in linguistic features in two trauma-focused writing interventions; and (b) examine how changes in linguistic content may be associated with proposed mechanisms of change in trauma treatment (i.e.

Comparing written exposure therapy delivered via telehealth to trauma-focused expressive writing in undergraduates: A proof-of-concept trial.

The literature demonstrates that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rates are estimated to be higher on college campuses compared to lifetime estimates in the general population. Written exposure therapy (WET) is a promising brief intervention for posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) with a growing literature of evidence suggesting efficacy, lower drop-out rates compared to other evidence-based protocols, and long-term treatment gains. This proof-of-concept study examined the efficacy of WET delivered via telehealth compared to expressive writing (EW), the protocol from which WET was derived.

The Indirect Effect of Avoidant Motives for Sex on the Pathways From Childhood Maltreatment to Risky Sex Behaviors.

Literature supports a strong link between engagement in risky sex and childhood maltreatment, with engagement in risky sexual behavior proposed as a manifestation of avoidant coping. Sex motives refer to underlying motivations for engaging in sex such as increased intimacy, or peer pressure. Limited research has examined the role of sex motives on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and risky sex.

Pilot examination of stress, heart rate variability, and alcohol craving and use among female veterans.

Rates of alcohol use disorder (AUD) are increasing among civilian and veteran populations of women in the United States, and stress pathophysiology (i.e., abnormal acute and long-term change in physiological responses to stress) is central to the maintenance of alcohol misuse within this population.

Mental health service utilization following a campus mass shooting: The role of preshooting emotion dysregulation and posttraumatic cognitions.

Objective: This study investigated preshooting emotion dysregulation and posttraumatic cognitions as predictors of mental health service utilization ([MHU]; i.e., therapy/medication) among undergraduate women following a campus mass shooting, controlling for time, age, and postshooting posttraumatic stress (PTS) and depressive symptoms.

Childhood Maltreatment and Risky Substance Use Behaviors: The Mediating Roles of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms & Callous Unemotional Traits.

A robust relationship has been established between childhood maltreatment and risky substance use. Posttraumatic stress symptoms and callous-unemotional (CU) traits, both of which can be consequences of childhood maltreatment, have been implicated as potential mediators of this relationship, but despite phenotypic overlap have not been examined within the same model. The current cross-sectional study examined the indirect effect of childhood maltreatment severity on risky drug and alcohol use behaviors though PTSS and CU traits.

Experiential avoidance as a mediator in the relationship between shame and posttraumatic stress disorder: The effect of gender.

Objective: The current study sought to investigate whether experiential avoidance (EA) mediates the effect of shame on posttraumatic symptoms (PTS) in a population of trauma-exposed individuals. Given demonstrated gender differences in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the current cross-sectional study also sought to examine whether gender moderates this mediational proposed effect. EA has been shown to mediate shame and depression symptoms, suggesting that the unwillingness to feel and/or the attempt to control shame may be an important factor in later psychopathological symptoms.

Application of PTSD alcohol expectancy symptom clusters to the four-dimensional model of PTSD: Support from moderations of the association between symptoms of posttraumatic stress and alcohol use.

Objective: Alcohol expectancy theory, which examines beliefs about the effects of alcohol on the consumer, is especially relevant for understanding the role of alcohol use in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous research on the relationship between alcohol expectancies and PTSD suggests that greater endorsement of positive alcohol expectancies is positively associated with alcohol use, problem drinking, and increased PTSD symptomatology. The purpose of the current study was to investigate relationships among positive and negative PTSD alcohol expectancies, PTSD symptom clusters, and alcohol use in a sample of undergraduates.

The Prevalence of Sexual Revictimization: A Meta-Analytic Review.

The literature consistently demonstrates evidence that child sexual abuse survivors are at greater risk of victimization later in life than the general population. This phenomenon is called sexual revictimization. Although this finding is robust, there is a large amount of variability in the prevalence rates of revictimization demonstrated in the literature.