Purpose in life and posttraumatic stress symptoms among military veterans: A network analysis.

Researchers have begun to explore factors that might promote better adjustment following exposure to traumatic events, including the extent to which individuals have a strong sense of meaning in their lives. Given that studies have shown the potential benefits of cultivating meaning in alleviating posttraumatic stress reactions, it is important to pinpoint specific aspects of meaning that may better inform individualized trauma-focused treatments. One aspect of meaning that may be particularly relevant to trauma survivors is reflected in perceptions of purpose in life.

The Cumulative Impact of Recurrent Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence on Emotion Dysregulation: A Longitudinal Investigation.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) disproportionately affects women and has been linked to a range of negative psychological outcomes, including emotion dysregulation. Although IPV is often recurrent and tends to escalate in severity over time, few studies have examined the potential effects of recurrent experiences of IPV on emotion dysregulation. The current study employed a longitudinal design to examine the cumulative impact of recurrent experiences of IPV on emotion dysregulation.

Experiences of intimate partner violence and valued living among women veterans: The role of self-efficacy.

Predominantly cross-sectional research suggests that self-efficacy may play an important role in women's psychological health after experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). However, few studies have examined these associations over time or with respect to broader aspects of psychological well-being. Valued living, which reflects behavioral engagement within personally important life domains, represents a key aspect of well-being that may be negatively impacted by experiences of IPV.

Meaning in life following service among post-9/11 military veterans: A latent growth mixture model analysis.

Meaning in life refers to the "sense made of, and significance felt regarding, the nature of one's being and existence." Meaningful living promotes well-being, resilience, and personal growth. Yet, much remains unknown about how meaning changes over time and determinants of meaning, particularly during major life transitions.

Learning from adversity: What the COVID-19 pandemic can teach us about family resiliency.

The present study aimed to characterize the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on families with preschool age children and to identify pre-pandemic factors that explained unique family experiences. We leveraged an ongoing longitudinal study of relatively well-resourced community families who had reported on family functioning prior to the pandemic and completed surveys 6 months after pandemic onset. Both parents of dual parenting households endorsed significant hardships as a direct result of the pandemic (e.

Mindful Awareness Promotes Resilience: Buffered Links Among Childhood Sexual Abuse Severity, Goal-Directed Emotion Dysregulation, and Psychopathology.

Objectives: Childhood sexual abuse is linked to long-term consequences, including depression and anxiety in adulthood. Although considerable progress has been made to understand mechanisms that may account for this relation, such as emotion dysregulation, less attention has been given to protective factors that may mitigate it. One such protective factor might be mindful awareness.

The effects of rumination, distraction, and gratitude on positive and negative affect.

In a series of classic quasi-experiments, Lyubomirsky, Nolen-Hoeksema, and colleagues demonstrated the negative effects of rumination (vs. distraction) among people with depression. Across five studies, we attempted to replicate the former studies, as well as extend them by adding a third condition, gratitude, and the measurement of positive affect.

Alcohol Use Before Sexual Violence and Cognitive Appraisals: Differential Associations With Barriers to Help-Seeking.

The current study examined two cognitive appraisals-labeling (identifying an unwanted sexual experience as sexual violence) and self-blame-as potential mechanisms between survivor alcohol use before sexual violence and three help-seeking barriers (minimization, negative treatment, and social-emotional barriers) among non-service-seeking sexual violence survivors. Participants were 141 undergraduate women who completed self-report measures. Three parallel mediation models were tested.

Does Gratitude Promote Resilience During a Pandemic? An Examination of Mental Health and Positivity at the Onset of COVID-19.

Researchers have emphasized the detrimental effects of COVID-19 on mental health, but less attention has been given to personal strengths promoting resilience during the pandemic. One strength might be gratitude, which supports wellbeing amidst adversity. A two-wave examination of 201 college students revealed anxiety symptom severity increased to a lesser extent from pre-COVID (January-March 2020) to onset-COVID (April 2020) among those who reported greater pre-COVID gratitude.

Promoting resilience to depression among couples during pregnancy: The protective functions of intimate relationship satisfaction and self-compassion.

Pregnancy, while often marked by joy, may pose considerable risk for depression among parents. Against a backdrop of adverse life events, expectant parents may be even more vulnerable to developing symptoms of depression during the prenatal period. Thus, it is critical to identify sources of resilience that might facilitate a successful transition to parenthood among couples who have a history of adversity.

Partner Support and Connection Protect Couples During Pregnancy: A Daily Diary Investigation.

Objective: The objective of the current study was to examine associations between daily subjective stress and relationship satisfaction as a function of two protective factors-partner support and connection (i.e., intimacy, passion, and commitment)-among couples during pregnancy.

Meaning in life and stress-related drinking: A multicohort study of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, college students have experienced heightened stressors and reported stress-related drinking. To identify potential protective factors among college students, we investigate the possibility that finding meaning and purpose in one's life may lessen the strength of the association between stress and alcohol consumption in a multicohort sample of college students (N = 694; 64.8% women) recruited between November 2019 and September 2021.

An examination of the relations between emotion dysregulation, dissociation, and self-injury among dissociative disorder patients.

Background: Dissociative disorder (DD) patients report high rates of self-injury. Previous studies have found dissociation and self-injury to be related to emotional distress. To the best of our knowledge, however, the link between emotion dysregulation and self-injury has not yet been examined within a DD population.

Parenting behaviors of mothers with posttraumatic stress: The roles of cortisol reactivity and negative emotion.

Although posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with negative family outcomes, including parenting challenges, little is known about the biological and emotional processes that might underlie this association. The present project addressed this gap by examining associations between maternal PTSD and parenting behaviors in a lab setting. We expected that PTSD would be associated with more ineffective parenting behaviors and that negative emotion and cortisol reactivity would mediate this relation.

Is the COVID-19 Pandemic a High-Risk Period for College Student Alcohol Use? A Comparison of Three Spring Semesters.

Background: There has been widespread concern that the COVID-19 pandemic may be a high-risk time for alcohol use among heavy drinking populations such as college students. Initial efforts to evaluate changes in college drinking have not yet accounted for typical drinking patterns within a semester.

Methods: To fill this gap, we evaluated how college student drinking patterns changed with the onset of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic during spring 2020 relative to spring 2018 and 2019.

Posttraumatic Stress and Parenting Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation.

Purpose: Maternal trauma has been linked with problematic parenting, including both harsh and permissive behaviors. However, little is known about mechanisms accounting for this association. The current study examined the potential impact of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and emotion regulation on dysfunctional parenting behaviors in a sample of community mothers.

Changing in a GIF (Graphics Interchange Format): Innovations in Before and After Photography.

Purpose: Before and after images are an important part of aesthetic counseling, but no studies have examined ways to optimize change detection through the layout of displayed images. This study compares 3 different image layouts to determine which presentation style improves perception of postprocedure changes.

Methods: In this prospective, randomized study, participants viewed sequential images of patients who either had or had not undergone upper eyelid blepharoptosis repair or blepharoplasty ("change" and "no-change," respectively).

The need for trauma training: Clinicians' reactions to training on complex trauma.

Objective: Academic training programs for mental health professionals rarely include comprehensive instruction on trauma, consequently leaving clinicians inadequately prepared to provide trauma treatment. The present study sought to: (a) ascertain what percentage of participants had received training in complex trauma and dissociation; (b) examine pre- and posttraining differences in knowledge related to complex trauma populations; and (c) investigate changes in participants' competence and empathy in working with survivors.

Method: We examined self-reported changes in knowledge, competence, and empathy regarding individuals with complex trauma among mental health professionals who attended a complex trauma training workshop.