European Journal of Psychotraumatology最新文献

{"title":"The impact of intimate partner violence on facial emotion recognition among Korean baby boomers.","authors":"Hyunsan Cho, June Christoph Kang, Hee-Jin Park, Yoon Hee Park, Yeo Eun Park, Intae Hwang, Hyo Jin Kang","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2474890","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2474890","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>ABSTRACT</b><b>Background:</b> Intimate partner violence (IPV) can have lasting psychological and cognitive effects, potentially impairing facial emotion recognition (FER). This study examines the accuracy of FER among IPV survivors compared to individuals without IPV experience within the Korean baby boomer generation, aged 60-69, exploring the relationship between IPV, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and FER abilities.<b>Objective:</b> To assess whether IPV impacts FER accuracy and intensity and to investigate whether symptoms of PTSD moderate this relationship.<b>Method:</b> The study included 80 participants, with 31 % identified as IPV survivors. A self-administered survey collected information on lifetime experiences of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as assessments for PTSD symptoms. Participants completed the Korean Montreal Cognitive Assessment (K-MOCA) and performed 70 FER tasks to evaluate accuracy and intensity of facial emotions. Logistic regressions were used to analyse the relationship between IPV, PTSD symptoms, and FER performance.<b>Results:</b> IPV survivors demonstrated 0.64 times lower accuracy in recognizing overall facial emotions, including anger, sadness, surprise, and neutral expressions Additionally, IPV survivors exhibited significantly lower intensity scores for overall facial expressions. Significant interaction terms between IPV and PTSD symptoms indicate that PTSD symptoms moderate the effect of IPV on the FER, as well as neutral and sad facial expressions.<b>Conclusions:</b> IPV can disrupt one's ability to recognize facial emotions, and PTSD symptoms may moderate this impairment. This highlights the potential benefits of assisting IPV survivors with emotion recognition as part of their recovery process, which could enhance both social connections and their safety.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2474890"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11948361/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143709250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gender differences in early posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: a network analysis.","authors":"Line Rønning, Rachel L Zelkowitz, Marilyn L Piccirillo, Jianlin Liu, Jordan L Thomas, Jessy Guler, J Joana Kyei, Chris M Hoeboer, Jeanet F Karchoud, Miranda Olff, Anke B Witteveen, Mirjam van Zuiden","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2024.2448385","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2024.2448385","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Despite known gender/sex differences in the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), potential differences in the associations among PTSD symptoms between men and women in the early post-trauma period are not well-characterized.<b>Objective:</b> This study utilized network analysis to assess potential differences in the associations among PTSD symptom clusters between men and women during the early post-trauma period.<b>Method:</b> We included <i>n</i> = 475 participants (57.5% self-identified women) who recently (≤2 months) experienced an interpersonal or motor vehicle potential traumatic event in the Netherlands. Past month PTSD symptoms were measured with the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and composited according to the five-node PTSD symptom cluster dysphoric arousal model. We estimated the network as well as indices of centrality (strength and predictability) and assessed the stability of the modelled networks in subsamples of men (<i>n </i>= 202) and women (<i>n </i>= 273). We compared network structures using the Network Comparison Test (NCT).<b>Results:</b> Results largely demonstrated adequate correlation stability for the estimated network structures for women and men. For both men and women, avoidance symptoms were among the strongest nodes with greatest predictability in the networks. In men, anxious arousal additionally showed high strength whereas re-experiencing showed high predictability. In women, re-experiencing symptoms demonstrated both high strength and predictability. The NCT demonstrated nonsignificant differences in global network structure (<i>M </i>= 0.08, <i>p</i> = .054) and strength (<i>S</i> = .073, <i>p</i> = .067). Post hoc comparisons showed an association of re-experiencing symptoms with negative alterations in cognitions and mood in men but not women (<i>E</i> = .038, <i>p</i> = .005).<b>Conclusion:</b> Results demonstrated possible modest gender differences in aspects of network structure although most elements of the network structure were similar across genders. These results help to characterize gender differences in associations among PTSD symptom clusters during the early post-trauma period, which may inform the potential relevance of future gender-sensitive early intervention strategies to ameliorate the risk for long-term PTSD.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2448385"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11758801/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143022554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The interpersonal theory of suicide risk in male US service members/veterans: the independent effects of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness.","authors":"Rebecca K Blais, Kevin J Grimm","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2024.2439748","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2024.2439748","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Introduction:</b> Suicide rates remain high among US military service member/veteran (SM/V) males with overall trends showing an upward trajectory. Several empirical studies and official US government reports show that interpersonal challenges can substantially increase suicide risk. One theory, the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPT), focuses thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, capability for suicide, and their interactions, as key contributors to suicide risk. Extant military studies are subscribed to specific subsamples and/or do not test the full theory. This has resulted in mixed findings or findings with limited generalizability. The current study addressed these limitations.<b>Method:</b> A convenience sample of 508 male SM/Vs completed self-report measures of lifetime suicide ideation, likelihood of making a future attempt, thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, capability for suicide, and demographics. Suicide ideation and risk was regressed on IPT variables, relevant interactions, and covariates.<b>Results:</b> The variance accounted for in suicide ideation and likelihood of a future attempt was 32% and 62%, respectively. Higher perceived burdensomeness was associated with suicide ideation, and higher thwarted belongingness had a marginally significant association with suicide ideation. The presence of suicide ideation and higher thwarted belongingness were associated with the likelihood of making a future attempt. Capability for suicide was not associated with the likelihood of making a future attempt.<b>Discussion:</b> Perceived burdensomeness, suicide ideation, and thwarted belongingness appear to individually create risk for future suicide behaviour among US military service members and veterans. Additional work is needed to establish comprehensive theories of suicide risk in this population.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2439748"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11795748/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143188654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of long-term hair steroids as diagnostic and intervention-related biomarkers in a multimorbid inpatient sample with posttraumatic stress disorder.","authors":"Lorika Shkreli, Marcella L Woud, Luisa Bergunde, Lena Schindler-Gmelch, Simon E Blackwell, Clemens Kirschbaum, Henrik Kessler, Susann Steudte-Schmiedgen","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2457295","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2457295","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Steroid hormone dysregulations have frequently been implicated in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) pathogenesis. However, the translation into naturalistic clinical settings as markers of symptomatology and treatment success remains complex. Particularly, there is little longitudinal data on steroid secretion over the course of interventions.<b>Objective:</b> This study examined the potential of long-term steroid hormone secretion assessed in hair as diagnostic and intervention-related biomarkers among medicated, multimorbid inpatients with PTSD.<b>Method:</b> As part of a secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial, 54 female inpatients with a primary diagnosis of PTSD received standardised treatment and provided hair samples at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. Cortisol, cortisone, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) were determined, alongside clinical assessments.<b>Results:</b> Cross-sectional results showed a negative association of pre-treatment DHEA with anxiety symptoms and a trend-level association with lifetime trauma exposure. While inpatients improved in PTSD symptomatology during treatment, neither pre-treatment steroids, nor treatment-induced steroid changes predicted PTSD symptoms at post-treatment or 3-month follow-up.<b>Conclusion:</b> The study highlights the challenges of establishing biomarkers in naturalistic clinical populations. While the association of attenuated DHEA with anxiety symptoms warrants further exploration, our data points towards the potential necessity of patient sub-sample selection to understand, and in the long run clinically target, the endocrine mechanisms in PTSD.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2457295"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11852232/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143482551","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Validation of a clinician-administered diagnostic measure of ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD: the International Trauma Interview in a clinical sample of military veterans.","authors":"Ole Melkevik, Anni B S Nielsen, Katrine Friis, Caroline Lund, Bjarke W Schmidt, Sofie Folke","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2465217","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2465217","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> The International Trauma Interview (ITI) is the first clinician-administered diagnostic tool developed to assess posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD (CPTSD), both recently recognized in the ICD-11. The current study aims to test the construct and discriminant validity of the ITI in a population of treatment-seeking veterans.<b>Method:</b> 124 Danish veterans seeking psychological treatment were interviewed by a group of trained clinicians for ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD before beginning treatment at the Military Psychological Department in the Danish Defense. A series of confirmatory factor models were estimated in order to identify the extent to which latent variable operationalizations provide potential explanations for the associations between symptoms.<b>Results:</b> Results indicate that symptoms of CPTSD, as measured by the ITI, are best represented by a single higher-order factor. We also found that a bifactor model provided adequate fit to the data. The commonly identified two-factor higher-order model was rejected due to the lack of discriminant validity between PTSD and DSO. The higher order model was found to explain associations between symptoms of CPTSD and symptoms of depression, stress, anxiety, and well-being.<b>Conclusion:</b> The ITI does not fit a two-factor higher-order model in a sample of treatment-seeking Danish veterans. Rather, a single higher order factor shows excellent fit, and is found to explain associations between ITI symptoms and other internalizing symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2465217"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11866645/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143499993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of posttraumatic stress disorder and comorbid psychiatric conditions on suicide reattempts.","authors":"Alice Demesmaeker, Coralie Creupelandt, Arnaud Leroy, Guillaume Vaiva, Fabien D'Hondt","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2461435","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2461435","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent psychiatric condition that significantly increases the risk of suicide.<b>Objective:</b> This study aimed to assess PTSD and its co-occurring conditions among individuals who attempted suicide and to evaluate the relationship between these disorders and suicide reattempts within six months.<b>Method:</b> This prospective cohort study included 2,441 individuals from the French Vigilans programme who attempted suicide between 2015 and 2020. Data on sociodemographic characteristics and suicide attempt (SA) history were collected at baseline, and lifetime psychiatric conditions were assessed via the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) during the six-month follow-up telephone interview. Multivariate logistic and linear regression models were used to measure the impact of PTSD and its comorbidities on suicide reattempts within six months, controlling for sex, age, and prior SAs.<b>Results:</b> In total, 11.8% of the individuals (287/2,441) in the cohort were diagnosed with PTSD. Among these, 71.1% (204/287) had major depressive disorder, 36.2% (104/287) had alcohol use disorder, and 35.9% (103/287) had panic disorder. Within six months, we observed higher rates of suicide reattempt in those with PTSD (<i>p </i>< .01; <i>OR</i> 1.71 95% CI 1.14-2.55), regardless of comorbidities. Even higher rates were found in those with PTSD comorbid with panic disorder (<i>p </i>= .02 <i>OR</i> 1.95 95% CI 1.12-3.39) or substance use disorder (<i>p </i>= .01 <i>OR</i> 2.91 95% CI 1.28-6.62). Additionally, PTSD comorbid with panic disorder (<i>p </i>= .02, <i>β </i>= .10) or eating disorders (<i>p </i>= .04, <i>β </i>= .12) was associated with a greater number of suicide reattempts.<b>Conclusion:</b> Approximately one in ten SA survivors experienced PTSD. Individuals with PTSD and comorbid conditions, such as panic disorder, substance use disorder, and eating disorders, are two to three times more likely to reattempt suicide within six months. Despite ongoing preventive efforts, rates of reattempt remain high, highlighting the urgent need for continuous clinical monitoring and personalized therapeutic interventions.<b>Trial registration:</b> ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03134885.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2461435"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11823379/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143398673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness in routine care: trauma-focused treatment for PTSD.","authors":"Antje Krüger-Gottschalk, Sascha T Kuck, Anne Dyer, Georg W Alpers, Andre Pittig, Nexhmedin Morina, Thomas Ehring","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2452680","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2452680","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Objective</b>: The efficacy of trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy (tf-CBT) has been well established in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). More research is needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of tf-CBT in routine clinical care settings.<b>Method</b>: Eighty-five patients (68 female) with a primary diagnosis of PTSD received tf-CBT at two German outpatient centres (Münster and Mannheim) between 2014 and 2016. Treatment was delivered mainly by therapists in training and treatment duration was based on symptom course. The treatment consisted of a preparation phase, a trauma-focused phase (comprising imaginal exposure, discrimination training, changing dysfunctional appraisals) and a phase of reclaiming-your-life assignments, and relapse prevention. In an intent-to-treat-analysis (ITT), linear mixed effects models were fitted for self-assessments of traumatic symptom severity using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5). Potential moderators for treatment outcome, e.g. number of suicide attempts, were investigated.<b>Results</b>: The observed treatment effect was large for both the CAPS-5 (ITT: Cohen's <i>d</i> = 2.07, CI [1.62, 2.51]; completers <i>d</i> = 2.34, CI [1.84, 2.83]) and PCL-5 respectively (ITT: <i>d</i> = 2.02, CI [1.56, 2.48]; completers <i>d</i> = 2.15, CI [1.66, 2.64]), and remained stable six months and one-year post-treatment. <i>N</i> = 27 patients (31.48%) were defined as study dropout and of these, <i>n</i> = 12 (14.12%) dropped out of the study but completed treatment. None of the fixed-effect estimates for treatment predictors interacted significantly with the effect of time.<b>Conclusions</b>: Tf-CBT is well-tolerated and it can be effectively delivered in routine clinical care. Its large treatment effects underline the practicability and benefits of the approach. This trial demonstrates its broad applicability among individuals with diverse patterns of clinical characteristics and comorbidities.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2452680"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11827035/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143406253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Living under threat: adolescents' continuous traumatic stress reactions in relation to violence exposure.","authors":"Inga Truskauskaite, Monika Kvedaraite, Aviva Goral, Ieva Daniunaite","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2481803","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2481803","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Adolescents exposed to violence are at a higher risk for mental health problems than their peers. Exposure to ongoing violence can potentially lead to Continuous Traumatic Stress (CTS). CTS reactions have never been studied in relation to violence exposure in adolescent samples.<b>Objective:</b> We aimed to validate the Lithuanian version of the Continuous Traumatic Stress Response (CTSR) scale in the adolescent sample, to explore the adolescents' CTS reactions using the person-oriented approach, and to study the relationship between different types of violence and CTS reactions.<b>Method:</b> In total, 321 adolescents (<i>M</i>(<i>SD</i>)_age = 14.19 (1.26)) from Lithuania were included in the current study, of which 181 (56.4%) were female, 135 (42.1%) were male, and 54.5% (<i>n </i>= 175) were continuously exposed to violence over their lifetime. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with measurement invariance across genders and age groups was used to test the structural validity of the CTSR scale. A latent class-analysis approach was used to explore the patterns of CTS reactions.<b>Results:</b> The results showed good structural, convergent, and differential validity of the CTSR scale. Exhaustion/Detachment, Rage/Betrayal, and Fear/Helplessness were more profound in continuous violence exposure versus non-exposure groups, with even higher CTS reactions when recently exposed to violence. Three groups of adolescents with <i>low</i>, <i>moderate</i>, and <i>high</i> CTS reactions were distinguished with the suggested cut-off sum score of CTSR ≥18 for severe CTS reactions. The intensity of exposure to neglect, psychological abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse positively predicted Continuous traumatic stress (CTS) response group membership.<b>Conclusions:</b> These results stress the need for psychological support when exposed to continuous interpersonal violence in adolescence.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2481803"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143729606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Childhood-related PTSD: the role of cognitions in EMDR and imagery Rescripting.","authors":"","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2460393","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2460393","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2460393"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11812100/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143381885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Examining attentional avoidance in post-traumatic stress disorder: an exploratory 'Face in the Crowd' paradigm using eye-tracking.","authors":"Wivine Blekic, Mandy Rossignol, Fabien D'Hondt","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2462489","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2462489","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Maladaptive patterns of attention to emotional stimuli are a clinical feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Using eye-tracking-based methodology, research points out the presence of sustained attention to threatening stimuli in individuals with PTSD. However, most eye-tracking studies in this field used free-viewing tasks on negative stimuli.<b>Methods:</b> PTSD patients (<i>n</i> = 38), trauma-exposed healthy controls (TEHC; <i>n</i> = 30), and non-trauma-exposed healthy controls (HC; <i>n</i> = 33) performed a Face in the Crowd (FiC) task. The FiC task was chosen to explore specific responses to emotional stimuli within a competitive visual environment, thus providing insights into visual search patterns. Both reaction time and gaze patterns (dwell time, scanpath length, first fixation duration, and latency) were recorded.<b>Results:</b> Individuals with a provisional PTSD diagnosis presented decreased dwell time on both positive and negative targets in comparison with HC and TEHC, as well as shorter scanpath length for all matrixes when no targets were present. No evidence of attentional bias was observed in the TEHC group based on reaction times or eye-tracking measures in response to positive, negative, or neutral cues.<b>Discussion:</b> We found an attentional avoidance pattern among PTSD patients, along with indexes of lowered perceptual threshold for all emotional information. This study allows raising the question of cognitive load on the emergence of differential attentional strategies presented by PTSD participants. We discuss the generalization of fear processes across different emotional stimuli and underscore the need for incorporating a variety of emotional stimuli in PTSD research.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2462489"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11823380/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143398688","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}