European Journal of Psychotraumatology最新文献

{"title":"Protective and risk factors for STS among mental health professionals serving war refugees in Lithuania and Pakistan.","authors":"Momina Khalid Butt, Neringa Grigutytė, Jonas Eimontas","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2543205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2025.2543205","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) is a significant concern among mental health professionals working with traumatised populations, such as war refugees. However, limited research has explored the predictors of STS in different cultural contexts, particularly in Pakistan and Lithuania.<b>Objective:</b> This study aimed to investigate the protective and risk factors for STS among mental health professionals working with war refugees in Pakistan and Lithuania. Specifically, the study examined the roles of social support, marital status, agreeableness, and negative emotionality in predicting STS.<b>Methods:</b> A total of 120 mental health professionals from Lithuania and 111 from Pakistan participated in this cross-cultural study. Participants completed an online survey assessing demographic variables, STS symptoms, and the predictors of interest. The Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS), Big Five Inventory (BFI-2), and a social support scale were used to assess STS, agreeableness, and social support, respectively. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, regression analyses, and ANOVA.<b>Results:</b> Significant differences were found in the prevalence of STS between the two countries, with 65.2% of Pakistani participants reporting STS symptoms compared to 20% in Lithuania. In Pakistan, social support, marital status, and agreeableness emerged as protective factors, while negative emotionality and divorced marital status were identified as risk factors. In contrast, in Lithuania, only social support was found to significantly predict STS, with negative emotionality serving as a risk factor.<b>Conclusions:</b> The findings underscore the importance of contextual factors in shaping the experience of STS among mental health professionals. While social support appears to act as a protective factor in both countries, other factors like marital status and personality traits (agreeableness) play varying roles depending on the cultural context. These insights provide valuable implications for developing targeted interventions to support mental health professionals working in refugee contexts, particularly in countries with differing socio-political landscapes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2543205"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12372480/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144947930","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":"An exploratory study of emotional forecasting and experience disparities in PTSD: insights from a virtual reality paradigm.","authors":"Louise Loisel-Fleuriot, Thomas Fovet, Arnaud Bugnet, Coralie Creupelandt, Marielle Wathelet, Sébastien Szaffarczyk, Stéphane Duhem, Guillaume Vaiva, Mathilde Horn, Fabien D'Hondt","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2524289","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2025.2524289","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Emotional disturbances are central to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and shape how individuals anticipate and experience events.<b>Objective:</b> This study investigates affective forecasting and emotional experience among PTSD patients, trauma-exposed controls (TEC), and healthy controls (HC) using a novel virtual reality paradigm.<b>Method:</b> Eighty-six participants (30 PTSD, 28 TEC, 28 HC) rated their predicted and actual emotional responses (valence and arousal) to unpleasant, neutral, and pleasant virtual scenarios. Physiological measures included heart rate and skin conductance responses (SCR).<b>Results:</b> PTSD participants showed alterations in their affective forecasting and emotional experience, assigning significantly lower valence scores to pleasant and neutral scenarios and exhibiting amplified SCR to emotionally charged stimuli. Their arousal ratings for neutral stimuli were also more elevated compared to HC. In their forecasting, PTSD participants anticipated more positive  - or less negative  - emotions compared to what they experienced next.<b>Conclusions:</b> These findings reveal critical emotional processing differences in PTSD, both during affective forecasting and emotional experience, supporting cognitive models that emphasize biased processing of emotional information in this psychiatric condition.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2524289"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12379702/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144947943","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 moral injury and posttraumatic stress among firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, and emergency dispatchers.","authors":"Savannah J Woller, Kayla E Hall, Shelby J McGrew, Elizabeth Anderson-Fletcher, Sonya B Norman, Anka A Vujanovic","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2510019","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2510019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>First responders encounter chronic exposure to stressful and potentially traumatic experiences due to the nature of their jobs. First responders are also often confronted with the dilemma of following organisational protocols and/or using personal judgment to respond in high stress situations. Thus, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and moral injury (MI), defined as the negative impact of witnessing, perpetrating, or failing to prevent an act that violates one's moral beliefs, are potential psychological responses to potentially traumatic events.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The present study evaluated MI severity among firefighters, emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, and dispatchers with and without probable PTSD.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>The sample included 283 personnel (<i>M</i>_age = 46.53; 83.7% male) from nine fire departments, primarily in the western US.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Consistent with hypotheses, first responders who met screening criteria for probable PTSD, as compared to those who did not, reported significantly higher MI total scores, MI-shame subscale scores, and MI-trust-violation subscale scores, with large effect sizes (η²'s ≤ .22).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Results suggest that MI may play a role in the characterisation of the clinical picture of first responders. Future studies should continue to evaluate associations between PTSD and MI in first responders, using interview-based and longitudinal methodologies, to better inform specialised clinical interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2510019"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12160322/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144265759","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":"Complex trauma and perceived barriers to treatment among people accessing a supervised injecting facility.","authors":"Ali Cheetham, Dan I Lubman, Tina Lam, Elizabeth Grist, Anthony Barnett, Shalini Arunogiri, Suzanne Nielsen","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2558241","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2558241","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Introduction:</b> People who inject drugs (PWID) have an elevated risk of trauma exposure, which can adversely affect health outcomes and create barriers to engaging with services. While high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among PWID have been well-documented, less is known about the prevalence of complex PTSD (C-PTSD) in this cohort, or how symptom severity might relate to perceived barriers to alcohol and drug treatment.<b>Methods:</b> Participants (<i>n</i> = 102; 74.5% male) were recruited from the Melbourne Supervised Injecting Room (MSIR) in Victoria, Australia, as part of a larger study examining the health needs of MSIR attendees. Participants completed a survey that included assessment of potentially traumatic life events (Life Events Checklist; LEC), past 30-day symptoms of PTSD/C-PTSD (International Trauma Questionnaire; ITQ), and perceived barriers to drug and alcohol treatment (Barriers to Treatment Inventory; BTI).<b>Results:</b> Ninety-one participants (89.2%) had directly experienced at least one potentially traumatic event, with 24 participants (23.5%) endorsing events in 10 or more categories. Thirty participants (29.4%) met criteria for past 30-day PTSD; of these, 25 (83.3%) also met criteria for C-PTSD. C-PTSD symptom severity was associated with greater perceived barriers due to privacy concerns, lack of treatment availability, and time constraints, but lower barriers relating to perceived absence of a drug problem. PTSD symptom severity was associated with greater perceived barriers due to negative social support and lack of treatment availability. Females reported significantly greater trauma exposure and were more likely to meet PTSD/C-PTSD criteria than males.<b>Discussion:</b> Cumulative trauma exposure and current C-PTSD symptoms were common among people attending a supervised injecting facility. Potentially, these PWID may recognise their need for drug treatment or services despite greater perceived structural and interpersonal barriers to treatment. Further research is needed to identify and address the unique barriers to accessing support services in these settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2558241"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12498363/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145225162","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 of trauma-focused treatments for refugee children: a systematic review and meta-analyses.","authors":"Merel E Velu, Rebecca M Kuiper, Michaela Schok, Marieke Sleijpen, Carlijn de Roos, Trudy Mooren","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2494362","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2494362","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>ABSTRACT</b><b>Background:</b> Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in refugees is higher compared to the general population, and barriers in accessing mental health care are often experienced. With staggering numbers of people seeking refuge around the world, and 40% being 18 years or younger, effective trauma-focused therapies for refugee children with PTSD are highly needed.<b>Objective:</b> A systematic review and meta-analyses were conducted to provide an overview of, and to analyse, intervention studies using PTSD measures in young refugees, assessing treatment effectiveness and addressing efforts to mitigate barriers to mental health care.<b>Method:</b> Eleven databases were searched for studies evaluating trauma-focused treatments (TFT) for refugee children (0-18). Meta-analyses were conducted for all included studies grouped together; and second, per intervention type, using posttreatment measures and follow-up measures. Pooled between-group effect sizes (ESs) and pre-post ESs, using a random-effects model were calculated.<b>Results:</b> A total of 47 studies was retrieved, with 32 included in the meta-analyses. The narrative review highlighted positive outcomes in reducing posttraumatic stress symptoms for CBT-based interventions, EMDR therapy, KIDNET, and other treatments such as art therapy. Meta-analyses revealed medium pooled pre-post ESs for CBT-based interventions (ES = -.55) and large for EMDR therapy (ES = -1.63). RCT and CT studies using follow-up measures showed promising outcomes for KIDNET (ES = -.49). High heterogeneity of the included studies limited interpretation of several other combined effects. Results should be interpreted with caution due to the generally low quality of the included studies. All studies addressed efforts to minimize treatment barriers.<b>Conclusion:</b> More high-quality studies are urgently needed to inform treatment recommendations. Evidence-based therapies, such as CBT-based interventions, EMDR therapy, and KIDNET, demonstrate promising findings but need further replication. Strategies to overcome barriers to treatment may be necessary to reach this population.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2494362"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12090257/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144093254","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":"Stepping together for children after trauma: protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a parent-led treatment in first-line services (NorStep Study).","authors":"Silje Mørup Ormhaug, Tine K Jensen, Kate Louise Porcheret, Anne Lie Andreassen, Sarah Byford, Else Merete Kvalsvik Fagermoen, Pernille Gurandsrud, Kristin Johanne Økern Haabrekke, Marie Lindebø Knutsen, Heidi Maria Päivärinne, Ingeborg Skjærvø","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2555047","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2555047","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background</b>: Childhood trauma is a public health challenge, and there is currently a service/needs gap. Low-intensive treatments where the task of leading the treatment is partially shifted to a caregiver can help bridge this gap by freeing therapist resources. <i>Stepping Together for Children after Trauma</i> (ST-CT), is a novel parent-led, therapist-assisted treatment with promising results in the U.S. Also, it has shown to be feasible as a first-line intervention in Norwegian municipal services and ST-CT is well accepted by children, caregivers, and therapists.<b>Objective</b>: This study is the first randomized controlled trial of ST-CT by independent researchers. The study consists of three work-packages: WP1: Investigates (a) the effectiveness of ST-CT compared to therapy as usual (TAU) in reducing post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), related mental health symptoms, sleep problems and increasing daily functioning; (b) the cost-effectiveness of ST-CT compared to TAU in terms of quality adjusted life years; (c) future health care utilization. WP2: Looks at change processes in ST-CT, with changes in sleep, post-traumatic cognitions and child-parent relationship as potential mediators of reductions in child PTSS. WP3: Investigates keys to implementation into regular first-line mental health services.<b>Methods</b>: The study has a type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation design. Children between 7-12 years of age with symptoms of PTSS and their caregivers are randomized to either ST-CT or TAU and participants are assessed at five time points during the first year. Sleep quality is measured with a non-contact radar 1 week pre- and post-treatment and registry data of use of prescribed medications and mental health service utilization will be collected 3 years post-inclusion. The study aims to include 160 child-parent dyads from 30 municipalities.<b>Conclusion</b>: Results can help gain a better understanding of the effectiveness and change processes of ST-CT and may provide important knowledge for a future dissemination and implementation.<b>Trial registration:</b> ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05734547.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2555047"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12444926/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145074857","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":"Brain network controllability in genetic risk, childhood abuse, and adult anxiety.","authors":"Tian Tian, Min Chen, Jicheng Fang, Wenzhen Zhu","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2551953","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2551953","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Network control theory can quantify controllability to evaluate how altered transitions between brain states contribute to cognitive, emotional, and behavioural challenges. Childhood abuse, influenced by genetics, is associated with disrupted network function, though the exact control processes are not yet understood.<b>Objective:</b> This study aims to investigate the association between brain network controllability and childhood abuse experiences, and to elucidate its potential mediating role in the relationship among polygenic risk scores (PRS) for childhood abuse, childhood abuse experiences, and adult health outcomes.<b>Methods:</b> This study measured the controllability of functional brain networks, including both average and modal controllability, in a cohort of 214 young adults with varied histories of childhood abuse. Participants also completed psychological assessments, whole-exome sequencing, and the calculation of PRS for childhood abuse. This study investigate the association between brain network controllability and childhood abuse. Furthermore, a mediation model was performed to explore the potential mediating role of brain network controllability in the relationship between genetic risk, childhood abuse experiences, and adult health outcomes.<b>Results:</b> The controllability of the dorsal attention and sensorimotor networks, as well as the controllability of key ROIs within the sensorimotor, default mode, dorsal attention, visual, and control networks, demonstrated significant correlations with abuse scores. Despite no direct correlation between PRS and self-reported childhood abuse, indirect effects through the controllability of visual and control network regions were identified. The controllability of the left postcentral gyrus in the dorsal attention network mediated the relationship between childhood abuse and adult anxiety.<b>Conclusions:</b> This study reveals that brain network controllability is a pivotal factor, not only bridging PRS and childhood abuse but also serving as a potential mediator between childhood trauma and adult anxiety, offering a new perspective on the neurobiology of childhood abuse-related psychopathology.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2551953"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12434858/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145039345","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":"Experiences and impact of moral injury in prisons.","authors":"Victoria Williamson, Dominic Murphy, Danielle Lamb, Radha Kothari, Derek Tracy, Neil Greenberg","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2024.2445899","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2024.2445899","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Moral injury is the persistent mental or emotional distress resulting from events that challenge one's moral beliefs. It is characterised by intense shame, guilt, worthlessness, disgust or anger and can contribute towards the development of serious mental disorders. The nature of working in prisons means that staff often face physically and psychologically challenging scenarios, and prison staff report high rates of mental ill-health and suicidal thoughts. Equally, detainees may be especially vulnerable to moral injury-related mental health difficulties having engaged in illicit actions and been found guilty by a jury of their peers as well as, in high profile cases, the court of public opinion. Despite this, there is an evidence gap about the extent of moral injury in both prison staff and detainee populations, and about how prison staff/detainees can be better supported. How struggling with moral injury may be linked to reoffending amongst detainees and burnout or resignations in prisons staff is currently unknown. In resource strapped prison settings, emerging treatments for moral injury-related mental health difficulties are unlikely to be appropriate or feasible. In this article, we highlight the contexts in which moral injury may arise; the unique challenges to treatment and support for moral injury in prison settings; and offer targeted recommendations for future research and clinical practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2445899"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11731261/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142970243","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":"Self-compassion, self-coldness, and social support and their relationship with depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms following a massive terror attack: a prospective study.","authors":"Efrat Barel, Lubna Tannous-Haddad, Orna Tzischinsky","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2461948","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2461948","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> On 7 October 2023, Israel suffered a massive deadly terror attack with 1400 civilians murdered and 240 kidnapped. Recent studies have documented an increase in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic symptoms in the aftermath of the attack. In the area of trauma, it has been shown that while some individuals are vulnerable to developing psychopathology following exposure to a traumatic event, the majority are not.<b>Objective:</b> In the present prospective study, we examined the contributions of internal (self-compassion and self-coldness) and external (social support) resources to depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic symptoms among civilians following a massive terror attack.<b>Method:</b> A total of 250 participants - 126 females (50.4%) and 124 males (49.6%); 156 Jews (62.4%) and 94 Arabs (37.6%) - aged 21-60 (<i>M</i>  = 41.7, <i>SD</i> = 10.63) completed questionnaires at two time points: T1 was in September 2023 (3-4 weeks before the attack) and T2 was in February-March 2024 (19-20 weeks after the attack). Participants were assessed using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Self-Compassion Scale - Short Form (SCS-SF)<b>,</b> Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21), and International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ).<b>Results:</b> Self-compassion and social support were negatively associated with depression and anxiety, while self-coldness was positively associated with depression and anxiety. In addition, self-coldness uniquely contributed to the prediction of psychopathological outcomes, including the sense of threat symptoms cluster of posttraumatic stress disorder, beyond known risk factors.<b>Conclusions:</b> Our study highlights the role of self-coldness as a vulnerability factor for civilians following a terror attack. It is important to view the distinct facets of self-compassion as a therapeutic target when building both intervention and prevention programs for people exposed directly and indirectly to trauma.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2461948"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11834774/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143432737","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":"'We're all in this together': the protective role of belongingness in the contribution of moral injury to mental health among participants in Israel's civil protest movement.","authors":"Yossi Levi-Belz, Yoav Groweiss, Iris Shachar Lavie, Yael Shoval Zuckerman, Carmel Blank","doi":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2474374","DOIUrl":"10.1080/20008066.2025.2474374","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Participating in long-term protests against government actions can affect protesters' mental health and expose protesters to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs), such as the betrayal by leaders they once trusted. This study aimed to shed light on the potential psychological buffers against the deleterious effects of exposure to PMIEs of betrayal among protesters and to examine the moderating role of belongingness in the relationships between protesters' exposure to PMIEs and stress, PTSD and depression levels.<b>Method:</b> The study sample comprised 4036 Israeli protesters (<i>M</i>_age= 54.27, <i>SD </i>= 12.45; 75.6% females) who took part in the unfolding civil protest movement against the government-led judicial and constitutional overhaul between January 2023 and August 2023. Protesters completed validated self-report questionnaires that included measures of PMIEs, stress, depressive and PTSD symptoms (PTSS).<b>Results:</b> Beyond demographic and protest-related characteristics, exposure to PMIEs of betrayal was found to contribute to both PTSD and depression levels. The indirect effects of PMIE-betrayal on PTSS/depressive symptoms through stress levels were significant, particularly when belongingness levels were low. Thus, a greater sense of PMIE-betrayal contributes to stress symptoms, which, in turn, is linked to higher levels of PTSS and depressive symptoms for protesters having low levels of belongingness.<b>Conclusions:</b> The study's findings highlight the critical contribution of PMIE-betrayal to both PTSS and depression levels, which were mediated by levels of stress. Moreover, experiencing belongingness moderated these relationships. Clinicians treating protesters coping with PTSS and depressive symptoms should also adopt therapeutic aims of establishing belongingness and social support among the protesters.</p>","PeriodicalId":12055,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychotraumatology","volume":"16 1","pages":"2474374"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11894752/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143596441","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}