TraumatologyPub Date : 2026-04-13DOI: 10.1037/trm0000659
Faith O Nomamiukor, Savannah J Woller, Anka A Vujanovic
{"title":"Exercise and Eating Habits Among Men Exposed to Sexual Trauma: The Role of Self-Blame.","authors":"Faith O Nomamiukor, Savannah J Woller, Anka A Vujanovic","doi":"10.1037/trm0000659","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000659","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding the unique mental and physical health related experiences of male sexual assault survivors is important for helping this underserved group. The present study aimed to examine whether male survivors of sexual trauma who struggle with self-blame are more likely than other men exposed to potentially traumatic events to engage in reduced exercise and increased eating to cope with negative affect. Participants were a racially diverse sample of 639 male university students who were all directly exposed to a DSM-5 Criterion A potentially traumatic event. Of the 639 participants, 93 reported a history of sexual trauma. We hypothesized that men with sexual trauma histories would report more maladaptive health behaviors compared to men with other trauma histories, and that self-blame would moderate these associations. We found that sexual trauma, but not self-blame, was associated with reduced exercise. In addition, we found no direct effects of self-blame or sexual trauma for eating behaviors, however a significant interaction emerged whereby sexual trauma survivors with lower levels of self-blame were significantly more likely to eat to cope with negative affect. These findings highlight the complex role of trauma type and self-blame in shaping health behavior and point to considerations for clinicians working with male survivors, including the challenges some men may face in engaging in regular exercise during trauma recovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":53710,"journal":{"name":"Traumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13102029/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147788589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TraumatologyPub Date : 2026-03-09DOI: 10.1037/trm0000651
Danielle R Shayani, Adele M Hayes, Damion J Grasso, Carla S Stover
{"title":"In-Session Predictors of Treatment Outcome for Intimate Partner Violence: An Examination of Fathers for Change and Treatment as Usual.","authors":"Danielle R Shayani, Adele M Hayes, Damion J Grasso, Carla S Stover","doi":"10.1037/trm0000651","DOIUrl":"10.1037/trm0000651","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Batterer Intervention Programs (BIPs) are the current standard of care for men who use intimate partner violence (IPV). BIPs focus on reshaping men's maladaptive beliefs regarding IPV, women, and gender stereotypes. However, group-based BIPs have mixed empirical support. Fathers for Change (F4C) is a father-focused intervention with promising initial outcomes that takes an individualized and family-centered approach, emphasizing reflective functioning and emotion regulation. The current study leveraged data from a small randomized controlled trial (RCT) that reported greater reductions in self-reported IPV in men who received individually delivered BIP (BIP-I) and F4C compared to a traditional group-based BIP. An observational coding system was applied to video-recorded therapy sessions to examine in-session variables hypothesized to predict father self-reported IPV and emotion dysregulation. The sample included 50 treatment-seeking fathers with a recent history of IPV and child protective services involvement (BIP-I: <i>n</i> = 24; F4C: <i>n</i> = 26). Multigroup SEM analyses revealed different predictors of IPV behaviors in BIP-I and F4C. In BIP-I, none of the variables predicted post-treatment IPV, whereas in F4C, less avoidance and more cognitive emotional processing during sessions predicted greater reductions in IPV. Unexpectedly, more rigidity was associated with more improvement in IPV behavior, whereas higher self-efficacy was associated with less improvement. No significant predictors of emotion regulation emerged in either treatment. These findings highlight the importance of examining in-session variables in IPV treatments for fathers, with implications for refining interventions and guiding future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":53710,"journal":{"name":"Traumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12974255/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147437821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TraumatologyPub Date : 2026-03-02DOI: 10.1037/trm0000652
Sarah E Ullman, Thema Bryant-Davis, Carol M Lazo, Ashley Nguyen-Martinez
{"title":"Still Rising: Predictors of African American Women's Posttraumatic Growth After Sexual Assault.","authors":"Sarah E Ullman, Thema Bryant-Davis, Carol M Lazo, Ashley Nguyen-Martinez","doi":"10.1037/trm0000652","DOIUrl":"10.1037/trm0000652","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As the trauma literature begins to incorporate multicultural, feminist, womanist, and strength-based approaches and ideas, research is shifting from a focused examination of PTSD to a more holistic view that includes studies examining both distress- and growth-related factors (Bryant-Davis & Comas-Diaz, 2016). To this end, a longitudinal community sample of African American adult women survivors of sexual assault (n = 506) was used to examine how various background and post-assault factors related to changes in posttraumatic growth (PTG) over three years, using mixed model regression analyses. Analyses showed that increases in social support and greater total number of traumatic life events were associated with significant increases in PTG levels. Greater characterological self-blame was related to lower average PTG. Seeking counseling following the assault, behavioral self-blame and wave were not significant predictors of changes in PTG. Implications for culturally responsive interventions are provided.</p>","PeriodicalId":53710,"journal":{"name":"Traumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12959479/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147367250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TraumatologyPub Date : 2026-02-12DOI: 10.1037/trm0000650
Sarah E Ullman, Teuta Peja, Casey Harris, Veronica Canadas, Chloe Lowry
{"title":"How does Sexual Assault Disclosure Impact the Mental Health and Help-Seeking of Informal Supports?","authors":"Sarah E Ullman, Teuta Peja, Casey Harris, Veronica Canadas, Chloe Lowry","doi":"10.1037/trm0000650","DOIUrl":"10.1037/trm0000650","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research shows that sexual assault (SA) can impact survivors' informal social network members (e.g., friend, family member, romantic partner), who are the most frequently told persons about the assault by women-identified survivors. However, little qualitative work has investigated the impacts on informal support providers (SPs) receiving disclosures of alcohol/drug-related assault, an understudied form of SA. The current qualitative interview study examines the impacts of SA disclosures on informal SPs (<i>N</i> = 27) drawn from a dyadic survivor-SP interview sample using descriptive thematic analysis. Impacts on SPs and their help seeking related to the survivors' alcohol/drug-related SA disclosure included: emotional effects, cognitive and behavioral effects, and impacts on their decisions to seek help from other informal and formal SPs. Implications for research, clinical treatment, and intervention targeting informal SPs of survivors are drawn.</p>","PeriodicalId":53710,"journal":{"name":"Traumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12904257/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146203855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TraumatologyPub Date : 2025-07-14DOI: 10.1037/trm0000601
Elizabeth Whitney Pollio, Min Hyung Lee, Christine Dang, Brittany Turner, Josh Raitt, Carol S North, David E Pollio
{"title":"Emotional Reactions to the Oklahoma City Bombing in Relation to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Directly Exposed Survivors.","authors":"Elizabeth Whitney Pollio, Min Hyung Lee, Christine Dang, Brittany Turner, Josh Raitt, Carol S North, David E Pollio","doi":"10.1037/trm0000601","DOIUrl":"10.1037/trm0000601","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Existing empirical research examining PTSD related to disaster exposure has generally been limited to quantitative methods and also cross-sectional rather than over time. The purpose of this qualitative study was to retrospectively examine postdisaster emotions emerging over time in highly trauma-exposed disaster survivors, comparing individuals with and without PTSD. Survivors of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing were interviewed approximately 17 months after the bombing, assessed for PTSD, and asked to recall their feelings at 3 different time points. The primary finding was that survivors with and without PTSD reported emotions similarly immediately following the disaster, and over time they diverged in reported emotions. Regarding both amount of emotional responses and their content such as intensity in the immediate postdisaster timeframe, some emotions differed between the groups with and without PTSD, reflecting or portending the development of psychopathology. PTSD was associated with more intense feelings of anger and fear and inability to face the reality of the bombing, indicating continuing struggles to successfully process their disaster experience that are characteristic of PTSD. Understanding similarities and differences in the expression of emotional responses over time among survivors in the context of the development and course of PTSD could aid in designing disaster relief protocols targeted to individual mental health needs over time. Further studies are needed to understand how survivors' emotional responses to catastrophic events develop and evolve over a much longer course such as a lifetime.</p>","PeriodicalId":53710,"journal":{"name":"Traumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12987675/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147470294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TraumatologyPub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1037/trm0000600
Paola E Fernandez, Esther Kim, Jason A Nieuwsma, Joseph M Currier
{"title":"Exploring Associations Between Deployment-Related Events and Moral Injury Outcomes in Post-9/11 Veterans.","authors":"Paola E Fernandez, Esther Kim, Jason A Nieuwsma, Joseph M Currier","doi":"10.1037/trm0000600","DOIUrl":"10.1037/trm0000600","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Moral injury is a trauma-related condition that may develop following exposure to events that violate one's deeply held moral beliefs and values (termed \"potentially morally injurious events\" [PMIEs]). Research has not examined differential roles of the many protective and iatrogenic experiences surrounding a war-zone deployment that might influence development of moral injury after the military-to-civilian transition. In total, 309 Post-9/11 combat veterans completed a cross-sectional survey including the Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory-2 (DRRI-2), Moral Injury Events Scale, and the Expressions of Moral Injury Scale - Military version after separating from the military. Whether focusing on childhood or pre-deployment experiences or the deployment period itself, bivariate analyses revealed veterans who endorsed moral injury outcomes generally had less relational supports and a range of adverse and potentially traumatic events. Using a multivariate regression analysis with posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity as a covariate, exposures to PMIEs (transgression and betrayal events) were uniquely linked with greater moral injury outcomes in the presence of other stressful events and possible traumas. However, perception of greater unit support was also uniquely inversely associated with moral injury outcomes in this analysis. In combination, these results affirm the probable link between varying types of PMIE exposures and moral injury outcomes while also suggesting the vital importance of having a cohesive and supportive unit during a war-zone deployment.</p>","PeriodicalId":53710,"journal":{"name":"Traumatology","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12716354/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145806505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TraumatologyPub Date : 2024-12-12DOI: 10.1037/trm0000535
Michelle J Zaso, Lucia M Fetkenhour, Yoonseo Park, Tracy L Simpson, Tammy Chung, Craig R Colder, Robert D Dvorak, Jennifer P Read
{"title":"Identifying In-the-Moment Reasons for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder-Related Drinking: A Qualitative Investigation.","authors":"Michelle J Zaso, Lucia M Fetkenhour, Yoonseo Park, Tracy L Simpson, Tammy Chung, Craig R Colder, Robert D Dvorak, Jennifer P Read","doi":"10.1037/trm0000535","DOIUrl":"10.1037/trm0000535","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) confers considerable risk for alcohol-related harms. Trauma-exposed individuals may turn to alcohol in response to intrusive trauma-related symptoms (e.g., memories, flashbacks, nightmares) or distressing trauma-related emotions, with such desires to drink shifting dynamically in-the-moment in response to PTSD symptoms. However, the in-the-moment reasons for drinking that may underlie these dynamic processes remain largely unknown. The present qualitative study aimed to identify key in-the-moment PTSD-related reasons for drinking. Focus groups of frequent drinkers with a provisional diagnosis of past-month PTSD recruited from the community (<i>n</i> = 39; 44% female adults) provided in-depth information on their reasons for drinking during several recent drinking episodes. Focus group data were subjected to directed content analysis. Findings revealed several novel insights regarding in-the-moment reasons for PTSD-related drinking. Participants endorsed perceptions that alcohol could numb trauma-related thoughts and emotions or distract from intrusive symptoms (i.e., negative reinforcement). Participants also described perceptions that alcohol could enhance positive emotions amid persistent negative mood and help process complex trauma-related memories as well as facilitate interpersonal connection. Results identify specific, in-the-moment reasons for drinking in response to emergent PTSD symptoms, which appear at times unique from more general drinking motivations. Findings shed light on potential risk pathways for problem drinking in response to PTSD symptoms as they occur across daily life. These specific in-the-moment reasons for drinking could represent important clinical targets for real-time, adaptive interventions for comorbid PTSD and problem alcohol use.</p>","PeriodicalId":53710,"journal":{"name":"Traumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12363672/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144978130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TraumatologyPub Date : 2024-09-01Epub Date: 2022-12-15DOI: 10.1037/trm0000431
Jordyn M Tipsword, Jesse P McCann, Jessica Flores, C Alex Brake, Christal L Badour
{"title":"Main and Interactive Effects of Negative Posttraumatic Cognitions and Disgust Sensitivity in Predicting Daily Experiences of Sexual Trauma-Related Mental Contamination.","authors":"Jordyn M Tipsword, Jesse P McCann, Jessica Flores, C Alex Brake, Christal L Badour","doi":"10.1037/trm0000431","DOIUrl":"10.1037/trm0000431","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Trauma-related mental contamination, or a sense of dirtiness occurring without recent contact with a contaminant, is a distressing and often persistent phenomenon after sexual trauma. Following sexual trauma, cross-sectional work has demonstrated separate positive associations between mental contamination and 1) negative posttraumatic cognitions about oneself, the world, and/or self-blame and 2) disgust sensitivity - defined as the extent to which one is prone to distress when experiencing disgust. However, existing work has been primarily restricted to cross-sectional designs and has yet to consider the potential moderating role of disgust sensitivity in associations between negative posttraumatic cognitions and persistent mental contamination. The present study used a daily monitoring design to evaluate main and interactive effects of negative posttraumatic cognitions (about the self, world, and self-blame) and disgust sensitivity in predicting daily experiences of mental contamination among a sample of 39 women with a history of sexual trauma. Results revealed a significant main effect of posttraumatic cognitions about the self in predicting subsequent mental contamination. An unexpected interaction also emerged for posttraumatic cognitions about the world, wherein such cognitions only significantly predicted daily mental contamination among women high in disgust sensitivity. Findings offer preliminary understanding regarding the role of cognitions about the self in contributing to ongoing mental contamination, as well as the potential contributing role of cognitions about the world among women more vulnerable to distress when experiencing disgust. Future work should consider the potential for bidirectional relationships between negative posttraumatic cognitions and trauma-related mental contamination.</p>","PeriodicalId":53710,"journal":{"name":"Traumatology","volume":"86 1","pages":"337-345"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11670889/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83936158","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TraumatologyPub Date : 2024-09-01Epub Date: 2023-08-10DOI: 10.1037/trm0000452
Brianna N Jackson, Kaitlin E Bountress, Austin M Hahn, Sage E Hawn, Steven H Aggen, Silviu-Alin Bacanu, Ananda Amstadter, Carla Kmett Danielson, Christina M Sheerin
{"title":"Latent Profiles of Drinking Motives Among Trauma-Exposed Combat Veterans and Civilians: A Comparative Investigation.","authors":"Brianna N Jackson, Kaitlin E Bountress, Austin M Hahn, Sage E Hawn, Steven H Aggen, Silviu-Alin Bacanu, Ananda Amstadter, Carla Kmett Danielson, Christina M Sheerin","doi":"10.1037/trm0000452","DOIUrl":"10.1037/trm0000452","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Trauma exposure and drinking motives (e.g., social, enhancement, coping) are both associated with increased alcohol use and related problems. Studies have frequently investigated this relationship by examining drinking motives, such as drinking to cope with negative affect, in isolation, yet few studies have examined motives simultaneously in trauma-exposed populations. It is also unclear whether the relationship between drinking motives and alcohol use outcomes differs as a function of population characteristics (e.g., gender, trauma type). Using latent profile analysis (LPA), we aimed to 1) identify latent profiles characterized by drinking motives, assessed with the Drinking Motives Questionnaire (DMQ), in two samples: primarily male veterans with combat trauma (<i>N</i>=174) and civilians with interpersonal trauma (<i>N</i>=152), and 2) determine whether associations with alcohol use outcomes of consumption and binge drinking would differ by sample. A 3-class solution was replicated across both samples: profiles characterized by moderate Social scores and low Enhancement and Coping scores (Low ENH/COP), moderate scores across all domains (Medium DMQ), and elevated scores across all domains (High DMQ). In both samples, profile membership was differentially associated with consumption and binge drinking. Findings suggest patterns of drinking motives may be similar across different trauma-exposed populations, but associations with alcohol outcomes likely differ in meaningful ways. Results can help inform targeted interventions at different treatment settings, such as community health centers or VA hospitals.</p>","PeriodicalId":53710,"journal":{"name":"Traumatology","volume":"1 1","pages":"296-305"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11584065/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88489024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TraumatologyPub Date : 2023-12-21DOI: 10.1037/trm0000462
Melinda J. Keenan, Theodore Lamb, Michelle Slattery, Laura Williams, Michelle McMurtry, David Shakes
{"title":"Measuring moral injury and treatment response in justice-involved veterans: Development and validation of a new Moral Injury Scale.","authors":"Melinda J. Keenan, Theodore Lamb, Michelle Slattery, Laura Williams, Michelle McMurtry, David Shakes","doi":"10.1037/trm0000462","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000462","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":53710,"journal":{"name":"Traumatology","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138952884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}