GC-TS Newsletter

GC-TS Newsletter 4 - March 2022

Word from the chairs

 

Within the Global Collaboration on Traumatic Stress (GC-TS) - with our different political and cultural backgrounds - there is one thing that unites us all: we do not want war, a major traumatic event that will cause traumatic stress reactions for decades. We condemn the violence. Our hearts reach out to the victims of this war in Ukraine. We also sympathize with the people of Russia who remain faithful to peace and who have courageously protested against the war. On both sides young men, fathers, spouses are losing their lives. Women and children are also victims. A humanitarian crisis is developing.

 

We share fundamental values such as respect and collaboration. One of the aims of the GC-TS is to work together on sensitive topics where cross-cultural differences exist. We work systematically to engage anyone interested, we want to be inclusive, to connect people, to be open to different viewpoints.

 

Our expertise lies in offering psychosocial support and trying to diminish the mental health consequences of this war as much as we can. The recent events in Ukraine, but also Afghanistan, Ethiopia and other areas in the world call for available relevant information and guidelines on how we can support trauma survivors caught up in armed conflict. On this page we have brought together relevant information and practical support for all involved in war stress.

 

In this newsletter please find updates on our activities including the new theme around Climate change.

 

Miranda Olff - Chair

Ulrich Schnyder - Co-chair

 

Please visit our website to read more about the work of all involved around the world   >> previous newsletters

Follow us on Twitter:  @Global_Trauma

ESTSS4Ukraine

 

The European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS) community is standing with Ukraine and is very active in providing support to its members affected by ongoing war and dealing with its grave mental health and psychosocial consequences. We are updating ESTSS training curricula to tailor it to the needs of our colleagues that are facing and responding to the war-caused disaster.

 

In addition to the GC-TS armed conflict page, a special page has been created on the ESTSS website which is filled in with the information resources relevant to the ongoing crisis.

 

ESTSS will deliver a series of webinars, with participation of the local member societies who have experience of building a system of mental health and psychosocial care during and after major man-made catastrophes such as military conflicts and terroristic attacks.

 

The European Journal of Psychotraumatology calls for paper for a special issue dedicated to Ukraine: Psychosocial Support in Times of Armed Conflict

Climate Change and Mental Health

 

Climate change represents an immediate and ongoing threat to population mental health. In addition to the mental health consequences of extreme weather events, the climate crisis involves the disruption and destruction of ecosystems and landscapes that support livelihoods and well-being. The psychological, physical, economic and social impacts of climate change are disproportionately felt by people already experiencing a range of adversities. It is imperative for mental health care providers and researchers to engage in intervention and advocacy efforts to address this ongoing crisis.

 

Projects under this theme will aim to 1. Provide conceptual clarity to the varied mental health responses to climate change, 2. Develop methods of assessing mental health in the context of climate change, 3. Develop appropriate intervention strategies with communities most impacted by climate change.

Project suggestions and collaborators welcome!

 

To get involved or learn more, please contact Jura Augustinavicius (jura.augustinavicius@mcgill.ca) or Rachel Williamson (rachel.williamson@umontana.edu).

FUTURE

 

The global network of refugees traumatic stress research is expanding.

The aim of establishing the FUTURE (ReFUgees TraUmatic stress REsearch) network is to facilitate collaboration and exchange between researchers worldwide who are conducting studies in refugee and displaced populations.

 

Especially now, in times where we see millions of new refugees from Ukraine (and Russia), this network is the more important.

 

Please find a map all all involved here.

Would you like to become part of the FUTURE network?

If you are a refugee mental health researcher or practitioner interested in research, you can also sign up for this network. Please contact Anke Witteveen (a.b.witteveen@vu.nl).

Stressors, coping and symptoms of adjustment disorder in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic 

 

The primary aim of this longitudinal cohort study launched by the European Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS) was to examine the relationships between risk and resilience factors, stressors and adjustment disorder symptoms during the pandemic, and to investigate whether these relationships were moderated by coping behaviors. 

From June to November 2020, 15,563 adults from eleven countries (Austria, Croatia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden) participated in this study. Several risk and protective factors as well as pandemic-related stressors were identified. Study results can be accessed below:

​

  • Lotzin et al., 2020. Stressors, coping and symptoms of adjustment disorder in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic – study protocol of the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS) pan-European study, Eur J Psychotraumatol, 11(1), DOI: /20008198.2020.1780832 

  • Gelezelyte et al., 2021. Predictors of suicide ideation in Lithuania and Poland amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Crisis. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000814

Trauma and ageing

 

An excellent team of experts join for the first ON TRACK network meeting on 24 March 2022. We are excited to meet and make plans for further research on this important topic of Trauma and ageing.

 

If you are from Asia, Africa, or Eastern Europe please feel free to join! Please contact: Sjacko Sobczak (Sjacko.sobczak@maastrichtuniversity.nl) for more information.

 

Updates from the FAIR Data Theme workgroup

 

Helping you find data to address your research questions

Do you want to find existing data that allow you (or your trainees) to ask new questions about trauma and traumatic stress? Our index of data resources from around the world now lists more than 30 sources – including single study datasets and multi-study collections – covering a wide range of populations and trauma types. We are “thinking outside the box” to identify trauma-relevant data resources across many areas of inquiry. See the list of data resources here. You can help us continue to grow the index by letting us know about resources we are missing.

 

Tracking use of FAIR data to advance traumatic stress research

How are traumatic stress researchers already integrating or re-using data to answer new questions? Check out our library of citations to publications that exemplify use of FAIR data in traumatic stress research. 

Instruments to assess trauma-related bereavement and grief

 

The inclusion of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) as one of the trauma- and stressor related disorders in the DSM-5-TR and as a disorder specifically related to stress in the ICD-11, has prompted research into disturbed grief and often comorbid mental disorders such as depression and PTSD.

 

To meet the need for up-to-date assessment for clinical and research purposes, new instruments have been or are being developed.

 

Within the GCTS Assessment theme we now have specific attention for instruments related to Trauma, Bereavement and Grief.

 

Find out more >here.

Impact of child maltreatment on preferred interpersonal distance

 

The distance we choose to maintain between ourselves and others is an important part of non-verbal communication that affects our interactions with others. We have recently completed the data collection of our online survey, assessing whether childhood maltreatment is related to the preferred physical distance towards friends and strangers.

 

More than 3600 persons from over 17 countries have participated! We are currently analyzing the data. First results are expected for mid 2022.

 

>> Read more

Global Psychotrauma Screen (GPS) audio versions

 

To accommodate less literate individuals around the world to quickly and easily screen for trauma related symptoms we are currently testing out an audio version for the GPS in Portuguese. First results show this seems to work very well, especially in a vulnerable community.

We will soon be adding the audio versions for several languages, including African dialects.

 

>> Read more

Social norms for child maltreatment: Comparison between the West and the East

 

Comparing two countries (Canada and Japan) this study aimed to examine cultural differences in social norms for child maltreatment (what is considered acceptable vs. maltreating behaviors in different cultures) and how these social norms might be related to experiences of child maltreatment and mental health outcomes in survivors of child maltreatment.

 

Our preliminary findings show that Japanese appear more tolerant than Canadian participants of various behaviors aligned with current definitions of neglect, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and exposure to domestic violence.

 

The preliminary results of the pilot study will be presented at the ISPCAN Congress (Quebec City, Canada) on March 27-30, 2022, and the Canadian Psychological Association’s 83rd Annual National Convention (Calgary, Canada) on June 17-19, 2022.

 

>> Read more

Upcoming events

Interested to join a conference?

 

See Events for an overview of upcoming meetings in our field.

 

GC-TS Project members presenting their project's results at one of the GC-TS partner societies’ conferences may get their registration fees waived. There are limited waivers available.

To apply for the waiver please contact the respective GC-TS partner society’s representative on the steering committee.

ISTSS 2022 Annual Meeting

Abstract Submission Deadline April 5, 2022

 

ISTSS is now accepting abstract submissions for the ISTSS 38th Annual Meeting, which will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, November 9-12, 2022, with Pre-Meeting Institutes on November 9, 2022. The meeting theme is Trauma as a Transdiagnostic Risk Factor Across the Lifespan and will address the widespread health influences of trauma exposure over the life course. Symposia, panel, workshop, case study, multimedia, flash talk, paper and poster presentations are welcome by Tuesday, April 5, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. U.S. Pacific Daylight Time. Please view the Abstract Submission and Sample Abstract Guidelines and contact info@istss.org with any questions.

The 21st annual meeting of the Japanese Society for Traumatic Stress Studies will be held July 23-24, 2022 in Tokyo.

The theme of the meeting is “Everyday Life and Traumatic Stress”. Traumatic events are not necessarily limited to extraordinary situations, but can also be found in everyday life situations. Considerations will also be given to continuing life's activities while exposed to terribly high levels of stress and trauma. All presentations will be given in Japanese.

More details >>here

 

The annual conference of the Canadian Psychological Association, including the Traumatic Stress Section’s programming, will be held on June 17-19, 2022 in Calgary, Alberta.

 

This year, the Traumatic Stress Section’s program includes two invited sessions led by our Excellence in Psychology Award winner Dr. Delphine Collin-Vézina, and our Early Career Award winner Dr. Nicolas Berthelot.

 

For more information, please follow this link

The Canadian Consortium on Child and Youth Trauma will have their virtual 2022 Symposium on Child and Youth Trauma on May 18 and 19. Dr. Sandra Bloom will be the keynote speaker of this conference that will also include seven additional practice-based live presentations and pre-recorded sessions.

 

For more information please follow this link

GC-TS Newsletter 

March 2022

Questions? Email us: gc.traumaticstress@gmail.com

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