Coping strategies associated to widespread fear and post-traumatic stress criteria in a Mexican sample during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the population generating widespread fear due to people’s perception that both their health and safety are at risk. Widespread fear, a synonym for social anxiety, is associated with affective intrusive cognitions. Likewise, it is related to symptoms of post-traumatic stress, physiological intrusive and eluding coping responses, and could be associated with long-term vulnerability to develop PTSD. Objective. To assess the association between coping strategies, widespread fear to COVID-19, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in Mexican population exposed to the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. Method. A cross sectional, empirical, descriptive study through survey research was performed; 370 participants were sampled by nationality quotas, and they completed digital self-informed instruments on an on-line psychosocial intervention. Sample size was estimated using a power analysis. Results. Findings showed reliable indicators between physiological coping and PTSD symptoms. There was a 42% variance related to PTSD delayed intrusive cognitive responses, a 40% variance was related to PTSD negative alterations in cognitions and mood, a 31% variance was explained by hyperarousal responses, and a 29% of the variance represented PTSD avoidance symptoms. Widespread fear of COVID-19 was explained by affective behavioral coping strategies linked also to PTSD symptoms. Discussion and conclusion. Research found consistency between findings and theories on emotion-centered strategies, which in turn were are related to affective coping around widespread fear to COVID-19 and avoidance intrusive symptoms, physiological coping with avoidance, considering future community post-traumatic stress traits and anxiety disorders in Mexican communities exposed to the pandemic, linking strategies with community trauma.

Posttraumatic Symptomatology, Interpersonal Relationship Functioning, and Their Association Following Trauma Exposure

Interpersonal relationship functioning problems have been documented among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although the trajectory of PTSD following traumatization is well understood, there is minimal research examining the trajectory of interpersonal relationship functioning following trauma. It is yet to be determined if interpersonal relationship functioning confers risk/resilience for PTSD, if interpersonal relationship functioning problems are a consequence of PTSD, or if the direction of the association between these constructs changes over time. The current study examined the trajectory of PTSD and interpersonal relationship functioning, following recent trauma exposure, and the effects that these constructs exert on one another over time. Trauma-exposed individuals (N = 107) and their close significant others (e.g., intimate partner, family member, close friend) were recruited from the community. Trauma-exposed individuals completed clinician-administered and self-report measures of PTSD, as well as a self-report measure of interpersonal relationship functioning in reference to their relationship with their close significant other. Four assessments took place at 4-month intervals. PTSD severity declined over time. The trajectory of self-reported, but not clinician-assessed, PTSD was associated with end-state PTSD. Relationship support and depth deteriorated over time. After controlling for trauma type, relationship support and depth worsened over time as end-state PTSD symptom severity improved. Significant associations between initial levels of interpersonal relationship functioning and end-state PTSD were detected, in both bivariate models and in the context of interaction terms. Initial relationship conflict was positively associated with end-state PTSD among participants participating with intimate close others but not those participating with non-intimate close others. There was a negative association between initial relationship support and end-state PTSD among those who experienced non-interpersonal traumas, and a positive association between initial relationship depth and end-state PTSD among those who experienced interpersonal traumas. Findings did not support the hypothesis that the direction of the association between interpersonal relationship functioning and PTSD changes over time. Results can inform early intervention efforts aimed at reducing risk for PTSD following trauma. Brief interpersonally-based interventions, which could be “indicated” based on the type of trauma exposure and whether someone is in an intimate relationship, should be considered and further investigated.

Posttraumatic Symptomatology, Interpersonal Relationship Functioning, and Their Association Following Trauma Exposure

Interpersonal relationship functioning problems have been documented among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although the trajectory of PTSD following traumatization is well understood, there is minimal research examining the trajectory of interpersonal relationship functioning following trauma. It is yet to be determined if interpersonal relationship functioning confers risk/resilience for PTSD, if interpersonal relationship functioning problems are a consequence of PTSD, or if the direction of the association between these constructs changes over time. The current study examined the trajectory of PTSD and interpersonal relationship functioning, following recent trauma exposure, and the effects that these constructs exert on one another over time. Trauma-exposed individuals (N = 107) and their close significant others (e.g., intimate partner, family member, close friend) were recruited from the community. Trauma-exposed individuals completed clinician-administered and self-report measures of PTSD, as well as a self-report measure of interpersonal relationship functioning in reference to their relationship with their close significant other. Four assessments took place at 4-month intervals. PTSD severity declined over time. The trajectory of self-reported, but not clinician-assessed, PTSD was associated with end-state PTSD. Relationship support and depth deteriorated over time. After controlling for trauma type, relationship support and depth worsened over time as end-state PTSD symptom severity improved. Significant associations between initial levels of interpersonal relationship functioning and end-state PTSD were detected, in both bivariate models and in the context of interaction terms. Initial relationship conflict was positively associated with end-state PTSD among participants participating with intimate close others but not those participating with non-intimate close others. There was a negative association between initial relationship support and end-state PTSD among those who experienced non-interpersonal traumas, and a positive association between initial relationship depth and end-state PTSD among those who experienced interpersonal traumas. Findings did not support the hypothesis that the direction of the association between interpersonal relationship functioning and PTSD changes over time. Results can inform early intervention efforts aimed at reducing risk for PTSD following trauma. Brief interpersonally-based interventions, which could be “indicated” based on the type of trauma exposure and whether someone is in an intimate relationship, should be considered and further investigated.

Relational and Developmental Trauma and Schools

The use of the term trauma has become widespread in the discourse on mental well-being, mental health, and mental illness. Authors employ a proliferation of terms, such as complex trauma, emotional trauma, historical trauma, and community trauma, including racism and other institutionalized discrimination, interpersonal trauma, and relational and developmental trauma. Other bodies of knowledge, such as the literature about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), neurobiological understanding of human development, and attachment theory, all interrelate. Exposure to ACEs may increase the risk of trauma responses occurring in individuals, but individual resilience factors can mitigate the long-term mental health impact of such exposure. A felt sense of safety/security developed through early caring relationships underpins personal resilience. Equally disharmonious and neglectful early relationships set an early foundation for vulnerability to the traumatizing impact of ACEs. Thus, in considering the needs of children and young people in the school context, the terms relational trauma and developmental trauma seem the most appropriate to foreground within this review of the literature, as without addressing this form of trauma children will find it difficult to access both general well-being support and/or academic learning opportunities. However, having a broad understanding of the interrelated terms supports the critical evaluation of the appropriateness of various interventions for particular populations within the education system. While some approaches aimed at addressing the roots and impacts of developmental and interpersonal trauma may be suitable for the school setting delivered by skilled educationalists, others are more suited to a clinical setting delivered by counselors, psychotherapists, or other mental health practitioners or by counselors/psychotherapists in the school setting.

The Beginning of the End of Sectarian Violence? Writing the War 2008–2009

The security of the 2008-2009 period is assessed through editorials and annual security analysis. The narrative continues both ‘live’, as events are recounted through the editorials, and reflective. It looks at the consequences of state collapse, at the impact of enforcing a neoliberal system on Iraq, in terms of exploitation and economic insecurity, but also in terms of leading to deepening socio-economic divisions which have marginalised, alienated and angered millions of people, thus increasing instability and insecurity, nationally and regionally. Iraq’s economic transformation that has led to low standards of living, dismal economic and employment conditions, energy and food shortages, all of which plague Iraq today, is discussed within the context of power, leadership and hegemony. Causes and weapons of war, nation-building ‘military style’, community trauma, energy security and state vulnerability are also discussed within the framework of a discussion on threats, risks and impact.

Body Count

The need to secure civilians and their fundamental rights has led to the moral imperative to track, record and memorialise the killing and the suffering of those who find themselves in the midst of violent conflict. Body Count tracks and explores civilian deaths in Iraq following the 2003 invasion by the US-led coalition. It is a recounting of the conflict through the counting of its victims. The book provides a narrative of the War on Terror by charting its course and its impact, through ‘live’ reports and through reflective analysis by the principal researcher of the NGO Iraq Body Count. It highlights the importance and the challenges of casualty recording, it maps the insurgency in Iraq and the ensuing civilian deaths, the struggle between military power and ideology, the increasing radicalisation, the seeking of security through hegemony, and the cycle of violence. The book narrates state collapse through discussions on the neoliberal system’s effect on Iraq’s security, on military interventions and the Western control paradigm, on individual and community trauma. It raises questions on leadership and hegemony, the vulnerability of weak states, winning and losing, regime and energy security. It tells the daily story of Iraq: a story of fear, of executions and mass graves, of airstrikes and car bombs, of heroism and sacrifice, and of life carrying on.

Indigenous suicide in Brazil, the self-killing of a vulnerable population

Introduction One of the Sustainable Development Goals is to promote mental health. It is then mandatory to know the death profile of this population and to develop public policies to reduce it. Methods Epidemiological descriptive study regarding the proportion of indigenous deaths according to the variables: age group, year of occurrence, gender, region, municipality and ICD-10 category, in the period 2008 to 2017 in Brazil, using data from the national database DATASUS. Results From 2008 to 2017, there were 5,489 indigenous deaths due to external causes in Brazil, with 1,107 (20.1%) due to self-caused lesions. The annual average was 110.7 cases per year: 100 in 2008, 95 in 2009, 93 in 2010, 97 in 2011, 90 in 2012, 113 in 2013, 117 in 2014, 132 in 2015, 120 in 2016, and 150 in 2017. Regarding causes, strangling/hanging/suffocation were 979 (88.4%), self-intoxication was 31 (2.8%) with other chemicals and 21 (1.8%) with pesticides. Regarding age group, 365 (32.9%) were between 15 to 19 years old, 325 (29.3%) between 20 to 29, 150 (13.5%) between 30 to 39, 131 (11.8%) between 10 to 14, and 136 (12.2%) in other age groups. Regarding gender, 807 (72.9%) were male, 299 (27.0%) were female, and 1 (0.09%) was ignored. Regarding region, the Northern Region had 575 (51.9%) cases and the Central-Western Region had 403 (36.4%) cases. The municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira was the one with the highest amount of cases: 132 (12.7%). Conclusions The 50% increase in the amount of deaths by suicide among indigenous people in the analyzed period reveals the infficacy of established public policies in Brazil. The number of deaths among the youth reveals the community trauma of exploration, violence and dignity loss. The Nothern and Central-Western regions had conflicts due to land demarcation and prospecting, which explain the high rates. The reduction of such tragedy demands capacitation of all the public spheres. Key messages Evaluate the aspects that promote it and to propose effective interventions in environments of difficult access and in a historically vulnerable population. Discuss some relevant characteristics among natives who are vulnerable to practicing self-made injuries, in order to make it possible to create new ways to protect this population.