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ISTSS 38th Annual Meeting

Trauma as a Transdiagnostic Risk Factor Across the Lifespan

IMPORTANT: Late-Breaking poster abstract submission decisions were emailed to the submitter on Tuesday, October 4, 2022

An overview of the Annual Meeting is available in five languages:


We are planning for an in-person meeting in Atlanta, with no virtual or hybrid options.

The ISTSS Annual Meeting provides a forum for the sharing of research, clinical strategies, public policy concerns and theoretical formulations of trauma. The annual meeting is also where professionals get to see old friends and colleagues, meet new ones and develop and strengthen collaborative relationships in order to move the field of traumatic stress forward. It is an international assembly of professionals and students representing an array of disciplines, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, counselors, researchers, administrators, victim advocates, journalists, clergy and others with an interest in the study and treatment of traumatic stress.

There is an unprecedented need to recognize the far-reaching impact of trauma. From traumatic experiences related to the COVID-19 pandemic to the global social reckoning with traumas experienced due to hatred, racism, and historical oppression, we are living in a time that requires reflection and scientific inquiry on the ways that trauma becomes embedded into the mind, body, and societal spirit. Although PTSD is often considered the quintessential mental illness related to trauma, the impact of trauma is known to affect a wide range of mental and physical health outcomes across the lifespan. Therefore, trauma should be conceptualized as a transdiagnostic risk factor for a multitude of psychological and physiological health processes that may exist beyond some recognized diagnostic boundaries. Innovative research and clinical methodologies that recognize mental and physical health multimorbidity after trauma are needed to move the field of trauma research and practice forward. 
 
The ISTSS 38th Annual Meeting will address the widespread health influences of trauma exposure over the life course. This year’s meeting will highlight the myriad ways in which the impacts of traumatic stress can manifest with respect to mental and physical health, across populations, and across the lifespan. In pursuit of this goal, we seek presentations that cut across traditional diagnostic categories and adopt dimensional and multiple-levels-of-analysis approaches to understanding trauma-related psychopathology. Additionally, we are interested in research that addresses multimorbidity in the context of trauma. We welcome presentations that speak to the comorbidity of psychological conditions after trauma, as well as to the interplay of mental and physical health after traumatic events. With respect to intervention work, innovative transdiagnostic treatment approaches and treatments designed to address comorbidity in the aftermath of trauma will align closely with the meeting’s theme. The goals of this meeting are to showcase the connections that can be made when we widen our scope beyond PTSD and to demonstrate how appreciating these processes and impacts can inform a more comprehensive approach to improving the lives of individuals who experience trauma. 

 
Learning Objectives:

  1. Describe how a transdiagnostic framework can be used to understand manifestations of psychopathology after trauma exposure
  2. Identify ways in which experiences of traumatic stress can contribute to adverse mental and physical health over the life course
  3. Discuss advances in trauma-focused interventions that address a broad range of consequences of trauma for health

We encourage submissions on topics related—but not limited—to: 

  • Research on dimensional approaches to studying posttraumatic psychopathology
  • Research highlighting posttraumatic psychological comorbidities (e.g., PTSD and substance use disorders)
  • Research on mental and physical health multimorbidity that can onset after trauma
  • Research integrating multiple levels of analyses (e.g., biological, psychological, interpersonal) to address mechanisms underlying mental and physical health consequences of trauma exposure 
  • Research taking a life course perspective to address how trauma can impact emotional health and/or get embedded “under the skin” to influence physical health
  • Research on innovative treatments that address the myriad consequences of trauma (e.g., transdiagnostic treatment approaches, interventions that address the mental and physical health consequences of trauma)

COVID-19 Protocol:
ISTSS will require attendees at the 2022 Annual Meeting to follow all COVID-19 guidelines that are in place at the time of the meeting from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state and local government, and the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel (which currently includes proof of full COVID-19 vaccination). Individuals should contact the Executive Director to address specific circumstances or exceptional situations.

Cancellation and Change Policy:
Notification of cancellation must be submitted in writing by email to [email protected].‎ Cancellations received on or before October 25, 2022, will be refunded less a $100 cancellation ‎charge, no refunds will be after October 25, 2022. Substitutions are allowed at any time, but ‎must be submitted in writing and must be of the same membership type.‎


*We are grateful for the efforts of Johnbosco Chukwuorji, who assisted with the translations of the call for abstracts.