Participate in Research

ISTSS engages its members in advancing traumatic stress science and uses research to improve prevention and clinical care, promote resilience and inform public education and policy. Below is a list of research initiatives related to traumatic stress.

ISTSS members are invited to submit research opportunities for consideration. ISTSS does not oversee or evaluate individual studies. It is the responsibility of the institution and the principal investigator to uphold scientific and ethical requirements. All studies listed are IRB approved and ISTSS will not have access to data obtained through these studies. 

International Survey on Data Sharing and Re-use in Traumatic Stress Research

Date posted: June 17, 2021

The Global Collaboration on Traumatic Stress, a coalition of 11 scientific societies in the field of traumatic stress, is conducting a survey to better understand traumatic stress researchers' opinions and experiences regarding data sharing and data re-use.

If you are a traumatic stress researcher at any career stage (including trainees) we invite you to share your opinions and experiences by participating in this survey. 

Take the survey

International Expert Panel

Date posted: May 17, 2021

In the context of the European project “EU CENTER OF EXPERTISE FOR VICTIMS OF TERRORISM (EUCVT)”, the Lenval Foundation and the EUCVT consortium propose to organize an international expert meeting to develop recommendations on psychosocial support in the acute phase after a terror attack. Following a Delphi methodology, the recommendations will be drafted in three steps, two web surveys (between April and May 2021), and a virtual expert meeting, which will take place on July 16, 2021.

Interested to be part of the expert panel? Professionals directly or indirectly involved in the acute phase (e.g., clinicians, researchers, as well as first responders and victims associations) are invited respond to the first survey.

Take the Survey

Please submit your responses by May 17, 2021. The survey takes less than 30 minutes to complete. At the end of the first survey, you will be asked  if you want to participate in the second survey and in the final expert meeting.

Trauma Symptom Tracking (TST) Study

Date posted: April 30, 2021

The purpose of this study is to learn more about how individuals with Complex PTSD cope with trauma and how their symptoms impact their daily lives. This study has two parts and will be conducted completely online or via a smartphone.

Part 1 of the study includes online measures about your trauma history and trauma-related symptoms to determine whether you are eligible for Part 2 of the study. Part 2 of the study includes additional online measures about your mental health and coping skills followed by the completion of short, daily surveys about your trauma symptoms using your phone for 2 weeks.

Participants must participate in Part 1 of the study in order to be considered for Part 2. Participation in Part 1 is not expected to exceed 15 minutes, and participation in Part 2 is not expected to exceed 3 hours over the course of 2 weeks. You may receive up to $25 for completion of study procedures. 

To participate, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Be able to read, speak, and comprehend English
• Have been exposed to a traumatic event and have symptoms of Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Complex PTSD)
• Own and use either an iPhone or Android device
• Be willing and able to download a temporary application to your phone
• Have access to the internet and a personal email
• Be able and willing to complete three 3-minute surveys per day for two weeks using your smartphone
• Be able to receive compensation in the form of an Amazon e-gift card or PayPal credit

Take the Survey

If you have questions about this study, please contact Primary Investigator Krista Engle, MA, University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

Submit Your Study

ISTSS members who would like their research to be advertised on this page may submit their proposals to info@istss.org for consideration. Research studies will be posted for six months after which an extension must be requested. Please note: ISTSS does not send research requests to our membership through listservs. However, all postings listed on this page will be cross-posted in Stresspoints and the ISTSS Twitter feed.

For submissions, please include the following information:

1. Name of Primary Investigator

2. University where the study is taking place

3. Purpose of the study

4. Participant inclusion criteria

5. Letter of IRB Approval and date of IRB expiration (please specify that you have approval for posting on websites, social media, and electronic newsletters)

6. Survey link