JTS Virtual Special Issues
As the official publication of ISTSS, the Journal of Traumatic Stress (JTS) is an interdisciplinary forum for the publication of peer-reviewed original papers on biopsychosocial aspects of trauma. Papers focus on theoretical formulations, research, treatment, prevention education/training, and legal and policy concerns.
In 2019, the Journal of Traumatic Stress published a virtual special issue on "Trauma, Recovery, and Resilience," the theme of the ISTSS 2019 Annual Meeting. JTS Editor in Chief Patricia K. Kerig and ISTSS President Dr. Debra Kaysen updated it in 2020 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the results of these studies attest to the fact that the psychological impacts of exposure to hurricane-related disasters can be long-lasting, they also offer a strong note of hope regarding the capacity for resilience and the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions for survivors.
The articles included here address concerns related to children’s, adolescents’ and adults’ mental health needs in the immediate aftermath of earthquake-related disasters, as well as developmental trajectories of change over the longer course.
The studies presented here involve participants exposed to a range of different events, from shootings on college campuses and sniper attacks on highways in the United States, to the mass gun attack on young persons on Utøya Island in Norway.
The studies presented illustrate the often long-lasting mental health consequences of sexual trauma, documenting effects extending as long as a decade and a half after the experience.