Clinician's Corner: Understanding the Impact of Trauma on Transition Age Youth:‎ Raising Awareness for Providers and Offering Strategies to Empower Youth
StressPoints
Transition age youth (or “TAY”) is a term used to refer to the population of older adolescents or young adults with involvement in or in the process of transitioning from child-serving systems. Based on an expanded definition developed through the U.S. National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN): 
 
Transition Age Youth include young people, typically between the ages of 16 to 25, who are approaching transition from child-serving system(s) (e.g., child welfare, juvenile justice, education, behavioral health) due to “aging out” – leaving a formal system of care because of reaching a certain age – or other circumstances (i.e., achievement of case plans, graduation, etc.). While TAY have a complex set of needs and face many challenges, they also have the potential to lead successful adult lives when offered resilience-building resources, strategies, and support (Kisiel et al., 2021).

How much do trauma-focused psychotherapies for PTSD improve interpersonal functioning?
People with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often report difficulties with “interpersonal functioning,” which we define as quality, satisfaction, and day-to-day functioning within close relationships, such as those with family, intimate partners, and/or friends. While it seems plausible that reductions in PTSD symptoms enable improved interpersonal functioning, we know surprisingly little about how well trauma-focused psychotherapies address concerns regarding functioning in close relationships. To address this question, we pre-registered and undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the extent to which trauma-focused psychotherapies improve interpersonal functioning.

Offbeat: PTSD symptoms and disrupted blood pressure patterns in pregnancy
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in  the United States. In pregnancy, cardiovascular complications significant contribute to maternal morbidity and mortality. In this study, we explored whether PTSD symptoms contribute to increased risk for cardiovascular complications in pregnancy.

Preliminary evidence that partners benefit from an online couples intervention for PTSD
PTSD is a debilitating disorder that negatively impacts not only the individual with PTSD, but also their loved ones. Couple HOPES (Helping Overcome PTSD and Enhance Relationships) is a new online, self-directed couple intervention that has been shown in preliminary studies to simultaneously reduce PTSD and enhance relationship satisfaction in individuals who likely have PTSD. This study finds preliminary evidence that Couple HOPES also improves the mental health and well-being of intimate partners.

State medical board transparency in cases of physician sexual misconduct
Our collective trust that healthcare professionals will be respectful, helpful, and committed to healing is often justified. However, when patients’ trust in these values is breached, especially due to sexual misconduct, harm to patients can be severe.

Clinician's Corner: Growing Old with Trauma: Elder Care Through a Trauma-Informed Lens ‎
StressPoints

Approximately 70 percent of adults aged 60 years and older will experience a psychologically traumatic event in their lifetime (Ogle et al., 2014). As clinicians we understand the fundamental impacts that these experiences can have on function and well-being. These effects extend and can compound into late life and can influence a survivor’s sense of safety while receiving elder care. Delivering safe and accessible care for older trauma survivors can be a challenge when care providers are time constrained and undertrained in meeting mental health needs. This Clinician’s Corner will describe what is known about how psychological trauma affects the experience of aging and receiving elder care, how implementing trauma-informed care can benefit older survivors, and practical steps that care providers can take toward implementation. 

LGBTQIA+ Issues: Addressing trauma, minority stress, and hazardous substance use among LGBTQ+ individuals
StressPoints
Individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer+ (LGBTQ+) experience high rates of trauma and discrimination at systemic (e.g., discriminatory laws) and interpersonal levels (Meyer, 2003; Hendricks & Testa, 2012). These stressors give rise to minority stress, including expectations of rejection, shame, and identity concealment, and have been shown to account for higher rates of substance use, hazardous use, and substance use disorder among LGBTQ+ individuals (Meyer, 2003; Hatzenbuehler, 2009; Livingston et al., 2017).
 

How much do trauma-focused psychotherapies for PTSD improve interpersonal functioning?
People with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often report difficulties with “interpersonal functioning,” which we define as quality, satisfaction, and day-to-day functioning within close relationships, such as those with family, intimate partners, and/or friends. While it seems plausible that reductions in PTSD symptoms enable improved interpersonal functioning, we know surprisingly little about how well trauma-focused psychotherapies address concerns regarding functioning in close relationships. To address this question, we pre-registered and undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the extent to which trauma-focused psychotherapies improve interpersonal functioning.

Student Perspectives: Supporting Clinical Students Providing Care for Individuals Following Communal Trauma
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According to the Gun Violence Archive, a mass shooting occurs when four or more people, not including the person(s) responsible for the shooting, are shot or killed in a single incident. In 2022, the United States saw over 600 mass shootings with loss of life exceeding 650 people (Gun Violence Archive, 2023). As students working at an outpatient specialty trauma clinic and in a Level 1 trauma center in Colorado Springs, this topic hits close to home following the November 19, 2022 mass shooting at a Colorado Springs LGBTQIA+ nightclub in Colorado Springs. Our community joined together to provide crucial resources and support to those affected by the incident, which included graduate student clinical psychology trainees providing numerous hours of free coping support in the hospital, as well as outpatient therapy. Clinical psychology graduate training involves providing clinical services, which are often free or low-cost, to community members. Given that graduate students also face numerous personal and professional transitions and challenges during training (e.g., managing coursework, balancing multiple practicum placements, conducting dissertations), and are in the earliest stage of their career, it is crucial that training programs provide adequate support to these students who are increasingly at the frontline of service provision following mass trauma. 

Media Matters: Can we talk about how villains are made? Trauma and origin stories in popular media
StressPoints
Superhero stories have come a long way since their first appearance in comic books. Their universal appeal is made evident in their box office dominance, with the Marvel franchise accounting, on its own, for almost half of the ten highest-grossing movies of all time (Childress & Staff, 2022). Clearly, the world has not gotten enough of good-hearted heroes defeating evil. But perhaps in reaction to the simplicity of this narrative, a new trend has emerged across many genres in popular culture, with the increasing popularity of arcs and storylines exploring the past of their nemeses: the “supervillains.”
 

Trauma and World Literature: Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds
StressPoints
Widely praised children’s author Jason Reynolds’ collection of linked short stories, Look Both Ways, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, is featured in this column. As is made clear in the author biography, Reynolds was inspired by his own childhood experience. While designated a “middle school” work, it is structurally complex, and the prose style (including non-standard punctuation) is poetic. Nonetheless, consulted middle school faculty have assured me that it is a very accessible student and teacher favorite.