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Bringing together clinicians and researchers from around the world to advocate for the field of traumatic stress.

Healing Trauma Together

The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies is dedicated to sharing information about the effects of trauma and the discovery and dissemination of knowledge about policy, program and service initiatives that seek to reduce traumatic stressors and their immediate and long-term consequences. ISTSS is an international interdisciplinary professional organization that promotes advancement and exchange of knowledge about traumatic stress.

Trauma Blog

Grief vs. Depression: Are they related to the bereaved or the deceased?
Posted on 01/02/2024 by Arda Bağcaz and Cengiz Kılıç
We do not know why, after the loss of a loved one, some people develop depression, while some others may experience a prolonged grief disorder. This blog discusses our recent research on the differential correlates of depression and prolonged grief symptoms in a population-based sample. We found that depressive symptoms are primarily associated with the characteristics of the bereaved, whereas prolonged grief symptoms are primarily associated with the characteristics of the deceased. 
Exposure to potentially traumatic experiences and mental health care use in adolescents
Posted on 12/08/2023 by Annika Skandsen, Tormod Bøe, Mari Hysing, Martin H. Teicher, Kristin Gärtner Askeland, and Liv Sand
In a recent Journal of Traumatic Stress article, Skandsen et al., leveraged data from a national registry to explore relations between exposure to potentially traumatic events and psychiatric disorders. The authors findings point towards the role of exposure to multiple potentially traumatic experiences as a transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology that clinicians should consider in their evaluation and treatment.
Written Exposure Therapy vs. Expressive Writing via Telehealth in Undergraduates
Posted on 10/23/2023 by Ellis, Darnell, & Orcutt
The evidence base for Written Exposure Therapy (WET) continues to grow, however most of the research has been conducted in-person with veteran samples. Further, WET has not been emprically tested against the treatment (expressive writing) from which it was developed. In our recent proof-of-concept study, we examined the efficacy of WET provided via telehealth in undergraduates with elevated PTSD symptoms compared to trauma-focused expressive writing, finding preliminary evidence that WET performed better to reduce PTSD symptoms.