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Healthcare
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Co-Occurring Disorders and Integrated Treatment
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Co-Occurring Disorders and Integrated Treatment

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 3071

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Charles R. Figley

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Traumatology Institute, School of Social Work, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
Interests: traumatology; family resilience; disaster trauma; collective trauma; mental health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I am delighted, as Guest Editor, to personally invite you to submit a paper for our special issue on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to be published in the journal, Healthcare. If accepted, your paper will join by other investigators, practitioner-scholars, and theorists who have addressed some aspects of the PTSD diagnosis, assessment, and treatment, including other, co-occurring mental disorders. We are especially recruiting colleagues like you who would be submitting data-based papers. However, other types of papers will be considered such as targeted literature reviews, systematic reviews, theoretical papers. 

The Aim of the Special Issue is to assemble papers announce, recruit, and publish new papers on PTSD and co-occuring mental disorders and their treatments that would be of special interest to readers of Healthcare. Thus, papers published in this Special Issue aims to significantly contributed the literature focusing on healthcare mental health and PTSD especially relevant to mental health practitioners.

In this Special Issue include, original research articles, systematic reviews, theoretical and clinical intervention papers are welcome.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Charles R. Figley
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • trauma
  • post-traumatic
  • stress disorders
  • traumatology
  • traumatic stress reactions
  • secondary traumatic stress reactions

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 1272 KiB  
Article
A Qualitative Preliminary Study on the Secondary Trauma Experiences of Individuals Participating in Search and Rescue Activities After an Earthquake
by Ebru Çorbacı, Ebru Tansel and Damla Alkan
Healthcare 2025, 13(10), 1101; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13101101 - 9 May 2025
Viewed by 341
Abstract
Background: This study aimed to analyze the challenges faced by professionals and volunteers in search and rescue operations after the earthquake that struck the southeastern region of Turkey, with its epicenter in Kahramanmaraş, on 6 February 2023. Method: This research was [...] Read more.
Background: This study aimed to analyze the challenges faced by professionals and volunteers in search and rescue operations after the earthquake that struck the southeastern region of Turkey, with its epicenter in Kahramanmaraş, on 6 February 2023. Method: This research was conducted using a qualitative approach; specifically, a phenomenological method. It presents the results of semi-structured individual interviews with eight sampled volunteers who participated in the search and rescue activities following the earthquake. Participants were between the ages of 24 and 45, and three were nurses, three were journalists, and two were civilian volunteers with no formal training in search and rescue. In terms of nationality, five participants were citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) only, while three had both TRNC and Turkish citizenship. Field duties included providing medical support, documenting incidents, and assisting survivors in collaboration with civil society organizations. The research data were analyzed using MAXQDA Analytic Pro 2020. Results: Within the scope of this research, four main themes and twenty-one sub-themes were identified. The first theme is related to the nature of the traumatic events and reflects the characteristics of the traumatic experiences of the participants. The second theme is secondary trauma symptoms, showing that the participants experienced symptoms such as overstimulation, intrusive thoughts, sleep problems, anger, and concentration difficulties. The third theme focuses on post-traumatic growth symptoms. Participants reported experiencing developmental changes following trauma, such as changes in self-perception, the ability to recognize new situations, understanding the value of life, and positive relationships related to personal growth. Finally, the fourth theme is related to the coping skills used to cope with traumatic events; participants shared their coping strategies and the impact of these strategies. Conclusions: This study highlights the need to assess individuals in search and rescue operations in terms of secondary trauma. Our findings may be used as a reference to develop post-disaster psychosocial support services for volunteer search and rescue teams. Additionally, the findings can be used to renew the content of pre-field preparation training. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Co-Occurring Disorders and Integrated Treatment)
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20 pages, 1551 KiB  
Article
Capnometry-Guided Respiratory Intervention in Veteran PTSD: Impact on Symptom Clusters
by Robert N. Cuyler, Juliette S. Mojgani, Julio Cezar Albuquerque da Costa and Rafael C. Freire
Healthcare 2025, 13(4), 390; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13040390 - 11 Feb 2025
Viewed by 883
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a challenging psychiatric condition to treat, with suboptimal recovery and difficulty tolerating exposure-based psychotherapies often noted in outcomes research. The aim of this study was to examine patterns of symptom reduction in veterans with PTSD treated with [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a challenging psychiatric condition to treat, with suboptimal recovery and difficulty tolerating exposure-based psychotherapies often noted in outcomes research. The aim of this study was to examine patterns of symptom reduction in veterans with PTSD treated with a Capnometry-Guided Respiratory Intervention (CGRI), a 28-day treatment teaching about the normalization of respiratory rate and exhaled carbon dioxide levels via biofeedback. We hypothesized reductions in total PCL-5 scores and all symptom clusters immediately post-treatment but with relative resistance to changes in hyperarousal symptoms, as reported in the outcomes of research using other evidence-based psychotherapies. Methods: In this report of real-world outcomes, we included 164 veterans treated with CGRI. Pre- and post-treatment PTSD Checklists for DSM-5 (PCL-5) scales were recorded and analyzed based on the total, cluster, and item scores. Subjects were additionally classified into Recovered, Improved, or Suboptimal subgroups based on their response to treatment. Data were compiled during routine clinical care and are available for retrospective analysis. Results: Treatment response was reported in 53% of participants, with a mean total PCL-5 score reduction of 12 points post-treatment (effect size, Glass’s Δ = 0.99, large) and individual PCL-5 clusters showing medium to large effect sizes (effect size = 0.71 to 0.98). Contrary to our hypothesis, a large effect size was found in the hyperarousal cluster, with post-treatment scores being significantly improved compared to pre-treatment scores (effect size = 0.98). In the Recovered group, all 20 PCL-5 items showed significant declines, while significant reductions were reported in some items in the Improved group and no item improvements were noted in the Suboptimal group. Conclusions: Consistently with prior published trials reporting overall improvements in PTSD symptoms, in this report, the CGRI produced clinically meaningful reductions in PCL-5 cluster scores in addition to total scores. Unlike reports from several trials of cognitive therapies, this study found hyperarousal symptoms to be responsive to treatment. The CGRI shows evidence of improvement across the range of PTSD symptoms in the immediate post-treatment interval. The absence of an extended post-treatment follow up introduces uncertainty concerning the durability of benefits experienced, although previous CGRI research on both panic disorder and PTSD has shown the maintenance of symptom reduction in six- to twelve-month intervals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Co-Occurring Disorders and Integrated Treatment)
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Review

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19 pages, 392 KiB  
Review
Culturally Considerate Trauma-Focused Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment in Latine/x Populations: A Scoping Review
by Alejandra Kukuli Delgado, Ryan Holliday, Shira Maguen and Nicholas Holder
Healthcare 2025, 13(5), 469; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13050469 - 21 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1311
Abstract
Background/Objectives: While theoretical articles describing cultural considerations for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment in Latine/x populations exist, empirical trials are less common. The present study aimed to review the existing literature for empirically tested, trauma-focused PTSD treatments among Latine/x samples to describe [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: While theoretical articles describing cultural considerations for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment in Latine/x populations exist, empirical trials are less common. The present study aimed to review the existing literature for empirically tested, trauma-focused PTSD treatments among Latine/x samples to describe treatment outcomes, cultural considerations, and gaps in the existing literature. Methods: For this scoping review, we identified studies that met inclusion criteria as culturally considerate, trauma-focused PTSD treatments reporting symptom outcomes in Latine/x adults. We searched databases (n = 7) and collected 2176 unique records. Six reports met inclusion criteria. Studies enrolled 176 participants into five trauma-focused interventions (e.g., prolonged exposure therapy) and three comparison treatments (e.g., muscle relaxation). Results: Cultural considerations varied from Spanish translation to measuring nervios to the application of cultural values (e.g., familismo, personalismo) in session. Although culturally considerate treatment was associated with PTSD symptom reduction, none of the studies included unmodified trauma-focused treatment as a comparison group. Literature gaps included heterogeneity in methods, treatments, and cultural considerations, which impede the synthesis of current literature and translation from theory to practice. Conclusions: Inferences about the incremental benefits of cultural considerations are limited due to the absence of comparison to unmodified PTSD treatment. By identifying the existing literature gaps, this study aims to support optimal and culturally appropriate treatment for PTSD in Latine/x populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Co-Occurring Disorders and Integrated Treatment)
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