International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS)

International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies was founded in 1985 for professionals to share information about the effects of trauma.

The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) was founded in 1985 for professionals to share information about the effects of trauma. ISTSS is dedicated to 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 provides a forum for the sharing of research, clinical strategies, public policy concerns and theoretical formulations on trauma around the world. We are the premier society for the exchange of professional knowledge and expertise in the field. Members of ISTSS include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, counselors, researchers, administrators, advocates, journalists, clergy, and others with an interest in the study and treatment of traumatic stress. ISTSS members come from a variety of clinical and non-clinical settings around the world, including public and private health facilities, private practice, universities, non-university research foundations and from many different cultural backgrounds.

This commentary—published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress—expands on Clauss et al.’s (2025) meta-analysis of attentio...
08/29/2025

This commentary—published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress—expands on Clauss et al.’s (2025) meta-analysis of attention control training (ACT) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by situating ACT and related interventions within a broader framework of attentional functioning. Although ACT and attention bias modification (ABM) show promise in targeting specific attentional processes, both neglect key domains, such as divided attention and multisensory regulation, which are often impaired in PTSD.

Drawing on neuropsychological and neuroimaging findings, Drs. Punski-Hoogervorst and Avital highlight the need for the application of a multidimensional model of attention that accounts for the complexity of trauma-related attentional dysregulation.

Read the commentary now as open access in the JTS at:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jts.70009

🚨 Last Chance to Book Your Hotel Room!Attending the ISTSS 41st Annual Meeting? Don’t wait—tomorrow is the FINAL day to r...
08/28/2025

🚨 Last Chance to Book Your Hotel Room!

Attending the ISTSS 41st Annual Meeting? Don’t wait—tomorrow is the FINAL day to reserve your room at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront at the ISTSS discounted rate.

As the official meeting hotel, rooms are almost gone thanks to the prime location and exclusive ISTSS group rate starting at just $239/night.

✨ Why book here?
- Steps away from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
- The most convenient option for annual meeting attendees
- Special ISTSS discount rate

🗓 Reservation Deadline: Friday, August 29, 2025 – availability is already limited!

Secure your stay now before it’s too late:
👉 https://book.passkey.com/gt/220429406?gtid=305f03f6c6f0bbdfcf9be337850c54a5

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common psychopathological outcome of sexual assault. Peritraumatic tonic immob...
08/28/2025

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common psychopathological outcome of sexual assault. Peritraumatic tonic immobility (TI; involuntary “freezing”) during sexual assault has been linked with worsened PTSD symptoms, yet little research has examined these effects longitudinally.

In this study—recently published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress—Dr Barbano and colleagues examined the effects of TI on the severity of PTSD symptoms, negative posttraumatic cognitions (NPC), and dissociative symptoms over 1 year among 112 female survivors of sexual assault aged 16–30 years.

Results indicated that TI severity was associated with increased NPC, β = .22, p = .018, and dissociative symptom severity, β = .65, p = .037, but not PTSD symptom severity, β = .25, p = .116. Given the salience of NPCs, individuals seeking care for TI-associated sexual trauma may benefit from interventions that can reduce NPCs (e.g., prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy). Further evaluating these treatments’ utility in reducing dissociation may be of particular benefit to individuals with a history of TI reactions during trauma.

Want to learn more? Read the full research article now in the JTS:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jts.23182

✨ ISTSS Member Spotlight ✨We’re delighted to feature this quarter’s ISTSS Member Spotlight: Misari Oe, MD, PhD!Dr. Oe ha...
08/27/2025

✨ ISTSS Member Spotlight ✨
We’re delighted to feature this quarter’s ISTSS Member Spotlight: Misari Oe, MD, PhD!

Dr. Oe has been a dedicated member of ISTSS for an incredible 19 years, reflecting the profound impact ISTSS can have on a career in traumatic stress research and practice.

🔑 She shares how ISTSS has shaped her journey:

“Becoming a member of ISTSS and presenting at international conferences was very important in the early stages of my career. Through connections with mentors, I gradually became involved in international collaborative research. From 2018 to 2024, I served as a board member, working on multilingualization and translation. Currently, I participate in the Global Initiatives Committee while also serving as translation coordinator. As a researcher based in Japan, it is thanks to ISTSS that I have been able to engage in such international activities.”

💡 What drives her research?

“Supporting patients and residents suffering from traumatic stress at various levels—local versus global, public health versus clinical—will contribute to society.”

Read more about Dr. Oe’s story in the latest edition of the ISTSS Membership Highlights newsletter in the Member Portal.

Know someone who deserves to be recognized? Nominate them for an upcoming spotlight here ➡️ https://form.jotform.com/243044607148151

Individuals with higher potentially morally injurious event (PMIE) exposure often exhibit elevated levels of negative po...
08/26/2025

Individuals with higher potentially morally injurious event (PMIE) exposure often exhibit elevated levels of negative posttraumatic cognitions (NPCs). Researchers have argued that individuals with moral injury (MI) following PMIE exposure experience more prescriptive NPCs than those without MI. As these prescriptive NPCs may be harder address using cognitive processing therapy (CPT), first-line posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatments may not fully address MI.

This study—just published as open access in the Journal of Traumatic Stress—evaluated the impact of PMIE exposure on NPC trajectories during intensive CPT for PTSD. The results showed that time was a significant predictor of the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI) score trajectory over treatment, p < .001. The interaction between time and PMIE exposure also significantly predicted PTCI trajectories, p = .008, such that higher PMIE exposure was related to higher PTCI scores during the first half of treatment; however, by the end of treatment, PTCI scores were visually similar regardless of PMIE exposure.

These findings suggest that intensive CPT appears to be effective in reducing NPCs in SMVs regardless of PMIE exposure. Therefore, even when patients report PMIE exposure, CPT clinicians should continue identifying and targeting NPCs.

Want to learn more? Read the open access paper now in the JTS at:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jts.23179

08/25/2025

Not All Dropouts Are Failures

In some CPT studies, about a third of the people who dropped out had actually already improved.

💬 “They didn’t care that it was research—they were just done. But the weekly data showed they’d reached a good end state.”

Sometimes, people leave therapy not because it didn’t work—but because it did.

It is widely postulated that problematic sexual behavior (PSB) of pr***en children may be the result of posttraumatic st...
08/21/2025

It is widely postulated that problematic sexual behavior (PSB) of pr***en children may be the result of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) secondary to child sexual abuse (CSA).

This meta-analysis, recently published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, provides the first synthesis of relevant research. The results suggest a significant association between PSB and PTSS, r = .35, p < .001, and significant heterogeneity was observed among the effect sizes, Q = 469.69, p < .001. However, moderator analyses failed to demonstrate that the link between PSB and PTSS was stronger among samples composed of children with a history of sexual abuse, β = .12, Z = 0.75, p = .456. Additional moderator analyses failed to find any variables that clearly impacted the association between PSB and PTSS.

To read the discussion of these results from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, and learn about suggestions for future research, check out the full (open access) study in the JTS:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jts.23186

Join the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) and enjoy:📚 Access to the Journal of Traumatic Stres...
08/20/2025

Join the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) and enjoy:

📚 Access to the Journal of Traumatic Stress (JTS)
🎟 Discounted registration for the ISTSS Annual Meeting
🎓 Discounted CE opportunities
📰 The award-winning StressPoints newsletter
📰 New in Peer Review newsletter
📰 Membership Highlights newsletter
🤝 Participation in Committees & Special Interest Groups
💬 Exclusive Conversations & Consultations with trauma experts
🛠 Access to clinical tools, research, and resources
🌐 Global networking & recognition opportunities
🏆 The chance to be recognized with an ISTSS Award
…and much more!

See the full list of member benefits and join today:
🔗 istss.org/membership

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that disproportionately impacts service members (SMs). ...
08/19/2025

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that disproportionately impacts service members (SMs). Interoception interventions that target malleable, transdiagnostic risk factors for PTSD, such as the acceptance of uncomfortable internal sensations, may serve as potential options for military providers.

In this new study, published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, Dr Kearns and colleagues evaluated the efficacy of Reconnecting to Internal Sensations and Experiences (RISE)—an empirically supported interoception training focused on accepting and managing internal sensations—in reducing PTSD symptom severity.

Mediation analysis evidenced a significant direct effect of RISE on improvements in not worrying/acceptance at posttreatment, B = 0.51, and not worrying/acceptance on reductions in PTSD symptom severity at follow-up, B = −3.76. Despite no direct effect of condition on PTSD symptoms, B = 2.66, a significant indirect effect was observed through improvements in not worrying/acceptance, B = −1.91, such that RISE led to increased not worrying/acceptance, which, in turn, was associated with decreases in PTSD symptom severity.

These findings support acceptance of internal sensations as a key mechanism of change for improving PTSD. Further, the results provide preliminary evidence for RISE as a viable PTSD treatment supplement for SMs and provide preliminary support for the use of transdiagnostic tools developed with considerations for military cultural stigma and logistical concerns.

Read the full brief report now in the JTS at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jts.23189

08/18/2025

Who’s CPT For? Almost Everyone with PTSD. 💡

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) has been successfully used with men, women, civilians, military members, adolescents, and across different countries. 🌐

💬 “We just keep trying it with different populations… maybe the better question is: who isn’t CPT for?”

It's a versatile, evidence-based option for a wide range of individuals living with PTSD.

08/15/2025

💡 Friday Fast Facts: Posttraumatic Resilience & Growth
You’ve probably heard that some people develop PTSD after a trauma, but did you know that positive changes are possible too?

Resilience and post-traumatic growth are two important aspects of recovery:
✨ Resilience – bouncing back to your previous level of functioning despite the stress a trauma may cause.
🌱 Post-traumatic growth – experiencing positive changes beyond where you were before, such as strengthened relationships, a new outlook on life, or deepened spirituality.

Acknowledging the possibility of growth doesn’t erase the reality of the trauma. It simply recognizes that healing can take many forms.

This month, we’ll be exploring resilience and post-traumatic growth from diverse perspectives with insights from leading experts.

🔗 Click the link in our bio to learn more.

Don't miss your chance to attend the ISTSS 41st Annual Meeting. Regular registration rates extended to August 27th. Regi...
08/14/2025

Don't miss your chance to attend the ISTSS 41st Annual Meeting. Regular registration rates extended to August 27th.

Register now: https://istss.societyconference.com/v2/ /registration

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