TL;DR: In rats stressed with mild foot shocks, REM sleep, the dream stage, dropped. The insomnia drug suvorexant and two related experimental drugs partly brought it back, and suvorexant also helped the rats fall asleep faster, but this was a small study in 9 male rats. Key Findings Stress cut REM sleep: The share of …
TL;DR: Across 55 trials in low- and middle-income countries (5,041 adults), people who got therapy had much lower PTSD symptoms than people on a wait-list or other comparison. The evidence was very low certainty because many trials were weakly run. Key Findings Big gap after treatment: PTSD symptoms 1.31 standard deviations lower in therapy groups …
TL;DR: In a small German study of 24 refugee women with trauma symptoms, scores on three symptom questionnaires stayed flat during an 8-week wait, then dropped after 8 weekly dance movement therapy sessions. The group’s average PTSD checklist score slipped just under the usual clinical cutoff. There was no separate comparison group, so the study …
TL;DR: A 2026 meta-analysis in PLOS One found clinically important sleep problems in refugee and asylum-seeking populations, with pooled sleep-adversity prevalence of 43.2% in adults and 36.4% in children and adolescents. Key Findings 66 studies reviewed: The systematic review and meta-analysis covered 42,956 refugees and asylum seekers. 43.2% adult prevalence: Pooled sleep-adversity prevalence in adults …
TL;DR: A 2026 fMRI study in Molecular Psychiatry linked abuse before age 13 to stronger hippocampal responses during non-conscious negative emotion processing, while abuse during adolescence was linked to stronger amygdala responses during conscious emotion viewing. Key Findings Timing split the limbic response: The sample included 635 adults after exclusions and quality checks, including people …
TL;DR: A 2026 pilot randomized trial in Psychological Services found that a 9-session social-function group for older veterans with PTSD was feasible and acceptable, with stronger relationship gains than a support group in romantic and family functioning. Key Findings 36 randomized veterans: Participants were assigned to ESVP or a support-group comparison condition. 34 started treatment: …
TL;DR: A 2026 preprint cohort analysis in medRxiv found that about 24.1% of the sample met the PCL-5 threshold for probable post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, while frequent uncensored video exposure was associated with higher PTSD symptom severity after accounting for other risk factors. Key Findings Indirect trauma design: Researchers studied people who were not …
TL;DR: A 2026 Scientific Reports study of 6,805 English-language media reports found that psychedelic-treatment coverage for depression and PTSD used more positive tone than antidepressant coverage, while antidepressant coverage used more risk and negative-emotion language. Key Findings 6,805 media reports: Researchers analyzed English-language newspaper coverage from 2017 to 2024 using LexisNexis and natural language processing. …
TL;DR: A 2026 qualitative study in BMC Psychiatry found that children interviewed 1 month after pediatric intensive care unit discharge described post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms tied to pain, sleep disruption, frightening procedures, sensory overload, and isolation. Key Findings Post-PICU interviews showed trauma symptoms: Researchers spoke with 11 children, including 6 boys and 5 girls …
TL;DR: A 2026 cross-sectional study in Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness found that 159 of 230 Farsi-speaking refugees in German refugee camps screened at high risk for depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms, while resilience, psychological flexibility, meaning in life, and social support also predicted posttraumatic growth. Key Findings High distress was common: 159 of …
