Compiled by Kit Caless
The latest published international research on psychological trauma and beyond. Please note, some articles may require a subscription to access.
8-day intensive treatment programme for PTSD and complex PTSD vs treatment as usual: a clinical trial
Gahnfelt et al. (2025). European Journal of Psychotraumatology. 10.1080/20008066.2025.2553422
This Swedish trial asks a practical question: does cramming trauma treatment into eight consecutive days work as well as spreading it across sixteen weeks? For 101 adults with PTSD or complex PTSD, the answer was yes — both formats produced similar levels of symptom reduction, and the gains held at three-month follow-up. Around three quarters of participants in each group no longer met diagnostic criteria by that point. The main difference was in dropout: only 4.3% of people left the intensive programme early, compared with 24.1% in weekly treatment. Researchers can’t fully explain the gap — the same therapists delivered both formats, for example. One limitation worth noting is that participants chose their treatment rather than being randomly assigned, which means the two groups may not have been comparable in ways the study couldn’t measure. An RCT is recommended for further study.
The exposure continuum model: A theoretical framework for understanding exposure across trauma-centered psychotherapies
Rubinsteinet al. (2025). Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 10.1016/j.janxdis.2025.103107
Exposure, asking clients to confront traumatic memories or cues in a safe context, is a feature of most trauma-focused therapies, but the way it is used varies considerably across approaches. This theoretical paper introduces the Exposure Continuum Model (ECM), a framework designed to map that variation in a systematic way. The model plots therapies along two dimensions: Closeness (how directly and explicitly the therapy engages with traumatic material, from symbolic and implicit approaches such as somatic experiencing and art therapy, through to detailed narrative re-telling as in prolonged exposure) and Standardised Cumulative Dose (the combined frequency and duration of exposure across a course of treatment). Using ratings from three independent expert clinicians, the authors position fifteen therapies, including PE, EMDR, CPT, interpersonal psychotherapy, and the Flash Technique, across this space. The framework is intended as a shared language for researchers and clinicians rather than a prescriptive guide, with the aim of enabling more systematic investigation into questions such as which type and dose of exposure works best for which clients, trauma types, or symptom profiles. The authors acknowledge that the model is at present conceptual, based on expert ratings from a small group, and requires empirical validation.
A review of the impact of structural racism on lived experiences of adolescents of African descent: Implications for development, brain structure, and health
Gonçalves et al. (2026). Neuropsychopharmacology. 10.1038/s41386-025-02239-4
This US-based review pulls together research on how structural racism (through poor housing, under-resourced schools, and over-policing) gets into the bodies and brains of Black adolescents aged 9–17. One finding with direct clinical relevance is the “skin-deep resilience” hypothesis: young people who appear to be coping well may carry a significantly higher allostatic load (cumulative wear and tear on the body and brain) and show markers of accelerated biological ageing, meaning visible resilience can mask a physiological cost that standard assessment is unlikely to catch. The biological pathways the review identifies include HPA axis dysregulation, neuroinflammation, and epigenetic age acceleration. The consistent finding is that racial disparities in brain structure are explained by racism’s material consequences rather than by race itself. The review also presents preliminary neuroimaging data suggesting a family-focused cultural intervention produced measurable changes in prefrontal-striatal connectivity, though sample sizes are small. Those outside the US should note that the institutional specifics are American throughout, even though the underlying mechanisms might translate.
Targeting active forgetting with non-invasive stimulation: toward novel treatments for intrusive memories in PTSD
Arulchelvan & Vanneste (2026). International Review of Psychiatry. 10.1080/09540261.2026.2631028
This narrative review proposes that the intrusive memories central to PTSD reflect not just traumatic encoding but a failure of active forgetting, that is, the brain’s capacity to suppress unwanted memories through prefrontal inhibitory control of the hippocampus. The authors map the neural and neurochemical substrates of this process, noting that individuals with PTSD show impaired memory suppression alongside reduced prefrontal engagement and disrupted GABAergic functioning. They then review the case for pairing non-invasive neurostimulation techniques, including TMS, tDCS, transcranial ultrasound, and peripheral nerve stimulation, with memory suppression tasks to strengthen these circuits. The evidence base remains at an early stage, but the authors argue that targeting ‘active forgetting’ directly, rather than managing symptoms, represents a meaningful shift in how PTSD treatment might be conceptualised.
Moral injury prevention and intervention
Williamson et al. (2025). European Journal of Psychotraumatology. 10.1080/20008066.2025.2567721
This short paper reviews the current state of treatment and prevention for moral injury (MI) across high-risk occupations including military, healthcare, and emergency services. The authors note that standard PTSD treatments such as prolonged exposure are inadequate and sometimes exacerbate symptoms. Adapted or novel approaches, including Adaptive Disclosure, Impact of Killing, and the UK-developed Restore and Rebuild, show more promise, particularly when co-produced with patients. However, the evidence base remains constrained by small samples and a heavy reliance on military and predominantly male populations. On prevention, the authors find the research base thin: promising strategies include leadership that fosters psychological safety, preparedness training that normalises ethical grey areas, structured peer reflection, and systemic organisational reforms such as fairer workloads and staffing levels. The paper is a useful addition to a field whose treatment literature has outpaced its prevention thinking.
PTSD and complex PTSD, current treatments and debates: a review of reviews
Billings & Nicholls (2025). British Medical Bulletin. 10.1093/bmb/ldaf015
This paper synthesises 54 systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between 2019 and 2024, covering the full range of psychological, pharmacological, and physiological interventions for PTSD and complex PTSD (CPTSD). Reviews in this period continue to support the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of trauma-focused CBT and EMDR, with large effect sizes and good long-term outcomes; the two approaches perform comparably when directly compared. Dropout from trauma-focused therapy remains a problem, with pooled rates across trials of between 17% and 21%. For CPTSD, phase-based approaches show some advantage over single-phase treatment, though evidence for the stabilisation phase is mixed and the reintegration phase remains almost entirely unresearched. On novel interventions, such as MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, ketamine, virtual reality, and digital delivery, the review identifies promising findings but notes that methodological limitations, small samples, and the absence of head-to-head comparisons with established treatments limit the conclusions that can be drawn. The authors call for more qualitative research into recipients’ experiences, greater co-production with people with lived experience, and more rigorous trials of newer approaches.
The influence of individual differences on susceptibility to occupational trauma in expatriate humanitarian workers—A cross-sectional study
Ellingham (2025). Traumatology. 10.1037/trm0000590
This study looked at what makes some humanitarian aid workers more vulnerable to trauma than others. Using survey data from 130 expatriate aid workers, the researcher examined how three factors — the number of traumatic events experienced, personality type, and coping style — shaped mental health outcomes, including PTSD, secondary traumatic stress (STS), and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Exposure to traumatic incidents was near-universal in the sample: 42% met criteria for full PTSD and a further 28% for partial PTSD, figures that sit at the higher end of previously reported rates for this population. Personality also played a significant role: workers higher in neuroticism showed worse outcomes across PTSD and STS, while traits such as agreeableness, extraversion, and openness were linked to greater posttraumatic growth. Coping style was the strongest predictor overall. Workers who responded to stress with self-blame, helplessness, and emotional reactivity showed the highest PTSD and STS severity. Proactive, problem-focused coping was associated with growth, while emotionally distancing oneself from traumatic experiences was linked to lower levels of posttraumatic growth, possibly because it limits the kind of reflection and meaning-making that growth requires. Avoidance showed a more complex pattern, associated with both higher PTSD symptoms and, in certain contexts, greater growth.
If you have a paper or ongoing study that is of interest to the UKPTS community and would like it featured, get in touch using our contact form.
