Stress and cortisol in disaster evacuees: an exploratory study on associations with social protective factors

"I Felt a Sense of Mission during Moments of Crisis": Mental Health Professionals' Perspectives on Their Initial Treatment of Evacuees during the Israel-Hamas Conflict

This study examines mental health service providers who provided care to evacuees during the Israel-Hamas conflict. Utilizing a phenomenological qualitative method, the research delves into the psychological impact on the participants' lived experiences. The sample included 25 mental health providers (13 female, age range 28-63, mean 42.4, SD 7.3; 15 psychologists and 10 social worker, average seniority 10.8 years, SD 5.2, range 2-18 years). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted between December 2023 and March 2024. The data analysis revealed a dual narrative: Participants paid a major personal price and experienced secondary traumatization manifesting in emotional detachment, physical symptoms, and heightened arousal. They also derived a profound sense of meaning and fulfillment from their work, contributing to personal and professional growth. These findings underscore the complexity of their experiences, which were marked by the challenges of secondary trauma and the resilience fostered through their work. This study emphasizes the importance of support systems, including social and familial networks and professional supervision, in navigating these challenges. This study has several limitations, including small sample size and the use of virtual interviews, suggesting the need for further research with a broader participant base and in different contexts.

Dynamics of diurnal cortisol and alpha-amylase secretion and their associations with PTSD onset in recent interpersonal trauma survivors

BACKGROUND

Dysfunction in major stress response systems during the acute aftermath of trauma may contribute to risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current study investigated how PTSD diagnosis and symptom severity, depressive symptoms, and childhood trauma uniquely relate to diurnal neuroendocrine secretion (cortisol and alpha-amylase rhythms) in women who recently experienced interpersonal trauma compared to non-traumatized controls (NTCs).

METHOD

Using a longitudinal design, we examined diurnal cortisol and alpha-amylase rhythms in 98 young women (n = 57 exposed to recent interpersonal trauma, n = 41 NTCs). Participants provided saliva samples and completed symptom measures at baseline and 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up.

RESULTS

Multilevel models (MLMs) revealed lower waking cortisol predicted the development of PTSD in trauma survivors and distinguished at-risk women from NTCs. Women with greater childhood trauma exposure exhibited flatter diurnal cortisol slopes. Among trauma-exposed individuals, lower waking cortisol levels were associated with higher concurrent PTSD symptom severity. Regarding alpha-amylase, MLMs revealed women with greater childhood trauma exposure exhibited higher waking alpha-amylase and slower diurnal alpha-amylase increase.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest lower waking cortisol in the acute aftermath of trauma may be implicated in PTSD onset and maintenance. Findings also suggest childhood trauma may predict a different pattern of dysfunction in stress response systems following subsequent trauma exposure than the stress system dynamics associated with PTSD risk; childhood trauma appears to be associated with flattened diurnal cortisol and alpha-amylase slopes, as well as higher waking alpha-amylase.

Parental hormones are associated with crop loss and family sickness following catastrophic flooding in lowland Bolivia

The physiology of fatherhood is a growing field of study, and variability in hormonal mediators of reproductive effort (e.g. testosterone, cortisol) can predict variability in paternal investment. Studies often find that lower testosterone levels are associated with increased paternal investment, though most studies are conducted under relatively stable ecological conditions. In this paper, we examine parental physiological correlates of crop loss and family health problems among Tsimane forager-horticulturalists following a catastrophic flood in lowland Bolivia. Immediately after a devastating 2014 flood that impacted >75% of Tsimane communities, we conducted structured interviews examining crop losses and morbidity, and collected saliva specimens from 421 parents (n = 292 households) to analyze cortisol and testosterone. Over 98% of interviewees reported horticultural losses, with the average family losing 88% of their crops, while 80% of families reported flood-induced injuries or illnesses. Controlling for age, body mass index, and time of specimen collection, men's testosterone was negatively associated with both absolute cropland losses (Std. β = -0.16, p = 0.037), and percent of cropland lost (Std. β = -0.16, p = 0.040). Female testosterone was not associated with crop losses. Using the same control variables, both male and female cortisol was negatively associated with a composite measure of child health burden (fathers: Std. β = -0.34, p < 0.001; mothers: Std. β = -0.23, p = 0.037). These results are discussed in the cultural context of a strong sexual division of labor among Tsimane; we highlight the physiological and psychosocial costs of experiencing a natural disaster, especially for paternal caregivers in a nutritionally and pathogenically stressed subsistence population where cultigens provide the majority of calories in the diet.

Resilience mediates the relationship between social support and post-traumatic stress symptoms in police officers

OBJECTIVE

Police officers in the New Orleans geographic area faced a number of challenges following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

DESIGN

This cross-sectional study examined gratitude, resilience, and satisfaction with life as mediators in the association between social support and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in 82 male and 31 female police officers. The Gratitude Questionnaire, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List were used to measure gratitude, resilience, satisfaction with life, and social support, respectively. PTSD symptoms were measured using the PTSD Checklist-Civilian (PCL-C). Ordinary least square regression mediation analysis was used to estimate direct and indirect effects among gratitude, resilience, satisfaction with life, social support, and PTSD symptoms. All models were adjusted for age, alcohol, race, and previous military experience.

RESULTS

Mean PCL-C symptoms were 29.1 (standard deviation [SD] = 14.4) for females and 27.9 (SD = 12.1) for males. There was no direct relationship between social support and PTSD symptoms (c9 = -0.041; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.199, 0.117) independent of the indirect effect through resilience (effect = -0.038; 95%CI = -0.099, -0.002). Neither gratitude (effect = -0.066; 95% CI = -0.203, 0.090) nor satisfaction with life (effect = -0.036, 95% CI = -0.131, 0.046) contribute to the indirect effect.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that resilience mediates the relationship between social support and symp-toms of PTSD. Targeting social support and resilience in officers may facilitate reduction of PTSD symptoms.