Papers by Andreas Maercker
Journal of Traumatic Stress
Historical trauma is a relatively new concept in the literature, and investigations are needed to... more Historical trauma is a relatively new concept in the literature, and investigations are needed to clarify its clinical aspects and develop instruments to measure its sequelae. The purpose of this study was to develop the Clinical Aspects of Historical Trauma Questionnaire (CAHTQ), which is meant to capture trauma sequelae in different contexts, and provide initial psychometric information. Participants were survivors of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda (N = 261) aged 32–87 years (M = 46.30 years, SD = 11.95) who completed a preliminary version of the CAHTQ, constructed based on theoretical and content‐related consideration, as well as the International Trauma Questionnaire, Fatalism Scale, Public Health Depression Questionnaire, Brief Coping Inventory, Forgiveness Questionnaire, and Sentiment of Reconciliation Questionnaire to test the discriminant and convergent validity of the CAHTQ. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to reduce the number of items and extract factor...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2021
Background Existing research on post-traumatic sequelae suggests a positive association between f... more Background Existing research on post-traumatic sequelae suggests a positive association between fatalism and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the associations between fatalism and the new ICD-11 diagnosis of complex PTSD (CPTSD) have never been explored before. Objective The current study explored the association between fatalism and PTSD and CPTSD in samples from three African countries. Methods A total of 2,524 participants from Nigeria (n = 1018), Kenya (n = 1006), and Ghana (n = 500) completed measures of fatalism (non-judgemental fatalism, current fatalism, pessimistic fatalism, prospective fatalism) and the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ). A combination of a multinomial regression and path analysis was used to identify fatalism predictors of PTSD and CPTSD versus no diagnosis, and CPTSD versus PTSD, adjusted for demographic variables and trauma exposure. Results While PTSD was not predicted by any of the fatalism types, compared to no diagnosis, CPTSD was significantly predicted by pessimistic, non-judgemental and current fatalism, both compared to no diagnosis and PTSD. Conclusions The results broaden the knowledge on potential correlates of the new diagnosis of CPTSD. Addressing fatalistic beliefs by empowering people to think that they can choose their fate should be further explored as a possible target for intervention in the treatment of CPTSD.
Clinical Psychology Review, 2017
The World Health Organization's proposals for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the 11 th e... more The World Health Organization's proposals for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the 11 th edition of the International Classification of Diseases, scheduled for release in 2018, involve a very brief set of symptoms and a distinction between two sibling disorders, PTSD and Complex PTSD. This review of studies conducted to test the validity and implications of
International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 2016
As part of the development of the Eleventh Revision of International Classification of Diseases a... more As part of the development of the Eleventh Revision of International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), the World Health Organization Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse is conducting a series of case-controlled field studies using a new and powerful method to test the application by clinicians of the proposed ICD-11 diagnostic guidelines for mental and behavioural disorders. This article describes the case-controlled field study for Disorders Specifically Associated with Stress. Using a vignette-based experimental methodology, 1,738 international mental health professionals diagnosed standardized cases designed to test key differences between the proposed diagnostic guidelines for ICD-11 and corresponding guidelines for ICD-10. Across eight comparisons, several proposed changes for ICD-11, including the addition of Complex PTSD and Prolonged Grief Disorder, produced significantly improved diagnostic decisions and clearer application of diagnostic guidelines compared to ICD-10. However, several key areas were also identified, such as the description of the diagnostic requirement of re-experiencing in PTSD, in which the guidelines were not consistently applied as intended. These results informed specific revisions to improve the clarity of the proposed ICD-11 diagnostic guidelines. The next step will be to further test these guidelines in clinic-based studies using real patients in relevant settings.
Ältere Menschen haben sich sowohl im wirtschaftlichen als auch im wissenschaftlichen Bereich als ... more Ältere Menschen haben sich sowohl im wirtschaftlichen als auch im wissenschaftlichen Bereich als interessante Zielgruppe für technische Unterstützung zur Förderung der physischen und psychischen Gesundheit entwickelt. Selbstbestimmtes Leben und Wohnen, aber auch verbesserter Zugang zu Informationen und Unterstützungsangeboten im Internet stehen dabei im Vordergrund. Der Bereich Informationsvermittlung im Internet wird anhand von Beispielen zu Informations- und Entlastungsangeboten für Angehörige von Alzheimer Patienten vorgestellt. Weiters werden Beratungs- und Therapieangebote im Internet diskutiert, die vor allem für Personen mit PTBS und komplizierter Trauer entwickelt wurden. Darüber hinaus werden im Internet weitere Interventionsformen, wie computergestützte Selbsthilfeprogramme für eine ganze Reihe psychischer Störungen angeboten. Abschließend wird auf das so genannte Butler-System eingegangen, das älteren Menschen die Möglichkeit bietet virtuelle Welten zu besuchen, die darau...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2010
Just as traumatic experiences may lead to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in some individual... more Just as traumatic experiences may lead to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in some individuals, grief may also be a serious health concern for individuals who have experienced bereavement. At present, neither the DSM-IV nor the ICD-10 recognizes any form of grief as a mental disorder. The aim of this review is to summarize recent advances in definition, assessment, prevention, and treatment of complicated grief disorder (CGD) and to compare CGD with PTSD. Four areas are identified to be of importance to clinicians and researchers: (a) the recently proposed consensus criteria of CGD for DSM-V and ICD-11, (b) available assessment instruments, (c) recent prevention and treatment techniques and related effectiveness studies, and (d) emerging disorder models and research on risks and protective factors. This review focuses on the similarities and differences between CGD and PTSD and highlights how a PTSD-related understanding aids the investigation and clinical management of CGD.
Clinical Psychology in Europe, 2019
This report discusses recent developments of psychotraumatology mainly related to the recently pu... more This report discusses recent developments of psychotraumatology mainly related to the recently published ICD-11, but also from a societal point of view. The selected aspects of the development of this field will be presented as a scoping review. In the first section, the new concept of disorders specifically associated with stress and its relevant diagnostic groups (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], complex PTSD, prolonged grief disorder, and adjustment disorder) are presented, with an emphasis on PTSD. The second section embeds these diagnostic concepts within a broader context. In particular, the concept of psychotraumatology is applied to the impact of adverse childhood experiences. More specifically, recent scientific developments are discussed with respect to biological stress research. In a third section, a global perspective is applied that reflects psychotraumatology as embedded in culturally-specific concepts. Lastly, societal developments are taken into consideration. ...
This paper describes the development of a new research project on trauma and posttraumatic growth... more This paper describes the development of a new research project on trauma and posttraumatic growth with a (cross-) cultural psychology focus. Leaving quantitative psychology behind and moving toward a metaphor-analytic methodology presents new opportunities and risks. We are aware that quantitative methodologies and case descriptions are highly prevalent and useful in psychology and related disciplines such as global mental health, social work and mental health nursing. For instance, quantitative psychology has developed elaborate methods for effectively measuring invariance across cultures (Milfont & Fischer, 2010). However, we believe that additional perspectives from anthropology and ethnology—or the thoughts and principles developed by C. G. Jung—must be considered to adequately comprehend the as yet uncharted experiences of individuals in other cultures and of those individuals arriving in Europe from other cultures if we are to live together in dignity.
Frontiers in Psychology, 2019
As clinical-psychological scientists and practitioners increasingly work with diverse populations... more As clinical-psychological scientists and practitioners increasingly work with diverse populations of traumatized people, it becomes increasingly important to attend to cultural models that influence the ways in which people understand and describe their responses to trauma. This paper focuses on potential uses of the concept of cultural script in this domain. Originally described by cognitive psychologists in the 1980s, scripts refer to specific behavioral and experiential sequences of elements such as thoughts, memories, attention patterns, bodily sensations, sleep abnormalities, emotions and affective expressions, motivation, coping attempts, and ritualized behaviors that are relevant to posttraumatic adjustment. We differentiate between experiences of traumatic stress that are scripted (e.g., cultural explanations are available) versus unscripted. Further characteristics such as script tracks, the effect of script interruptions, and contextual fit of scripts with other cultural models are also described. We consider examples of traumatic stress associated with war and organized, sexualized violence from "Western" and "non-Western" world regions. The concluding part of this review describes a number of possibilities for methodological approaches to assessment of cultural scripts. Capturing central elements of the script(s) of trauma would aid psychological researchers and clinicians in understanding the experiences of trauma in cultural context, which could ultimately lead to better clinical service opportunities worldwide.
Sleep and vigilance, Mar 18, 2022
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Papers by Andreas Maercker