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The goal is to test the validity of the 'Will to exist-live and survive (WTELS) as a master motivator that activates executive functions. A sample of 262 adults administered different measures that included WTELS and executive functions. We conducted hierarchical regressions with working memory deficits (WMD) and inhibition deficits (ID) as dependent variables. We entered in the last steps resilience and WTELS as independent variables. We conducted path analysis with WTELS as independent variables and WMD and ID as outcome variables and resilience and social support as mediating variables. WTELS accounted for the high effect size for lower working memory deficits and medium effect size for lower inhibition deficits. In path analysis, the effects of WTELS on decreased WMD were direct, while its effects on the ID were indirect. PROCESS analysis indicated that WTELS was directly associated with lower depression, anxiety, PTSD, and COVID-19 traumatic stress, and its indirect effects were mediated by lower executive function deficits (Kira et al., Psych 12:992-1024 2021c (See CR39), Kira et al., in press (See CR40)). The path model discussed was generally superior to the alternative models and was strictly invariant across genders (male/ female)., Author(s): Ibrahim A. Kira [sup.1] , Yunus Emre Ayna [sup.2] , Hanaa A. M. Shuwiekh [sup.3] , Jeffrey S. Ashby [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.256304.6, 0000 0004 1936 7400, Center [...]

There is a need to accurately assess the specific impacts of the various traumatic stressors caused by COVID-19 on mental health. The goal was to evaluate the impact of different types of COVID-19 stressors (infection fears, lockdown, and economic stressors) on mental health and cognitive functioning. We used a sample of 262 Turkish adults. We administered an online questionnaire that included measures of COVID-19 traumatic stressors, PTSD, depression, anxiety, executive function deficits, and cumulative stressors and traumas (CST). The analyses included correlations, hierarchical regression, path analysis, and PROCESS mediation analysis. All COVID-19 traumatic stressors types and their cumulative load predicted PTSD, depression, anxiety, and executive function deficits after controlling for previous cumulative stressors and traumas and COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 lockdown's stressors were the strongest predictors, compared to COVID-19 fears and economic stressors. Path analysis and PROCESS mediation results indicated that COVID-19 traumatic stressors had direct effects on working memory deficits, direct and indirect effects on PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and indirect effects on inhibition deficits. Anxiety, depression, and inhibition deficits mediated its indirect effects on PTSD. The results have conceptual and clinical implications. COVID-19 continuous posttraumatic stress syndrome that includes comorbid PTSD, depression, anxiety, and executive function deficits is different and does not fit within the current trauma frameworks. There is a need for a paradigm shift in current stress and trauma frameworks to account for the COVID-19 continuous global stressors and for clinical innovations in intervention to help its victims., Author(s): Ibrahim A. Kira [sup.1] [sup.2] , Emre Han Alpay [sup.3] , Yunus Emre Ayna [sup.4] , Hanaa A.M. Shuwiekh [sup.5] , Jeffrey S. Ashby [sup.6] , Aras Turkeli [sup.3] [...]

The goal of the current research is to test the 15-items existential annihilation anxieties (EAA) scale cross-nationally. The EAA scale found in a previous study to have four first-order factors: psychic, collective, status and physical identity EAA, and a unitary second-order factor. The study utilized a previously collected data (N = 1566) that included five countries: Egypt (N = 490), Turkey (N = 420), Kuwait (N = 300), UK (N = 177) and Syria (N = 179). Participants included 51.4% of males and 14.6% of adolescents. Age ranges between 14 and 75. Measures included EAA, cumulative stressors and traumas (CST), the 'will to exist, live and survive' (WTELS), the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, emotion regulation, identity salience, PTSD, and poor health. We conducted a zero-order correlation between the primary variables, alpha reliability, and confirmatory factor analysis of the factor structure of EAA, found in the previous study. We further tested its invariance across different age, gender, and national groups. Results indicated a high alpha of .92 of the scale. The confirmatory factor analysis found that the previously found structure fit well in the multinational data and was strictly invariant across genders and age group and strongly invariant across the five national groups. EAA highly correlated with PTSD (.52) and correlated with psychopathology, internalizing, externalizing, thought disorder, poor health, and CST. EAA was negatively correlated with WTELS, self-esteem, religiosity and emotion regulation (reappraisal). The EAA scale has robust psychometrics cross-nationally, and its conceptual framework is clinically significant and worth considering as a new focus of the new Transdiagnostic intervention strategy for PTSD., Author(s): Ibrahim A. Kira [sup.1] [sup.2] , Neslihan Arici Özcan [sup.3] , Hanaa Shuwiekh [sup.4] , Justyna Kucharska [sup.5] , H. Al-Huwailah Amthal [sup.6] , Amer Kanaan [sup.7] Author Affiliations: [...]

The study investigated the predictive validity of Criterion A for PTSD and evaluated a new development-based trauma dynamic non-linear system paradigm that considers global trauma dynamics of accumulation and trauma proliferation. We conducted secondary analyses of two combined samples (clinical sample N = 1048, and non-clinical sample N = 1706) that used measures for trauma and PTSD. We performed a hierarchical regression to test the incremental predictive validity of adding additional stress and trauma types. To test the non-linear dynamics of cumulative trauma and trauma types, we conducted curve estimation regression. We performed path analysis and PROCESS macro to examine the potential mediating roles of these factors in predicting PTSD. We also examined possible gender differences in the path models. Results of the study indicated that adding the non-criterion A traumas of attachment and collective identity trauma types (a non-criterion A stressors) resulted in the increased incremental predictive validity of criterion A over six-fold and fully mediated the effects of Criterion A on PTSD. The non-linear models of the relationship between trauma and PTSD explained over three times the variance explained by the linear model. The path models were found to be strongly invariant across genders. We concluded that adopting a development-based trauma paradigm, and expanding Criterion A in a formula that includes such stressor/ trauma types and their dynamics, should increase its predictive validity and advance our understanding of PTSD etiology and its non-linear dynamics and improve on current prevention and intervention strategies., Author(s): Ibrahim A. Kira [sup.1] [sup.2] , Mounir Fawzi [sup.3] , Hanaa Shuwiekh [sup.4] , Linda Lewandowski [sup.5] , Jeffrey S. Ashby [sup.2] , Boshra Al Ibraheem [sup.6] Author Affiliations: [...]

Research on the mental health impact of favoring male gender (FMG) on males is lacking. Further, research on the impact of FMG by parents, compared to FMG by social institutions does not exist. To fill these gaps, we recruited two samples of male college students (Egyptian: N = 204, age range 18-22, M = 19.28, SD = 1.08; Polish: N = 190, age range 18-29, M = 20.88, SD = 2.17). Measures administered included FMG by family and society, internalized male superiority (IMS), cumulative trauma (CT), self-esteem, authoritarianism, internalizing, externalizing, and thought disorder. Path analysis and curve estimation regression showed that FMG by parents was associated with increased IMS, increased self- esteem, increased externalizing, internalizing and psychoticism in both samples. FMG by society was associated with increased self-esteem and decreased internalizing behavior in the Egyptian sample, but was associated with increased internalizing, externalizing and psychotic behavior in the Polish sample. Curve estimation regression clarified the non-linear dynamics behind the differences between Polish and Egyptian youth in the effects of self-esteem and authoritarianism. Results suggest that favoring male gender is rather hurting males, and FMG by parents vs. FMG by society may be discrepant and have different trajectories., Author(s): Ibrahim Kira [sup.1] [sup.2] , Hanaa Shuwiekh [sup.3] , Justyna Kucharska [sup.4] , Mireille Bujold-Bugeaud [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Center for Cumulative Trauma Studies, , 4906 Woodhurst Way, Stone [...]

The goal of this paper is to examine the validity of the Traumatology perspective of the dynamics underlying the adverse mental health effects of gender discrimination (GD) on females' across two different cultural samples. The study was conducted in two samples from Poland (N=277), and Egypt (N=319). To measure GD, we utilized measures of gender discrimination (GD) by parents (GD-P), GD by society (GD-S), internalized gender discrimination (IGD), and GD resistance (GDR). To measure mental health, we utilized measures of internalizing, externalizing, and thought disorders (psychoticism). Further, we used tests for self-esteem, authoritarianism. To control for the effects of other stressors and traumas we used a measure for cumulative stressors and traumas. Path analysis indicated that GD-P in both samples was associated with internalized gender discrimination, internalizing, externalizing, psychoticism and authoritarianism. GD-S predicted lower self-esteem, higher psychoticism, externalizing and internalizing behavior. The model accounted for 40-50% of the variance in internalizing and was invariant on the configural and metric levels. We discussed the implications of the results to intervention and prevention of GD and for future directions in gender research., Author(s): Ibrahim A. Kira [sup.1] [sup.2], Hanaa Shuwiekh [sup.3], Justyna Kucharska [sup.4], Wahiba Abu-Ras [sup.5], Mireille Bujold-Bugeaud [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Center for Cumulative Trauma Studies, , 4906 Woodhurst Way, [...]

One study found that torture survivors are more resilient and develop higher posttraumatic growth (PTG) than nontortured refugees and suggested that this is due to their higher group identity salience. Will to exist, live, survive, and fight (WTELS-F) is intimately related to identity salience. The present study aims to check the replicability of these earlier counterintuitive findings and if potentially higher WTELS-F in torture survivors explains these differences. Using a sample of 891 internally displaced Syrians (461 were torture survivors) and measures for resilience, social support, PTG, and WTELS-F, we analyzed the differences between tortured and nontortured in the measured variables. We used structural equation modeling to check if torture predicts higher WTELS-F that mediates a higher resilience and PTG in torture survivors. Results replicated the earlier findings. Torture predicts higher WTELS-F that mediated its effects on resilience and PTG in torture survivors. The clinical implications of the results were briefly discussed. Public Significance Statement: The study provided evidence of the underlying dynamics behind torture survivors' higher resilience and PTG compared to other nontortured refugees and internally displaced. Torture primed their will to exist, live, survive, and fight and stimulated their resilience and PTG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hostilities and discrimination against refugees are continuous traumatic stressors (type III trauma) different from single past trauma. The goal was to measure their potential effects longitudinally. Recruiting 190 Syrian refugees in Turkey, we measured, two times, depression, complex PTSD, PTSD, anxiety, executive function, cumulative stressors, resilience, identity salience and the will to exist, live, survive and fight (WTELS‐F). We measured changes between times one and two. Using the structural equation, we tested two models. The first included latent variables 'changes between times 1 and 2 in discrimination, community violence, and poverty (DCVP)', 'mental health,' and 'executive function deficits'. The second included identity salience, WTELS‐F, PTG and resilience. Results indicated that the increase in DCVP led to a significant increase in mental health symptoms and cognitive deficits. There was a parallel increase in WTELS‐F and PTG. Identity salience seems to lead to this increase in WTELS‐F and PTG. We examined the clinical and conceptual significance of the results. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To longitudinally measure the relationship between trauma, dissociation, complex PTSD (CPTSD), and executive function (EF), we used a sample of 228 at two times with ten weeks in-between. We measured cumulative trauma, dissociation, CPTSD, and EF. We used two structural equation modeling with cumulative trauma and type III continuous trauma at time 1 as independent variables and dissociation, CPTSD, and EF at time two as dependent variables. Cumulative trauma and continuous traumatic had medium to large effect sizes on dissociation. Dissociation had a large effect size on CPTSD and EFD. However, the association between dissociation and EFD is more non-linear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal was to explore the applicability of the continuous traumatic stress type-III paradigm to the torture's interface with other ongoing traumatic stressors (e.g., COVID-19 and discrimination) and other adversities' impact. On a sample of 891 Syrian internally displaced (461 torture survivors), we measured cumulative trauma, COVID-19 stressors, and the peri-post type III trauma syndrome (i.e., CPTSD, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and executive functions). We conducted t-test and structural equation modeling. Torture predicted higher COVID-19 stressors and the peri-post type III trauma syndrome. Intersected discrimination amplified the effects of torture. The conceptual and clinical implications of these findings were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the continuous traumatic stress type III paradigm, the current study aimed to explore the proliferation of previous and concurrent continuous type III traumas to COVID-19 stressors. In two samples from the USA (N = 745) and the Syrian internally displaced (N = 891), we used COVID-19 stressors and cumulative trauma measures. Childhood adversities and intersected discrimination predicted higher COVID-19 stressors in the American sample. Intergroup conflict, intersected discrimination, and chronic, life-threatening health conditions predicted higher COVID-19 stressors in the Syrian sample. Cumulative trauma in both samples predicted higher COVID-19 stressors and accounted for slightly higher variance. The conceptual and clinical implications were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many aspects of daily life, but relatively little is known about COVID-19-related stress for subgroups in the population. We examined differences in COVID-stress and depression as a function of gender, race, ethnicity, and subjective social status. We tested these factors as moderators of the association between COVID-stress and depression. We used a cross-sectional design to test associations between sociodemographic factors, COVID-stress, and depression. Analyses were based on confirmatory factor analytic and structural equations models. A convenience sample of 1,058 U.S. MTurk workers and college students (54.5% cisgender women; 55.1% racial/ethnic minoritized individuals) was recruited. Participants completed self-report measures of COVID-stress and depression. COVID-stress was positively associated with depression. Overall, neither gender nor racial minoritized status moderated COVID-stress effects on depression. However, intersectional analyses revealed COVID-stress was a significant risk factor for depression among Black women compared to other participants. COVID-stress was more strongly linked to depression for Hispanic individuals and participants with higher social status. Future studies may benefit from the COVID-stress scale evaluated in this study and by considering the differential effects of sociodemographic factors on psychological functioning during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal was to measure the effects of trauma types, cumulative trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), existential annihilation anxiety (EAA), and posttraumatic growth (PTG) on executive functions. The study sample consists of 1155 from Egypt and Kuwait. Measures included adults working memory deficits (WMD) and inhibition deficits (ID), and cumulative stressors and traumas (CST) and trauma types, PTSD, EAA, and PTG. We used Stepwise regression and PROCESS macro to analyze the data. Results indicated that survival and cumulative traumas have direct effects on a lower WMD and ID, attachment traumas and gender discrimination by parents have direct impacts on higher WMD and ID, while personal identity, status identity, secondary trauma, gender discrimination by society, community violence do not have any direct effects on WMD or ID. All traumas have indirect effects on higher WMD or/and ID via PTSD. Gender discrimination by society, community violence, and CST has an additional indirect higher impact on WMD and ID via EAA. There were indirect trajectories from survival trauma, personal identity, status identity trauma, secondary trauma, gender discrimination by society, and CST on lower WMD or/and ID via PTG. Attachment trauma, gender discrimination by parents, perpetration traumas, and community violence were not associated with PTG and its trajectories of lower WMD or/and ID. We discussed the research and clinical implication for these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]