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This longitudinal research studied 706 women seen by sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) at 12 US emergency departments soon after sexual assault, focusing on the survivors’ post-assault interactions with police. Data were analyzed from surveys completed by survivors post assault and medical/forensic records from the SANE exams. Results showed that...

Childhood adversity is linked to increased risk of PTSD, but the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated whether childhood adversity moderates changes in white matter microstructure and PTSD symptoms following recent trauma. Whole-brain tractography revealed that childhood adversity predicted longitudinal changes in quantitative anisotropy (QA) from 2-weeks to...

This study investigated whether genetic risk for smoking and alcohol consumption acted together with or independently of PTSD symptoms to increase the risk for future substance use. We found that participants with higher genetic risk, therefore, may not have additional risk conferred by PTSD symptoms–rather, they had a high underlying...

This study tested whether a combined hormone treatment called CEB could quickly reduce depression in women going through perimenopause. Over three weeks, women with perimenopausal-onset major depression (PO-MDD) showed clear improvement in mood and other menopause symptoms like hot flashes. Unlike traditional hormone therapies, which can increase the risk of...

The MAHA Commission promises to address causes of chronic disease, including those related to mental health. Such a commission could address important barriers in the mental health community. But this Open Forum highlights evidence that the MAHA Commission may not only fail to address these barriers but also exacerbate them...

Description and characterization of an outpatient psychiatry consultation model within a large academic training clinic. The model was associated with observed improvement in depression and anxiety symptoms in those who completed consultation.

We investigated predictors of autism traits in the CDC’s Study to Explore Early Development (SEED), one of the largest studies of young autistic children (ages 2–5 years) in the United States. We found that lower levels of cognitive functioning were associated with greater increases in autism traits between early childhood...

Postpartum psychosis (PPP) is a rare but severe postpartum psychiatric emergency that occurs during a critical time in mother-infant attachment. This study investigated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of brexanolone, a neuroactive steroid and synthetic form of allopregnanolone, for adult females with PPP.

Microglia are brain cells involved in innate immune responses. This publication finds unique changes in microglia in the post-mortem cerebral cortex of individuals with alcohol use disorder and links them to activation of astrocytes and loss of neurons.

This special issue for the Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy examines how chaplaincy is evolving and adapting to provide relevant and critical spiritual care services in a time of increasing religious pluralism. Dr. Nieuwsma oversaw the special issue as the senior associate editor.