Several categories of posttrauma appraisals (e.g., fear, shame, self-blame) have been associated with different forms of trauma-related distress (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], depression symptoms). In this paper, we extend previous research to consider two appraisal categories that have received little attention to date: alienation and betrayal. Alienation may be important following interpersonal traumas that disrupt one's connection to self and others. Betrayal trauma theory points to the importance of betrayal in motivating responses to interpersonal traumas, though little research has directly examined appraisals of betrayal. With three separate samples of adults (one undergraduate; two community-based), we examined the relative contributions of six distinct appraisal categories (alienation, anger, betrayal, fear, shame, and self-blame) to three forms of trauma-related distress (PTSD, dissociation, and depression symptoms). Participants' posttrauma appraisals accounted for variance in trauma-related distress above and beyond characteristics of the trauma itself. Further, specific appraisal categories accounted for unique variance in different forms of trauma-related distress. Across samples, alienation was significantly related to all three distress types, suggesting that appraisals of disconnection from the self and others are common across trauma-related distress responses. Several distress-appraisal patterns were replicated across samples, including links between self-blame and depression; shame and PTSD; and betrayal and dissociation. Betrayal-dissociation links have important implications for betrayal trauma theory. The results point to the importance of understanding specific appraisal processes associated with different forms of trauma-related distress.

Children in the birth to 5 age range are disproportionately exposed to traumatic events relative to older children, but they are underrepresented in the trauma research literature as well as in the development and implementation of effective clinical treatments and in public policy initiatives to protect maltreated children. Children from ethnic minority groups and those living in poverty are particularly affected. This paper discusses the urgent need to address the needs of traumatized young children and their families through systematic research, clinical, and public policy initiatives, with specific attention to underserved groups. The paper reviews research findings on early childhood maltreatment and trauma, including the role of parental functioning, the intergenerational transmission of trauma and psychopathology, and protective contextual factors in young children's response to trauma exposure. We describe the therapeutic usefulness of a simultaneous treatment focus on current traumatic experiences and on the intergenerational transmission of relational patterns from parent to child. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of current knowledge about trauma exposure for clinical practice and public policy and with recommendations for future research.

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The present research examined whether Asian-American (AA) versus European-American (EA) women differed in experiential, expressive, or autonomic physiological responding to a laboratory anger provocation and assessed the mediating role of values about emotional control. Results indicate that AA participants reported and behaviorally displayed less anger than EA participants, while there were no group differences in physiological responses. Observed differences in emotional responses were partially mediated by emotion control values, suggesting a potential mechanism for effects of cultural background on anger responding.

THIS STUDY EXAMINED METHODOLOGICAL and individual difference factors in relation to perceived benefits and cost-benefit ratios among adult participants in trauma-related research. In two samples (N's = 72 and 118), ethnically-diverse community participants completed trauma-related questionnaires plus an in-depth interview. In separate community (N = 213) and undergraduate (N = 130) samples, participants completed trauma-related questionnaires, but no interviews. Participants rated their perceptions of the research process using the Response to Research Participation Questionnaire (RRPQ). Cost-benefit ratios were favorable in all samples. The research procedures (questionnaires only versus questionnaires plus interviews) explained unique variance in RRPQ scale scores and cost-benefit ratios, as did trauma-related distress. Implications of these findings for developing trauma research protocols are discussed.

A substantial proportion of veterans met screening criteria for co-occurring mental health problems, suggesting that the VA screens may help overcome a "don't ask, don't tell" climate that surrounds stigmatized mental illness. Based on data from 1 VA facility, VA postdeployment screening increases mental health clinic attendance among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Children aged birth to five years are exposed to a disproportionately increased amount of potentially traumatic events compared to older children. This review examines the prevalence of traumatic exposure in the birth-to-five age range, the indicators and diagnostic criteria of early traumatic stress, and the contextual issues associated with the experience of early trauma. The article also selectively reviews the impact of trauma on the biological, emotional, social, and cognitive functioning of young children's development along with some promising clinical treatment and service interventions that target the parent-child relationship as a vehicle of trauma recovery. Despite extensive documentation of the negative impact of trauma on the normal development of young children, research, clinical, and policy efforts to address the psychological repercussions of early victimization remain remarkably limited. Future directions in research and clinical practice as well as implications for policy are discussed.

USING THE REACTIONS TO RESEARCH Participation Questionnaire for Children (RRPQ-C), this study examined perceptions of research participation among 181 school-aged children with and without trauma histories. As part of two larger studies, children completed non-trauma related tasks to assess emotion understanding and cognitive ability. Parents (and not children) reported on children's interpersonal (e.g., sexual abuse, physical abuse, witnessing domestic violence, witnessing community violence) and non-interpersonal (e.g., motor vehicle accidents, medical traumas, natural disasters) trauma exposure. Children's perceptions of costs and benefits of research participation and understanding of informed consent did not vary as a function of trauma exposure. The number of traumatic events experienced was unrelated to children's perceptions. Furthermore, children across trauma-exposure groups generally reported a positive cost-benefit ratio, and understanding of the consent information. Implications of these data are discussed.