Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) has multifaceted immunological functions ranging from maintenance of tolerance to induction of disease. Two human transcript variants of TSLP are described: a long form (variant 1; lfTSLP) consisting of four exons and an alternative, short form (variant 2; sfTSLP) that lacks two exons compared with variant 1. SfTSLP has not been described at the protein level or functionally studied. Here, we demonstrate that the human sfTSLP is the predominant form of TSLP, constitutively expressed at the mRNA and protein level in keratinocytes of oral mucosa and skin and in salivary glands, is released in saliva, and is not regulated in the same manner as the long form. Compared with lfTSLP, sfTSLP exhibits a markedly stronger antibacterial activity. Synthetic sfTSLP did not activate signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) signaling in CD1c(+) dendritic cells nor interfered with STAT5 activation by lfTSLP. SfTSLP may, therefore, act as an antimicrobial peptide in the oral cavity and on the skin to create a defense barrier that aids in the control of both commensal and pathogenic microbes. The results show that the two translational products of the TSLP gene have a different expression and different biological properties, and emphasize the importance of analyzing the two TSLP isoforms separately.

Background There is an urgent need for knowledge about the mental health consequences of the ongoing pandemic. The aim of this study was to identify vulnerability factors for psychological distress and reduced life satisfaction in the general population. Furthermore, we aimed to assess the role of COVID-related worries for psychological distress and life satisfaction. Methods A presumed representative sample for the Norwegian population (n = 1041, response rate = 39.9%) responded to a web-survey in May 2020. The participants were asked about potential vulnerability factors including increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 (underlying illness, older age), socioeconomic disadvantage (living alone, unemployment, economic problems), and pre-existing mental health vulnerability (recent exposure to violence, previous mental health challenges). Additional measures included COVID-related worry, psychological distress, and life satisfaction. Results More than one out of four reported current psychological distress over the threshold for clinically significant symptoms. Socioeconomic disadvantages, including living alone and pre-existing economic challenges, and pre-existing mental health vulnerabilities, including recent exposure to violence and previous mental health problems, were associated with a higher level of psychological distress and a lower level of life satisfaction. A higher level of COVID-related worry was significantly associated with a higher level of psychological distress, and a lower level of life satisfaction, even when adjusting for all the vulnerability factors. Conclusion This study identified several vulnerability factors for mental health problems in the pandemic. Individuals recently exposed to violence and individuals with pre-existing mental health problems are at particular risk. Worrying about the consequences of the pandemic contributes negatively to current mental health. However, worry cannot explain the excess distress in vulnerable groups. Future research should focus on how COVID-related strains contribute to mental health problems for vulnerable groups.

J. M. G. Williams (1996) predicted that exposure to potentially traumatizing events at an early age would give rise to overgeneral recall from autobiographical memory, i.e., recall of general rather than specific events, and that in adolescence this tendency would be uncorrelated with psychopathological symptoms, e.g., depression. This was supported by two studies where war-exposed Bosnian adolescents produced significantly fewer specific autobiographical memories than a Norwegian control group, as did bombing-exposed Serbian adolescents compared to nontrauma-exposed Serbians. No significant correlations were found between autobiographical memory specificity and measures of depression, anxiety, dissociation or impact of trauma, which is consistent with Williams' idea that an overgeneral memory retrieval strategy is at first protective, and a risk factor for depression only upon reaching adulthood.

Perceived life threat may play a central role in the development and maintenance of PTSD in people directly as well as indirectly exposed to terror. Moderating perceptions of having been in serious danger may be an appropriate approach to the prevention and treatment of PTSD.

Individuals indirectly exposed to terrorism may develop long-lasting posttraumatic stress reactions fulfilling PTSD symptom criteria. Due to the large number of individuals that may be indirectly exposed to terrorism, even a low risk of PTSD may result in high numbers of individuals with substantial posttraumatic stress. Our findings have implications for the planning and implementation of health care services beyond those directly exposed after large-scale terror events.

Natural disasters, technological disasters, and terrorist attacks have an extensive aftermath, often involving society’s institutions such as the legal system and the police. Victims’ perceptions of institutional trustworthiness may impact their potential for healing. This cross-sectional study investigates institutional trust, health, and social support in victims of a disaster that occurred in 1990. We conducted face-to-face interviews with 184 survivors and bereaved, with a 60% response rate 26 years after the disaster. Levels of trust in the police and in the justice system were compared with general population data. We assessed the relationships between institutional trust and current psychological distress, social support, and life satisfaction. The levels of trust in the police and in the justice system were notably lower in survivors and bereaved than in the general population. Among the victims, low institutional trust was associated with more mental health problems, poorer social support, more barriers to seeking social support, and a lower life satisfaction. Lost trust in the aftermath of a disaster may perhaps never be restored and the lack of trust may act to strengthen or maintain health problems. An exclusively individualistic approach to trauma and disaster may miss out on the opportunities for promoting health and well-being that lies within the larger societal structures. Decision-makers should take this information into account, and acknowledge the potential long-term consequences of institutional performance in the aftermath of a disaster.

Counterfactual thinking (CFT), that is thinking about what might have happened, is linked to post-traumatic stress. We studied the relationship between type and frequency of CFT and post-traumatic stress in a sample of directly (n=50) and indirectly exposed (n=50) ministerial employees 4years after the 2011 Oslo bombing. The results showed that frequency of CFT was associated with levels of post-traumatic stress, among both directly and indirectly exposed participants. In the directly exposed group, self-reported frequencies of downward counterfactuals were associated with post-traumatic stress. A similar trend was found for upward counterfactuals. In the indirectly exposed group, self-reported frequencies of both upward and downward counterfactuals were associated with higher levels of post-traumatic stress. These results point to the intriguing possibility that people may not only develop post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of actual experiences, but also via mental simulations of traumatic events that could have happened.

Summary It has been proposed that a highly integrated trauma leads to more accessible and vivid memories of the traumatic event, in turn heightening symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. The relationship between the centrality of a traumatic event and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder after the 2011 Oslo bombing attack was investigated in the present study. A high degree of perceived centrality was associated with higher symptom levels of posttraumatic stress as shown in the results. This association was found after controlling for gender, age and educational background. The relationship between types and level of trauma exposure, peritraumatic reactions and centrality of event was also investigated in the present study. Higher levels of trauma exposure and peritraumatic reactions were associated with higher levels of centrality of event as shown in the results. When a traumatic event becomes a reference point in the individual's life story and central to their identity, this is associated with an increased risk of symptomatology as suggested in the findings. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.