Although the association between trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms is well established, how such trauma is incorporated into identity, or the centrality of the negative event, is also of considerable importance in understanding the development of psychological symptoms. Alternatively, positive event centrality may have positive effects on well-being in the face of trauma. Thus, the current study examined associations between positive and negative event centrality, and both adaptive and maladaptive outcomes, above and beyond the impact of traumatic experience. A sample of 214 college students completed a series of self-report questionnaires. As anticipated, negative event centrality predicted PTSD and other maladaptive measures of functioning, even after controlling for traumatic experience. High levels of positive event centrality predicted adaptive, as opposed to maladaptive, psychological functioning. Results also suggested that both positive and negative event centrality predicted posttraumatic growth, controlling for traumatic experience. These findings suggest that assessing centrality of trauma may also be valuable in the prediction of psychological symptoms. The implications of these findings and proposals for future work are discussed further.

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Literature suggests that depression influences how individuals communicate. However, no studies examine the impact of affective state on language. The current study examined the influence of depression and affective state on linguistic style. Findings suggest that depression and temporary negative moods both affect pronoun use, but depression influences use of first-person pronouns, whereas negative affect influences use of third-person pronouns.

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Introduction: Relative to the general population, patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder have higher rates of suicide attempts and mortality from COVID-19 infection. Therefore, determining whether a history of suicide attempt is associated with COVID-19 in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder has implications for COVID-19 vulnerability stratification in this patient population. Methods: We carried out cross-sectional analyses of electronic health records (EHR) of veterans with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder that received treatment at any United States Veterans Affairs Medical Center between January 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021. We used logistic regression to estimate unadjusted and adjusted (including age, sex, race, marital status, body mass index (BMI), and a medical comorbidity score) odds ratios (ORs) for COVID-19 positivity in suicide attempters relative to non-attempters. Results: A total of 101,032 Veterans [mean age 56.67 ± 13.13 years; males 91,715 (90.8%)] were included in the analyses. There were 2,703 (2.7%) suicide attempters and 719 (0.7%) patients were positive for COVID-19. The association between history of suicide attempt and COVID-19 positivity was modified by age and BMI, such that the relationship was only significant in patients younger than 59 years, and in obese (BMI ≥ 30) patients (adjusted OR 3.42, 95% CI 2.02 - 5.79 and OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.65 - 4.94, respectively). Conclusions: Higher rates of COVID-19 in young or obese suicide attempters with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder might be due to elevated risk for the infection in this sub-group of patients.