Experiences of Stalking and Obtaining a Restraining Order Are Associated With Onset of Cardiovascular Events in Women: A Prospective Analysis in the Nurses' Health Study II.

Background: Stalking is one of the most common forms of interpersonal violence, with nearly 1 in 3 women experiencing it in their lifetime. Restraining orders are a legal remedy aimed at protecting women who experience the most severe forms of stalking and interpersonal violence. Previous work has shown associations between experiences of violence and cardiovascular health among women, but little is known about the link between being stalked or obtaining a restraining order and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Efficacy of interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms induced by traumatic medical events: a systematic review.

Serious medical events are increasingly recognised as potential triggers for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This systematic review evaluated the efficacy of interventions for medically induced PTSD. Nine electronic databases were searched from inception to November 2023 (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024504055).

Antidepressant Medication Prescription and Incident Cardiovascular Disease in Women Veterans.

Antidepressants are commonly prescribed, yet understanding of consequences for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is less well-developed. We examined associations of antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs], serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors [SNRIs], other antidepressants) with incident CVD in women Veterans, a population with a high psychiatric and CVD risk burden. Using Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic health records, we identified women Veterans who were VHA patients from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2019.

Psychological Distress and Cognitive Function in Women: Exploring Potential Mediation by Use of Opiates, Sleep Aids, or Minor Tranquilizers.

Distress, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, is associated with lower cognitive function and higher use of medications, including sleep aids, opiate pain relievers, and minor tranquilizers. Whether use of these medications is linked to lower cognitive function, and whether such medication use might partially explain the relationship between distress and cognition remains unclear. Using data from 10,653 women in the Nurses' Health Study II, we assessed associations between distress and past-month medication use; medication use and cognitive function; and whether medication use mediates the distress-cognitive function relationship.

Couple-Level Manifestations of Posttraumatic Stress and Maternal and Paternal Postpartum Relationship Functioning.

Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked with impaired intimate relationships in postpartum women, yet less is known about couple-level manifestations of posttraumatic psychopathology and potential associations with relationship functioning for mothers and fathers during this critical time.

Method: In a predominately low-to-middle income sample of 867 mother-father couple dyads assessed six months following the birth of a child, two analytic methods-a data-driven dyadic latent profile analysis and hypothesis-driven categorization approach-evaluated whether discrete subgroups of couples could be identified based on both partners' PTSD symptoms. Structural equation models then tested associations between identified subgroups with (1) self-reported relationship quality and (2) interviewer-rated relationship stress.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Posttraumatic Psychopathology: A Group-Based Telehealth Intervention.

Objective: Transdiagnostic treatments are needed to address the diverse manifestations and effects of trauma-related psychopathology. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a promising intervention, although little is known about its application among trauma-exposed civilians. A single-arm pilot study evaluated outcomes of a virtual, group-based ACT intervention for trauma delivered through a training clinic.

Trauma exposure, contextual stressors, and PTSD symptoms: patterns in racially and ethnically diverse, low-income postpartum women.

Background: Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities persist in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which are partly attributed to minoritized women being trauma-exposed, while also contending with harmful contextual stressors. However, few have used analytic strategies that capture the interplay of these experiences and their relation to PTSD. The current study used a person-centered statistical approach to examine heterogeneity in trauma and contextual stress exposure, and their associations with PTSD and underlying symptom dimensions, in a diverse sample of low-income postpartum women.

Neighborhood disorder and social cohesion: A longitudinal investigation of links with maternal cardiometabolic risk one year postpartum.

Objective: Neighborhood characteristics can influence cardiometabolic health, including during the perinatal period. However, maternal health research has largely examined the influence of objective neighborhood measures, limiting insights into psychological and social processes. We examined associations of perceived neighborhood disorder and social cohesion with maternal cardiometabolic risk 1 year postpartum and explored potential pathways of psychological distress and physical activity.

Development of a codebook for the narrative analysis of in-hospital trauma interviews of patients following stroke.

Given their sudden onset and life-threatening consequences, strokes and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) can trigger posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To gain a deeper understanding of the potential influence of factors in patients' descriptions of these medical events on PTSD, we conducted a standardized trauma interview with a convenience sample of patients hospitalized for suspected stroke/TIA (N = 98) to assess the details and emotional experience of the stroke/TIA event. Three researchers reviewed the interviews and the research literature on risk and protective factors for PTSD.

Dimensions of posttraumatic stress disorder and menopause-related health in midlife women veterans.

Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been linked with menopause symptoms (eg, vasomotor, urinary) and their sequelae (eg, sexual difficulties). However, PTSD is a heterogeneous disorder, and less is known about which aspects may be most associated with menopause-related health.

Methods: Using confirmatory factor analyses, we evaluated five structural models of PTSD symptoms in 208 predominately postmenopausal women veterans (aged 45-64 years).

Pathways Linking Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to Incident Ischemic Heart Disease in Women: Call to Action.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with increased rates of incident ischemic heart disease (IHD) in women.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine mechanisms of the PTSD-IHD association in women.

Methods: In this retrospective longitudinal cohort study, data were obtained from electronic health records of all U.

Migraine headache in patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection: A report of the iSCAD Registry.

Introduction: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a nonatherosclerotic cause of myocardial infarction. Migraine headache has been reported to be common among patients with SCAD, but the degree of migraine-related disability has not been quantified.

Methods: Clinical data and headache variables were obtained from the baseline assessment of the prospective, multicenter iSCAD Registry.

Salivary inflammatory biomarkers as a predictor of post-traumatic stress disorder and depressive symptom severity in trauma patients: A prospective study.

Background: Although post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression screening are recommended for traumatic injury patients, routine screening is still uncommon. Salivary inflammatory biomarkers have biological plausibility and potential feasibility and acceptability for screening. This study tested prospective associations between several salivary inflammatory biomarkers (proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α; and C-reactive protein), collected during hospitalization and PTSD and depressive symptoms at 5-month follow-up.

Effects of genetically predicted posttraumatic stress disorder on autoimmune phenotypes.

Observational studies suggest that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increases risk for various autoimmune diseases. Insights into shared biology and causal relationships between these diseases may inform intervention approaches to PTSD and co-morbid autoimmune conditions. We investigated the shared genetic contributions and causal relationships between PTSD, 18 autoimmune diseases, and 3 immune/inflammatory biomarkers.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Is Associated With Elevated Risk of Incident Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack in Women Veterans.

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with ischemic heart disease in women veterans, but evidence for associations with other cardiovascular disorders remains limited in this population. This retrospective longitudinal cohort study evaluated the association of PTSD with incident stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) in women veterans.

Methods And Results: Veterans Health Administration electronic health records were used to identify women veterans aged ≥18 years engaged with Veterans Health Administration health care from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2019.

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptom remission and cognition in a large cohort of civilian women.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with cognitive impairments. It is unclear whether problems persist after PTSD symptoms remit.

Methods: Data came from 12 270 trauma-exposed women in the Nurses' Health Study II.

Antihypertensive Medications and PTSD Incidence in a Trauma Cohort.

Antihypertensive medications have been examined as agents for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) prevention in trauma-exposed individuals, given well-documented associations between PTSD and increased risk of cardiovascular disease and purported trauma-relevant mechanisms of action for these medications. Evidence regarding the effectiveness of such drugs for this purpose remains mixed. We conducted a national population-based cohort study using data from Danish national registries to assess whether 4 classes of antihypertensive drugs (beta-adrenoceptor blockers [beta blockers], angiotensin II receptor blockers [ARBs], angiotensin-converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitors, and calcium channel blockers) were associated with a decreased incidence of PTSD (diagnosed according to ) over a 22-year study period.