PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Psychopathology
Biological research with people who have experienced childhood trauma: A Trauma-Informed Approach
Mica Komarnyckyj 1
Derek Clougher 2
Bethany Thompson 3
1. The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
2. Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
3. Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
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Abstract
In this Perspective, we highlight the growing need for trauma-informed practices as researchers increasingly work across disciplines to study the effects of childhood trauma. We emphasise that trauma-informed principles must be embedded not only to protect participants, but also to safeguard interdisciplinary researchers conducting biological psychology and psychiatry research on trauma. We offer practical recommendations and ethical considerations for minimising risk during trauma research, together with example content for trauma-informed researcher training. We uncovered an unmet need to systematically review what training is already available and identify the training and knowledge gaps that exist within trauma research. Understanding these realities will help shape practical, evidence-based approaches that support both participants and researchers.
Summary
Keywords
ACEs (adverse childhood experiences), Biological Psychiatry, childhood maltreatment, childhood trauma, Neuroimaging, Neuroscience, Trauma, trauma-informed
Received
15 January 2026
Accepted
11 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Komarnyckyj, Clougher and Thompson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Mica Komarnyckyj
Disclaimer
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