Psychological Trauma of Women and Children: The Role of Mindfulness and Compassion in Prevention and Treatments

Psychological trauma is highly prevalent and has pervasive impact on psychological and physical health. Psychological trauma of women and children has been a silent epidemic for millennia across human history. Despite increased public awareness and available resources for PTSD and psychological trauma, more research is needed to better understand the unique symptomatology and treatment challenges faced by this highly vulnerable population.

Recent years have seen increasing amounts of research on the effects of contemplative practices (e.g., mindfulness- or compassion-based interventions) for various kinds of psychological trauma. This research topic welcomes submissions from a wide range of topics related to the prevention and treatment of psychological trauma among women and children.

The goal of this Research Topic is to inspire and encourage more research into psychological trauma of women and children, and facilitate scholarly reflections and discussions on prevention and treatment strategies for this vulnerable population. Below are examples of research questions this Research Topic aims to answer:

1. How are psychological trauma symptoms manifested in women or children, and how are they different from other types of trauma and what implications do these symptom differences have for treatment approaches?
2. Are mindfulness, compassion or other positive psychological traits protective or resilience factors in this vulnerable population? How to cultivate these traits through publicly accessible, cost effective means?
3. What kind of treatment options are available for treating this vulnerable population and what are their effects specifically for women or children?
4. How can mindfulness, compassion or contemplative practices be utilized for developing treatments and interventions for addressing psychological trauma in women and children? What should be taken into consideration for effective treatments?

This Research Topic considers studies with mixed-gender and/or mixed-age samples; authors are encouraged to include discussions on the particular characteristics and treatment challenges of psychological trauma among women and/or children. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to the following:

•PTSD and Complex PTSD
•narcissistic abuse and attachment trauma
•sexual abuse, sexual violence, and sexual dysfunction
•gender differences in trauma symptomatology and treatment challenges
•childhood trauma, adverse childhood experiences
•domestic violence and intimate partner violence
• neuroscience and biomarkers
• prevention strategies, public health studies

This Research Topic welcomes all article types including Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Methods, Theory and Hypothesis, Opinions, Perspectives

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Registered Report
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: PTSD, sexual abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, complex PTSD

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.