Ayelet Gur

Purpose: Parents face heightened stress during emergencies and wartime, with those raising children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encountering especially intensified challenges. Psychological and social resources such as psychological flexibility and community resilience (CR) may buffer against distress, yet little is known about their role under extreme conditions. This study examined differences in psychological flexibility, CR, and psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) between parents of children with ASD and parents of typically developing (TD) children during the Israel–Gaza “Swords of Iron” War. Methods: A total of 166 Israeli parents participated, including 80 of children with ASD and 86 of TD children, recruited online through purposive sampling. Results: Results indicated that parents of children with ASD reported lower psychological flexibility and CR compared to TD parents, but groups did not differ significantly in overall distress. Moderation analysis showed that group status moderated the link between CR and distress, with CR more strongly associated with lower distress among parents of children with ASD. Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of interventions and policies that foster psychological flexibility and strengthen CR for all families, while prioritizing tailored support for parents of children with ASD who demonstrate particular vulnerability during crises.

Background: In a shared traumatic reality (STR), both therapists and clients experience collective trauma that affects the entire community. These circumstances disrupt the typical asymmetry of therapeutic relationships, creating intertwined personal and professional challenges for therapists. Aim: Despite the growing body of literature on STR, the mechanisms that either exacerbate or alleviate therapists' psychological distress during prolonged armed conflict are not yet fully understood. This cross‐sectional quantitative study investigated the effects of therapeutic work during the October 7th terrorist attack and the subsequent “Swords of Iron” war on Israeli therapists ( N = 178). Methods: In line with the “double exposure” premise of STR, we explored the relationship between post‐traumatic stress and the personal trauma subscale of the Shared Trauma/Professional Post‐traumatic Growth Inventory (STPPG), which measures how therapists activate their personal trauma in therapeutic settings. Results: Correlational analyses revealed that higher personal trauma scores were associated with increased post‐traumatic stress. Moderation analyses indicated that the technique‐specific subscale of the STPPG, which captures changes in professional boundaries and increased self‐disclosure, intensified this relationship. Conversely, the professional post‐traumatic growth subscale moderated this association in the opposite direction, rendering it non‐significant at high levels of growth. Conclusions: These findings highlight the vulnerability of therapists within the STR context, underscoring the role of professional boundary maintenance and post‐traumatic growth as factors that may attenuate the impact of personal trauma exposure on post‐traumatic stress in the face of collective trauma.

The personalization in disability support emphasizes autonomy and tailored services. Individualized budget programs embody this approach, enabling participants to control resources and improve quality of life. This study, framed within self-determination theory, aimed to evaluate the contribution of Israel's individualized budget program. The analysis examined pre- and postprogram psychosocial outcomes-life satisfaction, subjective well-being, social participation, choices exercised, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and loneliness-with exploratory analyses conducted within two groups: individuals with mental health disabilities and those with physical or sensory disabilities. This pilot study included 21 participants enrolled in the program, with mental health (n = 15) and physical/sensory disabilities (n = 6) subgroups. Data were collected at program entry and follow-up, and paired-sample t tests were used to assess pre-post changes in psychosocial outcomes. For the total sample, significant improvements were observed in life satisfaction and subjective well-being. No significant changes were found in social participation, choices exercised, self-efficacy, self-esteem, or loneliness. Exploratory analyses within disability subgroups revealed different patterns of change across these measures. The findings highlight individualized budgeting's potential to enhance psychosocial outcomes, particularly life satisfaction and subjective well-being for the total sample. Exploratory analyses within disability subgroups suggest potential differences in program benefits that warrant investigation in larger studies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

This scoping review investigates the relationship between childhood maltreatment, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as neglect, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Related Neurodevelopmental Outcomes . Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted across five databases (PsycNET, Social Services Abstracts, ERIC, PubMed, and EBSCO) using a broad set of search terms related to ADHD, maltreatment, and childhood. The review included peer-reviewed articles published in English over the past 10 years, Studies published between January 2015 and February 2025 were included. The final database search was completed on March 1, 2025. The studies examined maltreatment in children with ADHD. Of the 854 initially identified studies, 12 met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis revealed three major findings: (1) various forms of maltreatment are strongly associated with increased risk and severity of ADHD symptoms; (2) mediating factors such as genetic predisposition, family dynamics, and emotional reactivity shape this relationship; and (3) maltreatment contributes to the persistence of ADHD symptoms and comorbid conditions into adulthood. These findings underscore the need for early trauma-informed interventions that address both biological and environmental influences on ADHD development.

In the wake of collective trauma and a shared traumatic reality (STR), mental health professionals (MHPs) face heightened vulnerability during prolonged warfare. Self-care activities and psychological capital (PsyCap) are recognized as protective factors against adverse mental outcomes among MHPs. This study examined whether specific self-care activities and PsyCap mitigate depression among Israeli MHPs amid a period of STR with their clients. In a concurrent mixed-methods study, 120 MHPs completed questionnaires on demographics, professional experience, PsyCap, depression, and an open-ended question about self-care activities, thereby providing both quantitative and qualitative data. Data were collected from January to April 2024. Results showed a significant negative correlation between self-care activities and PsyCap with depression among MHPs. PsyCap significantly mediated the relationship between self-care and depression, with the direct effect of self-care on depression remaining significant, indicating that PsyCap served as a partial mediator. The results highlight that self-care not only mitigates depression but also reinforces PsyCap, an internal resource that supports effective coping under stress. Thus, self-care serves as a bridge between PsyCap and mental well-being, clarifying how PsyCap contributes to reduced depression among MHPs in the context of prolonged warfare in STR.

Objectives: This study examined links among parents' self‐compassion, child‐related difficulties, and household chaos in families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) children. Background: Chaotic environments are linked to adverse child outcomes, but parents' self‐compassion may mitigate these effects. Prior research suggests that parents of children with ASD may experience more chaos and less self‐compassion, raising questions about how these associations differ from TD families. Methods: A total of 242 parents (106 with ASD children, 136 with TD children) completed online self‐report measures. Mediation and moderation analyses were performed using PROCESS. Results: In both groups, child‐related difficulties mediated the association between parents' self‐compassion and household chaos: greater self‐compassion related to fewer child difficulties and less chaos. Parents of ASD children reported more child difficulties and household chaos, although self‐compassion levels did not differ. Importantly, among TD families, but not ASD families, child difficulties moderated the link between parent self‐compassion and chaos. Conclusion: Findings highlight the value of fostering parents' self‐compassion to better manage child challenges and reduce chaos. Further research is needed to identify additional resources to assist families of children with ASD. Implications: Tailored interventions are needed to address the unique challenges facing families of children with ASD.

Recreational camps for children and youth with chronic illnesses and disabilities offer tailored physical and social activities. While research highlights proximal psychological and social benefits, less is known about the mechanisms behind these effects and their potential for distal effect for well-being. This study investigates the mechanisms through which recreation camps benefit children and youth with chronic illnesses and disabilities. It also examines possible distal impacts of camp participation from the perspectives of youth interviewed several months after their stay. A qualitative study was conducted with 30 participants aged 10–20 who attended a three- to five-day residential camp during the previous 6 to 10 months. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Two main themes emerged. The first reflected personal and social empowerment, with participants describing various effects that extended beyond camp. The second identified four key factors supporting this empowerment: sustained joy, supportive and accessible environments, a sense of peer belonging, and meaningful counselor relationships. By fostering ongoing joy and social connection, the camp enabled participants to stay present while alleviating daily concerns, supported both physically and emotionally. These insights offer a deeper understanding of how camps contribute to youth well-being beyond short-term outcomes. The findings provide practical guidance for developing camps and similar interventions supporting children and youth with chronic illnesses and disabilities, relevant to both camp settings and broader youth services.

This commentary argues for the recognition and application of insidious trauma theory to intellectual and developmental disability populations. While the trauma literature in intellectual disability has predominantly focused on discrete adverse events, this narrow conceptualization overlooks a pervasive form of trauma experienced through chronic devaluation, stigmatization, and systematic marginalization. This paper aims to illuminate evidence of ongoing psychological harm within existing research and advocate for expanded trauma frameworks that capture these overlooked experiences in intellectual disability populations.Traditional trauma conceptualizations focus on identifiable events meeting specific severity criteria. Levenson (2017) defines trauma as exposure to extraordinary experiences posing physical or psychological threats and eliciting helplessness and fear. The DSM-5 exemplifies this event-focused approach, defining trauma as exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence through direct experience, witnessing, learning about events affecting close others, or repeated exposure to aversive details. PTSD diagnosis requires extreme events (excluding media exposure unless work-related) and specific symptom clusters: intrusive memories, avoidance, negative mood/cognitive changes, and altered reactivity (American Psychiatric Association, 2022).The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA, 2014) bridges event-based and experience-based approaches, defining trauma as events or circumstances experienced as harmful or life-threatening with lasting adverse effects on functioning and well-being. SAMHSA's framework emphasizes three elements, Event(s),Experience, and Effect, recognizing that traumatic impact depends on how individuals experience events, shaped by cultural beliefs, social supports, and developmental stage.The concept of insidious trauma departs from traditional trauma paradigms, addressing the cumulative psychological impact of chronic oppression and marginalization experienced by non-dominant groups rather than focusing on singular catastrophic events. Developed by feminist psychotherapist Maria Root, insidious trauma is defined as an indirect trauma that shapes the subject's worldview and sense of self, fundamentally associated with the devaluation of an individual's identity. Laura Brown expanded this framework, defining insidious trauma as the traumatogenic effects of oppression that may not be overtly violent but harm the soul and spirit (Brown, 1991;Janani & Karmakar, 2023). Root (1992) proposed that cumulative exposure to chronic devaluation and marginalization produces heightened vulnerability in marginalized individuals (as cited in Brown, 2004). This accumulated vulnerability can transform seemingly minor incidents into experiences that trigger full traumatic stress responses, including intrusive memories, avoidance behaviors, emotional numbing, and hyperarousal. Root (1992) noted that the frequency of these experiences shatters an individual's sense of safety and security and creates constant hypervigilance through activation of survival behaviors. Additional manifestations include internalized shame, development of defensive behaviors, inability to seek help due to cultural bias, emotional suppression, and deprivation of personhood (Janani & Karmakar, 2023). Brown (1992) advanced the concept of oppression artifact disorder, proposing that psychological distress patterns often diagnosed as personality pathology may more accurately reflect adaptive responses to chronic oppression embedded within institutional structures. This reconceptualization frames such responses as functional strategies for managing intense INSIDIOUS TRAUMA IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY emotional distress while attempting to preserve necessary relationships with sources of that distress (as cited in Brown, 2004).The research on trauma in individuals with intellectual disabilities has primarily focused on event-based conceptualizations, examining discrete adverse experiences and their outcomes.This work has shown that individuals with intellectual disabilities are more vulnerable to traditional trauma exposures.Studies consistently report higher rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among individuals with intellectual disabilities compared to the general population. Rose et al. (2025) found that 72.1% of participants with disabilities experienced at least one ACE, compared to 60.8% of those without disabilities, with significantly higher odds of experiencing four or more ACEs. Berg et al. (2019) reported that children with developmental disabilities were 28% more likely to report 1-2 adverse family experiences and 60% more likely to report 3+ adverse experiences than their non-disabled peers, highlighting a disproportionate burden of adverse events.The literature links specific traumatic events to mental health outcomes. Evidence of social identity damage, pathologization, and internalized devaluation is prevalent in research on how individuals with intellectual disabilities form their sense of self. Logeswaran et al. (2019) found that most individuals recognize their disability label and experience significant negative emotions such as shame, embarrassment, anger, and frustration. These feelings are linked to perceptions of inability and negatively impact relationships and independence. Awareness of societal devaluation starts early, with young people in both mainstream and special schools recognizing societal stigma. This early awareness, along with negative emotional responses, suggests developmental identity damage consistent with insidious trauma.Contributing to this identity damage, Dorozenko et al. (2015) argued that the identities of people with intellectual disabilities are often pathologized, with their behaviors being interpreted as characteristic of their diagnosis rather than recognizing that these behaviors may be...

This paper argues for the development of a disability‐specific trauma‐informed care (TIC) framework to address the unique and layered vulnerabilities of people with disabilities. While TIC has become a leading paradigm in human services and is increasingly recognized in the disability field, it remains inconsistently implemented with limited disability‐specific theoretical development. People with disabilities are not only disproportionately exposed to violence and abuse but also endure subtle, cumulative forms of everyday harm, as well as systemic and historical trauma rooted in ableism and institutionalization. These intersecting experiences are not adequately addressed by current TIC models, which are often hindered by barriers at the individual, organizational, and systemic levels. This paper asserts that a tailored framework is essential to bridge the gap between the ideals of TIC and the reality of service provision, ensuring that care truly fosters healing and avoids re‐traumatization for this population.