Crises in the Anthropocene

ABSTRACT

2022 was a year of crises, not just one but multiple intersecting crises that caused traumatic stress in billions of people worldwide. COVID-19 is still not over. New wars have started, and the climate change impact is bigger than ever. Will the Anthropocene be an era of continued crises? This past year the European Journal of Psychotraumatology (EJPT) has again tried to contribute to how to prevent or treat the consequences of these major crises as well as other events and we will continue to do so the year to come. For instance, we will have special issues or collections addressing these big issues, such as climate change and traumatic stress, or early intervention after trauma or in times of conflict. In this editorial, we also present the past year's excellent journal metrics regarding reach, impact, and quality and the ESTSS EJPT award finalists for best paper of 2022 and look forward to 2023.

HIGHLIGHTS

• 2022 was a year of multiple intersecting crises causing traumatic stress to billions of people around the world.

• European Journal of Psychotraumatology (EJPT) aims to contribute to how to understand, prevent or treat the consequences of these major crises.

• EJPT's editorial team again achieved excellent journal metrics regarding reach, impact, and quality in 2022.

KEYWORDS:

• Crisis
• war
• COVID-19
• climate change
• psychotrauma
• PTSD
• metrics

1. Crisis after crisis

The year 2022 might be characterized by cascading and intersecting crises that culminated in traumatic stress for billions of individuals worldwide. While the COVID-19 pandemic still has an impact on the mental health of children and adults in large parts of the world (e.g., BinDhim et al., 2021; Lotzin et al., 2022; Olff et al., 2021; Richardson et al., 2022; Vasileva et al., 2021), 2022 will be remembered as the year of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. It has caused unimaginable amounts of traumatic stress in the people directly affected and among all age groups and genders in Europe and around the world (e.g., Schwartz et al., 2022). There are increased poverty, gas, and food shortages, and the war is causing one of the largest refugee crises in modern times (Javanbakht, 2022). Unfortunately, the war in Ukraine is not the only armed conflict worldwide. There are currently more active conflicts than ever since 1945, resulting in more than 82 million forcibly displaced persons (UNHCR, 2022).

On top of armed conflict and COVID-19 the other big crisis is that of climate change. Climate change, directly and indirectly, impacts the field of traumatic stress (Cuijpers et al., 2023; Massazza et al., 2022; Olff, 2017, 2019, 2022; Zhang et al., 2022). It represents an immediate and ongoing threat to the population's mental health, with extreme weather events, such as the floods in Pakistan, the Atlantic hurricanes, or the droughts in East Africa and the Northern hemisphere, affecting rural and urban communities and increasing tensions around the world. Climate change has led to a sharp increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters (e.g. Berry et al., 2018; Otto, 2018; Zhang et al., 2022). Problems of deforestation, draughts and water shortage, soil degradation, etc. may fosters wars and drive emigration. Also, biodiversity is shrinking under our eyes.

Although there is debate on the exact mechanisms linking climate and conflict there seems to be overall agreement that climate change is a risk factor for violent conflict within countries, including organized armed conflict (Burke et al., 2009; Hendrix et al., 2023; Mach et al., 2019). There are obviously country specific causes of conflict, and it is important to understand the histories of conflict and local responses to climate change to prevent spread of conflict (Namasaka, 2015). Conflict, COVID-19, and climate change together further undermine global food security (UN SDG report, 2022), with the most vulnerable populations being the most impacted. The psychological, physical, economic, and social impacts of climate change are disproportionately felt by people already experiencing a range of adversities (e.g., Berry et al., 2018; see also https://www.global-psychotrauma.net/climate-change-projects), deepening existing inequalities and creating new vulnerabilities that impact the field of psychotraumatology.

As the late Dutch Nobel prize laureate, the scientist Paul J. Crutzen argued, we may have entered a new epoch. He called it the Anthropocene, the time when humans became a global geological force and moved the planet outside of their natural limits (Crutzen, 2002; Crutzen & Stoermer, 2000). Will the Anthropocene be an era of continued crises? One of the important aspects of coping with crises is to provide hope (Hobfoll et al., 2007). There is hope in the important anthropogenic success of the recently demonstrated ozone layer recovery (United Nations, 2023). There is also hope in that we can change our behaviour such as our consumption patterns (Akhmat et al., 2014; Shwom & Lorenzen, 2012). People have been arguing for ‘degrowth’ for over a decade, but it finally seems to resonate. The aim is to transform societies to ensure environmental justice and a good life for all within planetary boundaries. Interestingly, the term stems from Latin, and the Italian and French words based on it refer to a river going back to its normal flow after a disastrous flood’ (https://degrowth.info/degrowth). With all the floods this year, this seems a welcome phenomenon.

Can we in psychotraumatology contribute to reversing some of the consequences of these anthropogenic contributions to the crises of the Anthropocene? In the coming year, EJPT will aim again to present information on how to understand, prevent or treat the consequences of these major crises. But first, this editorial summarizes the journal’s performance in 2022 and is looking forward to 2023.

2. What did we publish in 2022

Figure 1 shows a visualization of the content of published articles in EJPT in 2022, based on article titles and abstracts using VOSviewer (van Eck & Waltman, 2017; www.vosviewer.com). We see the many COVID-19 articles; clearly, this crisis is not over yet. While we opened to special issues addressing climate change and early interventions to conflict or crises (see below) and received a considerable number of papers addressing these topics, these are not yet reflected in the density plot of last year’s papers.

Figure 1. Visualization of content in 2022 in EJPT based on PubMed article titles and abstracts (VOSviewer).

3. EJPT Metrics

3.1 Article downloads

Article downloads by region in 2022 per continent show a good distribution around the globe, with about one-third from Europe, one-third from North America, and one-third from the rest of the world. South America and Africa are still relatively underrepresented. It is interesting to see the Philippines enter the top 10 countries with the most full-text downloads (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Full text downloads by region and country.

The top 5 most downloaded articles in 2022 were:

1. Resilience definitions, theory, and challenges: interdisciplinary perspectives (Southwick et al., 2014)

2. Trauma and PTSD in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys (Kessler et al., 2017)

3. Psychological therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder in adults: systematic review and meta-analysis (Lewis et al., 2020a)

4. Distinguishing PTSD, Complex PTSD, and Borderline Personality Disorder: A latent class analysis (Cloitre et al., 2014)

5. Somatic experiencing – effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy: a scoping literature review (Kuhfuß et al., 2021)

3.1 Citations and impact factor

In 2022, 12 years after its launch in 2010, the 13th Volume of EJPT was published (Olff, 2010, 2022; Olff & Seedat, 2021). In June 2022, EJPT was accepted by MEDLINE, the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) premier bibliographic database that contains references to journal articles in life sciences. MEDLINE is one of the most important and difficult databases to get in. The content of biomedical articles is described by assigning subject terms the so-called Medical Subject Headings (MeSH).

The journal’s 2021 record high Impact Factor was 5.783, an increase from 4.071 in 2020 (see Figure 3). The journal’s 5-year impact factor was also high – 6.109 and achieved other favourable metrics such as the highest subject category ranking in the Journal Citation Reports (Q1). The impact factor is created by Clarivate Analytics/Web of Science, but there is also the CiteScore by Scopus, which gives an average over four years. Having said that, these are all numbers created by big companies, and there are other indicators which are as necessary, including, for instance, Altmetrics, which shows how articles are being picked up in real life, like social and news media.

Figure 3. Citation metrics and Impact factor development – European Journal of Psychotraumatology.

The top 10 cited articles after 2020 are listed in Figure 4. Dr Catrin Lewis and colleagues from Cardiff have written several excellent reviews that clearly are relevant to the field. Altmetrics are also presented in Figure 4, with an obvious interest by press and social media in the paper by Greene et al. (2021) on the predictors of mental health outcomes in UK frontline staff and social care workers in times of COVID-19. EJPT is also active on Twitter with @Psychotraumatol.

Figure 4. Top 10 cited articles from 2020 – European Journal of Psychotraumatology.

Note: 1. Lewis et al., 2020a; 2. Lewis et al., 2020b; 3. Chao et al., 2020; 4. Greene et al., 2021; 5. Skogbrott et al., 2020; 6. Allan et al., 2020; 7. Ertan et al., 2020; 8. Haahr-Pedersen et al., 2020; 9. Sander et al., 2020; 10. Schmidt et al., 2021.

4. Special issues

EJPT regularly opens up topics we wish to put in the spotlight and publishes special issues or collections. On the journal homepage open calls are listed. Papers are published one by one, as soon as possible after acceptance, from when the call is open.

Currently, these issues are in progress:

1. Early intervention in the aftermath of trauma: assessment and response

   Submission deadline 30 April 2023

   Guest editor: Rodrigo A. Figueroa

   •  The conflict in Ukraine and the wildfires in Europe, among other calamities, remind us once again that disasters and collective trauma are rampant. Beneath these obvious and massive events, there is a daily, subtle and protracted flow of smaller-scale traumatic events spreading along our streets, homes, and workplaces, such as traffic accidents, assaults, and domestic violence. The need for effective immediate interventions to identify those at risk, deliver rapid distress relief and prevent emerging psychopathology is urgent.

       What is the state-of-the-art in the field of early intervention?

       Read more about the call here.

2. Climate Change, Disasters and Traumatic Stress

   Submission deadline 01 June 2023

   Guest Editors: Prof. Meaghan O'Donnell and Prof. Lawrence Palinkas.

   •  Global climate change has increased the rate and intensity of environmental hazards and disasters. Climate change can be considered in terms of acute and extreme weather events such as wildfires and hurricanes, sub-acute weather events that last months or years such as droughts, and permanently altered environments that can become uninhabitable. The mental health impacts on populations can be severe, cumulative and devastating. This special issue of EJPT is dedicated to bringing a trauma perspective to advancing our understanding of responding to, and recovering from, the impacts of climate change.

       Read more about the call here.

3. Understanding, Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence

   Submission deadline 01 June 2023

   Guest Editor: Dr Emily R. Dworkin

   •  A half-century of scholarly research has compellingly documented the prevalence and impact of sexual violence and has yielded highly effective treatments for its psychological effects. More than fifteen years after Tarana Burke first coined the phrase ‘Me Too,’ and five years after the first groundswell of the #MeToo movement, the broader public awareness of the prevalence and impact of sexual violence is perhaps higher than ever. Despite this remarkable progress of science and advocacy, sexual violence still occurs at high rates, and too many survivors cannot access effective support or treatment. This special issue aims to highlight research that aims to amplify the magnitude of our scientific progress by using a public health lens to reduce the population-level prevalence and harms of sexual violence.

       See also Olff (2022) or read more about the call here.

The following issues/collections are in their final stages:

• Complementary and integrative interventions for PTSD (with Barbara Niles and Ariel Lang)

• Biological mechanisms underlying adverse mental health outcomes after trauma (with Mirjam van Zuiden)

• Moral injury: recent developments beyond the military and future directions (with Jackie June ter Heide)

• Stress, trauma, and related conditions in the military, first responders, healthcare professionals and their families (with Cherie Armour)

• Understanding the mental health impacts of COVID-19 through a trauma lens – part 2 (with Soraya Seedat)

• Integrating and evaluating sex and gender in psychotrauma research (with Willie Langeland)

5. ESTSS EJPT best paper of 2022 award

By the end of 2022, associate and guest (ex)editors, editorial board members, abstract translators and members of the ESTSS board were invited to nominate papers for the ESTSS EJPT 2022 award. Criteria were the same as for the past awards: sound methodology, relevance for clinical practice, innovation, global reach, outstanding science, theoretically advancing the field, thought-provoking, etc. We received 60 votes. The finalists are presented in Table 1, including some quotes about motivations. The award winner will be announced at the ESTSS Conference in Belfast June 14-17.

Table 1. Finalists for the ESTSS EJPT best paper of 2022.

Title (author, year)	Why
1. The ABCDE psychological first aid intervention decreases early PTSD symptoms but does not prevent it: results of a randomized-controlled trial (Figueroa et al., 2022)	Contributes to knowledge regarding interventions in South-America and globally. Early intervention never gets the attention it deserves. This is especially relevant and of interest with the Ukraine. This may emerge as a high impact article. Great to see the much-needed evidence base re PFA develop; the article’s nuanced conclusions help the field forward. Finally a long awaited RCT on the much speculated efficacy of PFA as preventive intervention for PTSD This paper addresses the effectiveness and safety of a widely used early intervention that was urgently needing evidence for a long time.
2. Fully remote intensive trauma-focused treatment for PTSD and Complex PTSD (Bongaerts et al., 2022)	There is an urgent need for evidence about the effectiveness and safety of remote interventions for post-traumatic stress conditions, in particular after COVID-19 Pretty cool that you can do an intensive treatment fully remotely... Importance of testing the efficacy of online interventions for PTSD treatment. These data, combined with other studies, may help in democratizing the access to specialized care to different regions of the globe.
3. Trauma-related dissociation and the autonomic nervous system: a systematic literature review of psychophysiological correlates of dissociative experiencing in PTSD patients (Beutler et al., 2022)	This review provides an important overview on psychophysiological correlates of peri- and post-traumatic dissociation. Given the widely accepted, yet scientifically not well-founded assumption that dissociation is linked to hypoarousal, the review is not only clinically relevant but also of importance for future research assessing dissociation. Advancing the field, thought provoking
4. Mapping the availability of translated versions of posttraumatic stress disorder screening questionnaires for adults: A scoping review (Hofmann et al., 2023)	It is an important and valuable overview to know which screening measurements are available and in which languages for both researchers and clinicians. Most instruments are developed in English and too little attention is paid to the translations and validation procedures in that connection. This paper can hopefully help to eliminate duplicate translations as well as to create an opening for focusing on applying more rigorous validation methods. Although, the study does not have specific recommendations for this, it is likely to help form the basis for moving translations and validation studies beyond simple forward/back-translations and construct validity towards cultural sensitive translations and diagnostic accuracy. Useful and practical contribution for non-English populations around the world, there is too little attention for LMIC research
5. Feasibility and acceptability of Problem Management Plus (PM+) among Syrian refugees and asylum seekers in Switzerland: a mixed-method pilot randomized controlled trial (Spaaij et al., 2023).	Important evidence to disseminate PM+, a layperson intervention for trauma. Excellent and important population Much needed research but not so easy to do research in these vulnerable populations.
6. Having permission not to remember: perspectives on interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder in the absence of trauma memory (May et al., 2022)	It addresses an important, challenging and understudied real-life clinical problem. A fascinating read on a clinically relevant issue! This is a bit of an oddball choice but addresses an issue that was never properly resolved and begins to reframe this very important issue in clinical rather than political terms.

6. Editorial team

Finally, I would like to thank our editorial board, with an excellent team of Associate Editors and the larger editorial board committed to reviewing for the journal. Thanks to their active involvement, we can publish high-quality papers and have a first decision within several weeks (a median of 42 days for the first decisions in 2022). Many thanks also to the Guest Editors and external reviewers, without whom we could not do it.

A special thanks to Siri Thoresen who is leaving the team after many years of excellent service.

Individuals interested to join the team of associate editors please send your application letter and curriculum vitae to [email protected], especially non-Western candidates are asked to apply.

In the coming year, we hope again to contribute to the Psychotraumatology field in a meaningful way. With the ongoing crises, it will be more needed than ever. Together we can work towards creating a positive influence on human behaviour and turn around the dramatic developments of the Anthropocene.