Psychological Trauma Research Group

Psychological Trauma Research Group

Our research aims to understand and mitigate the distress and psychological trauma, such as PTSD, that arise from traumatic experiences.

label Research theme
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Associate Professor David Berle

About

Our research investigates psychological adjustment to trauma with a particular focus on the following questions:

  1. How do threat-related and moral-related aspects of traumatic experiences intersect in compounding difficulties in adjusting to trauma?
  2. What is the relationship between trauma exposure and developmental history in increasing a person’s risk of Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD)?
  3. What is the role of sleep in promoting helpful adjustment to trauma?

We also conduct research on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), including the nature of obsessional thoughts and the ways in which people with OCD manage their distress.

Our research uses experimental methods, prospective observational studies, secondary analyses of population-level datasets and systematic reviews and meta-analyses to explore these questions.

We are also involved in a number of research and program evaluation collaborations with hospital and treatment services.

Members

Leader

David Berle

Associate Professor, Psychology Clinical Program Convenor

Student

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PhD Scholar (Clinical Psychology), School of Medicine and Psychology

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PhD Scholar