Cherie Armour

Queen's University Belfast | QUB · School of Psychology

Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and more complex posttraumatic symptomatology (i.e., dissociative PTSD [D-PTSD] and complex PTSD [CPTSD]) are differently described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) and the International Classification of Diseases (11th ed.; ICD-11). Although the choice of...

Criminal victimization is associated with an increased risk of violent offending, which can be motivated by revenge. Experiencing revenge desire could also be harmful for crime victims’ mental health. To limit revenge’s harmful effects, researchers have examined the predictors of revenge desire and attitudes. However, little is known about the pred...

Background The ICD-11 introduced a new diagnosis of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) defined by disturbances in self-organisation in addition to traditional post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. The International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) is the established measure of this construct and has been validated for use in a variety of p...

Feelings of shame can play a role in the development and maintenance of mental disorders. However, the role and measurement of shame in relation to eating disorders remain poorly understood. The current work presents the adaptation of a measure of external and internal shame in relation to eating disorders (EISS-ED) based on an integrative perspect...

Objective: The study aims to build a comprehensive network structure of psychopathology based on patient narratives by combining the merits of both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Research methods: The study web-scraped data from 10,933 people who disclosed a prior DSM/ICD11 diagnosed mental illness when discussing their lived...

Theoretical accounts of recidivistic intimate partner violence (IPV) continue to differ considerably in relation to the relative weight given to psychological risk factors. A systematic overview of studies that have established psychological predictors of reoffending is currently lacking. This study aimed to identify and provide an overview of stud...

Background Chronic pain is common and associated with disruptions in quality of life (QoL) and psychosocial functioning. These issues are particularly pronounced in veterans, although data in this regard primarily come from the United States Veterans Affairs System, meaning less is known regarding veterans of other countries and regions. The presen...

Introduction Veterans residing in Northern Ireland (NI) likely experience higher levels of co-occurring lifetime trauma exposure and associated co-occurring mental health symptoms, due to the Troubles. As NI veterans have been subject to little exploration it is difficult to know how to support them. This exploratory study explored the co-occurrenc...

This paper was conducted in the context of a wider study examining the issue of USE and it's impacts on Northern Irish students. However, the current study assessed 469 Northern Irish university students' experiences of participating in research addressing USEs. Participants consisted of those who had a USE and those who had no victimisation experi...

The spectrum, pathophysiology, and recovery trajectory of persistent post-COVID-19 cognitive deficits are unknown, limiting our ability to develop prevention and treatment strategies. We report the one-year cognitive, serum biomarker, and neuroimaging findings from a prospective, national study of cognition in 351 COVID-19 patients who had required...

Background Veteran residents in Northern Ireland (NI) are an under-researched population. Little is known about their experiences of trauma and mental health management. The overall mental well-being of veterans living in NI may be poorer than other veteran populations, due to the challenges presented by the unique landscape. Understanding their ex...

LAY SUMMARY Community reintegration refers to the period during which a person transitions from military service to civilian life. In the United Kingdom, understanding of the mental health impacts of community reintegration is limited because of the lack of research in this area. This study explored the extent to which a range of different aspects...

Background: Trauma exposure prevalence and consequent post-traumatic stress disorder among South African adolescents are significant. Sleep disturbances are among the most frequently reported difficulties faced by those dealing with PTSD. The current study examined the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the South African Adolescence Group Slee...

Antidepressants are the most common treatment for moderate or severe depression. Side effects are crucial indicators for antidepressants, but their expression varies widely among individuals. In this study, we leveraged genetic and medical data from self-reported questionnaires in the Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression (GLAD) study to build pr...

Background The 11th International Classification of Diseases introduces the diagnosis of Complex PTSD (CPTSD); characterized by traditional PTSD symptomology plus Disturbances in Self Organisation. Part of this construct involves feeling socially disconnected from others, suggesting that aspects of group and individual identity may be associated wi...

Background Bereavement is a globally prevalent life stressor, but in some instances, it may be followed by a persistent condition of grief and distress, codified within the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Network analysis provides a valuable framework for understanding psychol...

One in ten severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections result in prolonged symptoms termed long coronavirus disease (COVID), yet disease phenotypes and mechanisms are poorly understood ¹ . Here we profiled 368 plasma proteins in 657 participants ≥3 months following hospitalization. Of these, 426 had at least one long COVID symptom an...

LAY SUMMARY Military life can negatively affect partner health/well-being and their sense of identity during and after service. To date, most research has focused on the identities of personnel post-transition, with little examining partner identities. Using interviews with 37 current and former partners (31 female, 6 male) from the UK Veterans Fam...

Background The ICD-11 introduced a new diagnosis of Complex PTSD (CPTSD) defined by Disturbances in Self Organisation in addition to traditional PTSD symptoms. The International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) is the established measure of this construct and has been validated for use in a variety of populations and languages, however evidence for the m...

Introduction: Seeking treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) distress can be complicated by a variety of internal and external factors that prevent an individual from seeking care and treatment while distress worsens. This is especially true for hidden populations with an extensive trauma history, such as UK Armed Forces Veterans residi...

Background Multiple factors influence posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk in trauma exposed individuals. An established association exists between trait resilience and decreased PTSD distress and between emotion regulation (ER) ability/flexibility and trait resilience. Typologies in ER ability/flexibility, associated with trait resilience and...

Background Veteran residents in Northern Ireland (NI) are an under-researched population. Little is known of their experiences of trauma and mental health management. The overall mental health of veterans living in NI may be poorer than other veteran populations, due to the challenges presented by the unique landscape. Understanding their experienc...

Background: There are two primary competing diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). These systems differ in terms of the number and nature of PTSD symptoms, the implied latent structure of the disorder, and associated posttrauma...

Background The striking increase in COVID-19 severity in older adults provides a clear example of immunesenescence, the age-related remodelling of the immune system. To better characterise the association between convalescent immunesenescence and acute disease severity, we determined the immune phenotype of COVID-19 survivors and non-infected contr...

Purpose Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global problem with severe health and human rights implications. However, prevention of IPV recidivism has proved difficult, with high levels of treatment non-adherence including failure to complete IPV perpetration programs. Method The present study involved gathering data from the records of 169 men c...

While substantial prevalence rates of intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) have been found among university students for decades in North America, there is a specific gap in published studies on this issue in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The present analysis used data from a larger survey study of students in one Northern Irish university. Th...

Background Early studies of common mental disorders (CMDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic mainly report increases; however, more recent findings have been mixed. Also, studies assessing the effects of restriction measures on CMDs show varied results. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess changes in levels of CMDs from pre-/early to during the p...

Objectives Little is known about whether distress tolerance and anxiety mediate the relationship between comorbid complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) and alcohol use among military veterans. Here, we investigated the contribution of distress tolerance and anxiety on the strength of the CPTSD and alcohol use association. We hypothesized th...

Background Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs more commonly in military veterans than the general population. Whilst current therapies are effective, up to half of veterans commencing treatment do not complete it. Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM) protocol is a novel, easy to train, talking therapy with promising findings. We ex...

Background Impairment in daily activities, such as work and socialising, is part of the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD) and most anxiety disorders. Despite evidence suggesting that symptom severity and functional impairment are partially distinct, functional impairment is often overlooked. We aimed to estimate the heritabili...

Introduction The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods In a prospec...

Whilst prevalence rates of unwanted sexual experiences (USEs) and their association on Higher Education Institution students have been extensively researched for decades in the United States of America (US), there is a dearth of published studies on this topic in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland. The current study reviewed existing peer-reviewed...

Background The Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression (GLAD) Study is a large cohort of individuals with lifetime anxiety and/or depression, designed to facilitate re-contact of participants for mental health research. At the start of the pandemic, participants from three cohorts, including the GLAD Study, were invited to join the COVID-19 Psychia...

Background: There is evidence to suggest that the experience of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) may be commonly associated with elevated risk for several mental ill-health comorbidities.Objective: The current study seeks to contribute to the growing literature on C-PTSD comorbidity by examining the relationship between C-PTSD and ot...

Objectives: People with bipolar disorder who also report binge eating have increased psychopathology and greater impairment than those without binge eating. Whether this co-occurrence is related to binge eating as a symptom or presents differently across full-syndrome eating disorders with binge eating is unclear. Methods: We first compared netw...

Background Previous research suggests that auditory hallucinations are prevalent within both the clinical and general populations. Yet, we know little about how these phenomena are associated with other psychopathology symptoms and experiences. The current study aids investigations towards preventing, predicting and more effectively responding to s...

Background: The risk factors for recovery from COVID-19 dyspnoea are poorly understood. We investigated determinants of recovery from dyspnoea in adults with COVID-19 and compared these to determinants of recovery from non-COVID-19 dyspnoea. Methods: We used data from two prospective cohort studies: PHOSP-COVID (patients hospitalised between Mar...

Background: There are two primary competing diagnostic criteria for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). These systems differ in terms of the number and nature of PTSD symptoms, the implied latent structure of the disorder, and associated post-trau...

The variation in the definition of a veteran, and the preference for quantitative methods, has created mixed findings regarding the process of veteran help-seeking (HS) for mental health/alcohol issues. To understand HS enablers/barriers for those having ceased military employment, a systematic review of qualitative HS literature is warranted. Six...

Lack of sexual consent forms the foundation of unwanted (and nonconsensual) sexual experiences (USEs), yet research suggests it is not well understood amongst university students. While the prevalence of USEs has been well documented within the university context, less is known about how sexual consent is defined or measured. This review aims to id...

Objective: Research exploring the enablers and barriers that exist for military veterans seeking to address their poor mental health has produced ambiguous results. To identify the enablers and barriers correctly, this study systematically reviews the literature, including research that included alcohol and had a clearly defined veteran population...

Coercive control and related research have progressed significantly in the past number of years, with an ever-growing evidence base adding to its construct. However, currently there is a lack of evidence on young people’s knowledge and understanding of coercive control. We included a module of questions in the 2020 Northern Ireland Young Life and L...

Providing efficient psychosocial support for survivors of sexual assault is of critical societal importance. Around the globe, technology-based solutions (eHealth) are increasingly being used to accomplish this task, especially following COVID-19. Despite increased importance and reliance on eHealth for sexual assault, minimal efforts have been mad...

LAY SUMMARY Experiencing stressful or traumatic events in childhood has been linked with negative outcomes later in adulthood, one of which is involvement with the criminal justice system. This study explored whether there was a relationship between experiencing stressful life events in childhood and incarceration in adulthood (post-military servic...

Background: The Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression (GLAD) Study is a large cohort of individuals with lifetime anxiety and/or depression, designed to facilitate re-contact of participants for mental health research. At the start of the pandemic, participants from three cohorts, including the GLAD Study, were invited to join the COVID-19 Psychi...

The study of psychological resilience outcomes post-trauma has grown in popularity, however the theoretical processes promoting wellbeing remains disparate and contested. Recent research has sought to quantitatively validate the Flexibility Sequence theory, however the evidence base lacks granular assessment of how the processes within this theory...

Background Progress towards stratified care for anxiety and depression will require the identification of new predictors. We collected data on retrospectively self-reported therapeutic outcomes in adults who received psychological therapy in the UK in the past ten years. We aimed to replicate factors associated with traditional treatment outcome me...

The relationship between posttraumatic stress (PTS) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) has been extensively studied; however, the nature of the relationship remains unclear. Inconsistencies in the literature could be, in part, due to the use of variable level approaches. Person centered methods may further our understanding of this relationship, as the...

The study investigated reactions to research participation that university students in Northern Ireland had after participating in a survey on sexual violence.

Background Anxiety and depressive disorders often co-occur and the order of their emergence may be associated with different clinical outcomes. However, minimal research has been conducted on anxiety-anxiety comorbidity. This study examined factors associated with anxiety comorbidity and anxiety-MDD temporal sequence. Methods Online, self-report d...

Objective: The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with poor mental health, including increases in eating disorders and self-harm symptoms. We investigated risk and protective factors for the new onset of these symptoms during the pandemic. Method: Data were from the COVID-19 Psychiatry and Neurological Genetics study...

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs more commonly in military veterans than the general population. Whilst current therapies are effective, up to half of veterans commencing treatment don’t complete it. Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM) protocol is a novel, easy to train, talking therapy with promising US findings. We...

Compared to US university students, far less is known about the scale of unwanted and non-consensual sexual experiences [USEs] faced by UK university students, particularly those in Northern Ireland [NI]. The Sexual Experiences Survey (Short Form [SEF-SFV]) is considered a popular tool for measuring USEs but has not been updated since 2007; there i...

The report focuses on unwanted sexual experiences among Northern Irish university students

Background: Psychological resilience has grown in popularity as a topic of study in psychotraumatology research; however, this concept remains poorly understood and there are several competing theories of resilience. Objective: This study sought to assess the support for one proposed theory of resilience: the flexibility sequence. Method: This stud...

Background In response to COVID-19 there have been lockdowns and restrictions to hospitality services. Drinking behaviours often change in response to traumatic events and changes in the drinking environment, and this is influenced by a range of factors. This study explores self-reported changes in alcohol consumption in the third month of the UK l...

The objective of this study is to review recent literature on the prevalence rates of unwanted sexual experiences (USEs) of higher education institution (HEI) students in the USA, UK and Ireland. The following review questions posed are as follows: 1. What are the estimated prevalence rates of unwanted sexual experiences among HEI students? 2. W...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals are exposed to extreme hazards and workplace stressors. Social media postings by physicians and nurses related to COVID-19 from January 21st to June 1st 2020 were obtained from the Reddit website. Topic modeling via Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) using a machine-learning approach was perform...

Introduction Sleep disturbances (SDs), such as insomnia or regular nightmares, are associated with multiple mental health disorders, most notably PTSD, where SDs are reported in up to 92% of cases. Examining the effect of changing sleep on psychological symptomology is essential to develop the evidence base on the contribution of sleep to mental re...

Introduction An established body of literature has identified that PTSD and dissociation are comorbid. Furthermore, the DSM introduced a dissociative subtype of PTSD into their most recent update; DSM-5. Objectives The current study aimed to examine symptom-level associations between PTSD and dissociation using network analysis among UK Armed Forc...

The accurate definition and assessment of trauma exposure is the foundation for replicable studies of mental health problems following trauma exposure. However, scales developed to assess trauma exposure might vary widely in terms of item content; overlap; and specifications of trauma intensity, frequency, duration, and timing. We compared eight fr...

Military-to-civilian community reintegration in Northern Irish (NI) veterans has not been previously examined. The existing reintegration studies indicate that post-military service life can be challenging for many veterans. The current exploratory study aimed to identify service-related predictors of community reintegration difficulties in a sampl...

Objective: The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with poor mental health, including increases in eating disorder and self-harm symptoms. We investigated risk and protective factors for new onset of these symptoms during the pandemic. Method: Data were from the COVID-19 Psychiatry and Neurological Genetics study and the...

Insights gained from lived experience of mental health issues are increasingly utilised in the delivery of mental health services, reflecting a growing recognition of the value of experiential knowledge. Despite this recognition, there is a dearth of literature on the lived experience of counsellors and psychotherapists, and as such, insight into h...

Background To deliver appropriate mental healthcare interventions and support, it is imperative to be able to distinguish one person from the other. The current classification of mental illness (e.g., DSM) is unable to do that well, indicating the problem of diagnostic heterogeneity between disorders (i.e., the disorder categories have many common...

Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has long been debated with a recent focus on the consequences of having two different diagnostic descriptions of PTSD (i.e., the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition [DSM-5] and the International Classification of Diseases-11th Edition [ICD-11]). Research has modeled PT...

Military service, mental health, and gambling activities and motivations as predictors of problem gambling in a sample of UK AF veterans. Age-and-gender matched veterans (n = 1,037) and non-veterans (n = 1,148) completed an online survey of problem gambling, gambling motivation, mental health (depression and anxiety), and posttraumatic stress disor...

Background No effective pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions exist for patients with long COVID. We aimed to describe recovery 1 year after hospital discharge for COVID-19, identify factors associated with patient-perceived recovery, and identify potential therapeutic targets by describing the underlying inflammatory profiles of the...

Background: Complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) describes the results of complex, prolonged, and/or inescapable trauma, and is typified by avoidance, re-experiencing, sense of threat, affect dysregulation, negative self-concept, and interpersonal disturbances. Additionally, CPTSD is highly comorbid with other common psychopathologies. Ob...

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a worldwide societal concern. Adversities such as IPV are known to impinge upon mental health and socio-economic development. However, much of the existing literature addresses single or dual constructs of IPV abuse rather than capturing the more common polyvictimisation experience and how they impact on mental he...

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociation have long been associated with each other. In recent years, studies have examined support for the dissociative subtype of PTSD in several different populations. To date, no study has examined whether this subtype exists in UK Armed Forces military veterans residing in Northern Irelan...