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A Call for Papers

Thomas B. Cole, MD, MPH; Annette Flanagin, RN, MA

JAMA. 2006;296:2261-2262.

Too often, trauma is self-perpetuating. On a cataclysmic scale, the adverse consequences of disasters, armed conflicts, and other forms of mass violence include physical injury, displacement, lack of access to food, shelter, and basic health care, preventable diseases, grief, depression, anxiety, intrusion and avoidance of memories, hyperarousal, anger, hatred, substance abuse, and feelings of revenge, consequences that may lead to further violence and trauma.^1-5 Investigators have studied the impact of disasters, armed conflicts, and other forms of violence on affected populations, but whether the cycles of violence can be broken has been beyond the scope of most current health research.

Recent efforts to assess^5-7 and respond⁸ to the mental health consequences of social cataclysms have achieved promising results but have raised further questions about the need for and appropriateness of mental health services on a large scale. By analogy with services for physical trauma, researchers have asked how mental health assessments can be used to triage survivors for acute counseling, long-term treatment services, or practical assistance to resume their livelihoods and regain control of their lives. In the context of a world turned upside down, symptoms and signs often defined as abnormal may instead be normal coping responses to abnormal circumstances^1-2,7 and may resolve as communities are put back together again and individuals are empowered to resume their social responsibilities.

Researchers are also asking how best to interrupt cycles of violence within families.^9-11 Parents who were abused in childhood are more likely to abuse their own children^10-11 as well as other adults.¹² What factors determine whether abused children will grow up to harm themselves¹³ or others? Home visitation by nurses has been shown to prevent antisocial behavior associated with harsh parenting.¹² Are other interventions likely to be feasible and effective? Child abuse is also a risk factor for dating violence in adolescence.¹⁴ Are patterns of intimate partner violence established in adolescence, and are they modifiable then or later? The lifetime prevalence of physical or sexual partner violence against women has been estimated to range from 15% to 71% in studies conducted all over the world.¹⁵ Abused women are routinely advised to escape abusive relationships, but what are the best ways to empower women to avoid abusive relationships in the future?

In a continued effort to promote and disseminate research that addresses these questions and the needs of survivors of disasters, armed conflicts, mass trauma, and interpersonal violence, JAMA will publish its annual theme issue on violence and human rights on August 1, 2007. We invite manuscripts reporting the results of original research on the causes, consequences, and prevention of violence and human rights abuses. We are particularly interested in randomized controlled trials of interventions to address these public health problems, but we will also consider observational studies, systematic reviews, and commentaries. Manuscripts received by March 1, 2007, will have the best chance of consideration for publication in this theme issue. All manuscripts will undergo JAMA's usual rigorous editorial evaluation and peer review. Please follow JAMA's instructions for authors¹⁶ for manuscript preparation and submission.

Empowerment is a common theme in much of the current research on violence and human rights. Evidence is emerging that a promising approach to reducing the incidence and impact of violence and human rights abuses is to empower those who have been abused or displaced to take control of their lives and regain their self-esteem and hope for the future. Perhaps in this way the cycles of violence can be broken.

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Financial Disclosures: None reported.

Editorials represent the opinions of the authors and JAMA and not those of the American Medical Association.

Author Affiliations: Dr Cole (tbcole{at}bellsouth.net) is a Contributing Editor and Ms Flanagin (annette.flanagin{at}jama-archives.org) is Managing Deputy Editor, JAMA.

REFERENCES
1. Silove D, Bryant R. Rapid assessments of mental health needs after disasters. JAMA. 2006;296:576-578. FREE FULL TEXT 2. Bolton P, Stichick Betancourt T. Mental health in postwar Afghanistan. JAMA. 2004;292:626-628. FREE FULL TEXT 3. Stevens LM, Lynm C, Glass RM. Posttraumatic stress disorder. JAMA. 2006;296:614. FREE FULL TEXT 4. Weisler RH, Barbee JG IV, Townsend MH. Mental health and recovery in the Gulf Coast after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. JAMA. 2006;296:585-588. FREE FULL TEXT 5. Pham PN, Weinstein HM, Longman T. Trauma and PTSD symptoms in Rwanda: implications for attitudes toward justice and reconciliation. JAMA. 2004;292:602-612. FREE FULL TEXT 6. Porter M, Haslam N. Predisplacement and postdisplacement factors associated with mental health of refugees and internally displaced persons. JAMA. 2005;294:602-612. FREE FULL TEXT 7. Hotopf M, Wessely S. Neuropsychological changes following military service in Iraq: case proven, but what is the significance? JAMA. 2006;296:574-575. FREE FULL TEXT 8. Bolton P, Bass J, Neugebauer R, et al. Group interpersonal psychotherapy for depression in rural Uganda: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2003;289:3117-3124. FREE FULL TEXT 9. MacMillan HL, Wathen CN. Family violence research: lessons learned and where from here? JAMA. 2005;294:618-620. FREE FULL TEXT 10. Dixon L, Browne K, Hamilton-Giachritsis C. Risk factors of parents abused as children: a mediational analysis of the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment (part 1). J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2005;46:47-57. FULL TEXT | ISI | PUBMED 11. Pears KC, Capaldi DM. Intergenerational transmission of abuse: a two-generational prospective study of an at-risk sample. Child Abuse Negl. 2001;25:1439-1461. FULL TEXT | ISI | PUBMED 12. Olds D, Henderson CR, Cole R, et al. Long-term effects of nurse home visitation on children's criminal and antisocial behavior: 15-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 1998;280:1238-1244. FREE FULL TEXT 13. Dube SR, Anda RF, Felitti VJ, Chapman DP, Williamson DF, Giles WH. Childhood abuse, household dysfunction, and the risk of attempted suicide throughout the life span: findings from the Adverse Childhood Experiences study. JAMA. 2001;286:3089-3096. FREE FULL TEXT 14. Foshee VA, Benefield TS, Ennett ST, Bauman KE, Suchindran C. Longitudinal predictors of serious physical and sexual dating violence victimization during adolescence. Prev Med. 2004;39:1007-1016. FULL TEXT | ISI | PUBMED 15. Garcia-Moreno C, Jansen HAFM, Ellsberg M, Heise L, Watts CH, on behalf of the WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women Study Team. Prevalence of intimate partner violence: findings from the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence. Lancet. 2006;368:1260-1269. FULL TEXT | ISI | PUBMED 16. JAMA instructions for authors. JAMA. 2006;296:107-116. http://jama.ama-assn.org/misc/ifora.dtl. Accessed October 9, 2006.

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