Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
Submission Guidelines
Prior to submission, please carefully read and follow the submission guidelines detailed below. Manuscripts that do not conform to the submission guidelines may be returned without review.
Submissions are handled only through our Editorial Manager platform, and the only official journal website is through APA. If you believe you interacted with a fraudulent website for this journal, please email APA Journals. Review our resource for authors for more information on identifying predatory journals.
Submission
To submit to the editorial office of Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, please submit manuscripts electronically through the Manuscript Submission Portal in Microsoft Word or Open Office format (odt), or LaTex (.tex) as a zip file with an accompanied Portable Document Format (.pdf) of the manuscript file.
Prepare manuscripts according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association using the 7th edition. Manuscripts may be copyedited for bias-free language (see Chapter 5 of the Publication Manual). APA Style and Grammar Guidelines for the 7th edition are available.
For additional information, please visit the APA website for the journal and thoroughly read the directions and instructions on the Editorial Manager platform.
Mission & Scope
Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy® publishes empirical research on the psychological effects of trauma. The journal is intended to be a forum for an interdisciplinary discussion on trauma, blending science, theory, practice, and policy.
The journal publishes empirical research on a wide range of trauma-related topics, including:
- Psychological treatments and effects
- Promotion of education about effects of and treatment for trauma
- Assessment and diagnosis of trauma
- Pathophysiology of trauma reactions
- Health services (delivery of services to trauma populations)
- Epidemiological studies and risk factor studies
- Neuroimaging studies
- Trauma and cultural competence
The journal publishes articles that use experimental and correlational methods and qualitative analyses, if applicable.
All research reports should reflect methodologically rigorous designs that aim to significantly enhance the field's understanding of trauma. Such reports should be based on good theoretical foundations and integrate theory and data. Manuscripts should be of sufficient length to ensure theoretical and methodological competence.
Recent Articles from Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
- The bidirectional relationship between PTSD and psychosis.
- A conceptual review of phenomenological links between trauma and the content of psychotic symptoms.
- Assessment of childbirth-related PTSD: Psychometric properties of the Ukrainian version of the City Birth Trauma Scale.
- Society versus self: Who stops sexual assault—culture or individuals?
- Validation of the polish city birth trauma scale: Links to sensory processing sensitivity and birth satisfaction.
- Deciphering the impact of childhood trauma on schizophrenia: A qualitative case study of dialogical aspects.
- Examination of posttraumatic stress symptoms and posttraumatic growth after high-magnitude earthquakes in Kahramanmaras.
- The bidirectional relationship of PTSD and psychosis: Conceptualization of prevention of comorbidity and intervention for bidirectionality.
- Correction to “Uncovering key predictors to posttraumatic growth: How do Turkish university students overcome traumatic experiences” by Doğançay and Doğan (2025).
- Optimizing access to PTSD treatment: Leveraging massed treatment delivery via telehealth and interjurisdictional compacts in the United States.
- Brief Posttraumatic Maladaptive Beliefs Scale (B-PMBS): Proposing a brief measure of posttraumatic cognitions about self and others.
- Ethnic–racial identity and racial trauma: The role of emotional avoidance.
- Traumatic exposure in a cross-sectional, national sample of transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive (TNGE) Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC).
- Race-based trauma severity modulates avoidance of positive emotions among minoritized people.
- Operationalizing psychological trauma in pregnancy: A systematic review.
Editorial Board
Editor-in-Chief
Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD
Texas Tech University School of Medicine at Amarillo, United States
Associate Editors
Tyson Bailey, PsyD
Kenmore, Washington, United States
Diane Elmore Borbon, PhD, MPH
Duke University School of Medicine, United States
Paul Frewen, PhD
Western University, Ontario, Canada
Sylvia Marotta-Walters, PhD
George Washington University, United States
Sandra Mattar, PsyD
Boston University School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center & Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology, United States
Ian H. Stanley, PhD
University of Colorado, United States
Jack Tsai, PhD
University of Texas at San Antonio, United States
Rachel Wamser, PhD
University of Missouri–St. Louis, United States
Associate Editor for Statistics
Zhen Cong, PhD
University of Texas at Arlington, United States
Editorial Board
Stephen Abeyta, PhD
New York University, United States
Shane Adams, PhD
VA Palo Alto Health Care System, United States
Dean Ajdukovic, PhD
University of Zagreb, Croatia
Urwah Ali, MPhil
Foundation University Islamabad, Pakistan
Carolyn Allard, PhD
University of California at San Diego, United States
Virgínia Alves, PhD Student
University of Minho, Portugal
Siraj Alyami, MA
Ashford University, United States
Hadis Amiri, PhD
Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran