Trauma Coping and Growth lab

The lab actively collaborates with labs in Israel and around the world. Childhood Maltreatment: Childhood maltreatment is associated with altered responses to social stimuli and interpersonal signals. Our previous study found that individuals who experienced greater child maltreatment prefer to keep a larger distance from both friends and strangers. This may suggest a general tendency to keep a social distance and an impaired ability to react differently in close and distant relationships. Here, 
we aim to test the role of updating biases in childhood maltreatment as a function of social closeness. The results may shed light on possible mechanisms that account for maladaptive social behavior in individuals who experienced childhood maltreatment and may pave the way to develop personalized interventions that treat social-related updating biases.

The countries collaborating on this research are:
Singapore Institute of Technology Kurume University, Japan
Federal Armed Forces University, Munich
Koç University School of Medicine, Turkey
Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Peru University of Barcelona, Spain
Koç University School of Medicine, Turkey
Mid Sweden University, Sweden
University of Zurich, Switzerland
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai
University of Fribourg, Switzerland
University of Zurich, Switzerland
McGill University, Canada
Saarland University, Germany
 

Repeated Exposure to Trauma: Responses to repeated trauma exposure are varied; 
whereas some individuals develop psychopathological symptoms, others do not. Our goal is to understand the differences between individuals, particularly how cognitive and regulatory flexibility moderates the relationship between repeated trauma exposure and the development of psychopathological symptoms. As part of these studies, we collaborate with Columbia University, NYC. Cognitive Mechanisms of Social Anxiety: Difficulties in flexibly updating social behaviors are associated with social anxiety (SA) and may impair adaptive social functioning. Previous studies have found that individuals with higher levels of social anxiety struggle to update negative social information even when presented with new, positive feedback. This could indicate a broader issue with adjusting social behaviors based on new information, which might affect close and distant relationships. Our studies explore the role of these updating biases in social anxiety, specifically focusing on the differences in response when hidden information about unchosen social options is explicitly revealed. The findings may provide insights into the mechanisms underlying maladaptive social behaviors in individuals with social anxiety. They could inform the 
development of targeted interventions to address these specific updating biases in social contexts.
As part of these studies, we collaborate with Yale University, NH, USA and the Psychology 
Department at Bar-Ilan University. Flexibility and Balance as Characteristics of Adaptive Self-Regulation: We investigate the roles of flexibility and balance in self-regulatory behavior and mental 
well-being. Our research focuses on two main themes: flexibility, which refers to adapting behavior according to different contexts, and balance, which involves managing conflicting considerations crucial for achieving goals and maintaining long-term well-being. Flexibility suggests that no single strategy is inherently adaptive or maladaptive, as the most effective response varies depending on the situation. Balance 
requires weighing different factors that may conflict but are each important for success and well-being. While the significance of flexibility and balance is widely acknowledged, how individuals regulate themselves in these domains is poorly understood. This project aims to fill that gap by exploring these regulatory processes in depth. In these studies, we collaborate with Saarland University, Germany. Levy-Gigi is 
a Mercator Fellow in a joint Research Training Group Grant, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Empathy and brain mechanisms in emotional processing studies: The relationship between empathy and trauma exposure is linked to alterations in brain mechanisms involved in emotional processing and understanding others’ feelings. We aim to investigate possible changes manifest after traumatic events and how they affect empathy and clinical symptoms. As part of these studies, we collaborate with Leiden University, in the Netherlands and with the Psychology Department at the University of Haifa Tech Tools for Stress Management: Teachers face school-related stress. Our research is focused on developing a technology-based tool to train educators to cope with school stress. As part of these studies, we collaborate with Jyväskylä University, Finland