Dear colleagues,

The concept of trauma is extremely broad; it can be defined as an umbrella term within which various theoretical and clinical considerations can be brought together. This depends on the various changes related to controversies and oppositions concerning the origin of traumatic stress and the events that can be considered traumatic.

However, what is clear is that trauma is an individual's response to an event that is, in part, independent of the nature and severity of the event. It must be emphasized that the more serious an event is, the greater the likelihood of it being traumatic for those who have experienced it.

It follows from what has been said so far that there are several potentially traumatic experiences that a person may undergo: 

- the single trauma related to a specific event that the person experiences at a given time; 

- the complex, cumulative trauma (sometimes of an interpersonal nature) that has different outcomes, especially if it affects personalities in formation.  

Just as there are differences in the categorization of trauma, there are also two types of victims:

- direct victim is the physical person who suffers the injury

- indirect victims are the loved ones of the direct victim who indirectly suffer the harm 

In addition to the types of victims, we can define two types of victimization that the victim may experience:

- primary victimization: is the complex of physical, psychological, social and economic consequences resulting from the event 

- secondary victimization: a condition of additional suffering and outrage experienced by the victim in relation to an attitude of insufficient attention, or neglect, by formal supervisory agencies at the stage of their intervention and manifested in the additional negative psychological consequences that the victim experiences

This special issue on cognitive and emotional processes in trauma focuses on the current state of knowledge about these processes and the practical implications for health promotion actions and interdisciplinary collaborations between services to promote mental health and well-being, also with a view to supporting trauma victims.

We welcome a variety of articles, such as conceptual and empirical articles, reviews, critical comments and meta-analyses, to be submitted to this special issue. We will accept manuscripts from different disciplines, dealing with topics related to the purpose.

Dr. Jessica Burrai

Dr. Ginevra Tagliaferri

Guest Editors