Thanos Karatzias
Thanos Karatzias

Prof Thanos Karatzias

Professor

 0131 455 5345

  T.Karatzias@napier.ac.uk

  

Biography

Professor Karatzias, is a Professor of Mental Health at Edinburgh Napier University, UK and a Clinical & Health Psychologist at the Rivers Centre for Traumatic Stress, Edinburgh, UK. He is the Director of Research at Edinburgh Napier University. He is a former Chair of the British Psychological Society Scotland Working Party for Adult Survivors of Sexual Abuse (BPSSS) and is a current member of the Committee of the British Psychological Society (BPS) Crisis, Disaster & Trauma Section and UK Psychological Trauma Society (UKPTS). He has spent his entire clinical and academic career working in the field of psychological trauma. In collaboration with national and international research partners he has developed a special interest in the effects and treatment of psychological trauma on physical and mental health; on prison populations; and on people with learning disabilities. He has published widely in these areas.

School

Research Groups

Themes

Research Areas

Esteem

Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • Committee Member - Chief Scientist Office Health Improvement, Protection and Services Research Committee
  • Board Member - British Psychological Society (BPS) Research Board
  • Board Member - Research Grants Council, Hong Kong Standing Review Board
  • Board Member - UK Posttraumatic Stress Society (UKPTS)
  • Committee Member - BPS Crisis, Disaster & Trauma Section
  • Changing Faces Scotland Advisory Board
  • Committee Member - BPS Scotland

 

Conference Organising Activity

  • Keynote: St. Andrews Health Care Conference - The Introduction CPTSD as a New Diagnosis in ICD-11
  • Keynote and Conference Chair - UKPTS Annual Conference. Edinburgh, Scotland.
  • Treating Traumatic Stress and PTSD in People with LDs
  • The Impact of Interpersonal Trauma on Health & Wellbeing. United Nations, N 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence
  • Evidence of distinct profiles on PTSD and Complex PTSD
  • PTSD & complex PTSD: ICD -11 updates on concept and measurement
  • PTSD and CPTSD Using the Newly Developed ICD-TQ
  • Classification, Assessment and Treatment of PTSD and CPTSD
  • Psychological trauma and criminal behaviour
  • Phenomenology and Treatment of Traumatic Stress in People with Intellectual Disabilities: Preliminary Results from a Randomised Controlled Trial on the effectiveness of EMDR for DSM 5 PTSD
  • Childhood Sexual Abuse Across The Lifespan.
  • Symptom profiles of people attending a trauma service: Is there evidence that PTSD and complex PTSD are two distinct disorders
  • Disruptive, Optimistic, Progressive and Entrepreneurial: Is Survive and Thrive D.O.P.E.?
  • Effectiveness & Acceptability of Group Psychological Interventions for Interpersonal Trauma.
  • Keynote: Psychological trauma: Treatment & trauma informed care
  • Keynote: Male Survivors Conference: Health & Well-being
  • Keynote: Child Sexual Abuse: Impact & Recovery

 

Editorial Activity

  • Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health

 

External Examining/Validations

  • MSc Psychological Trauma - External Examiner
  • Doctoral Programme in Clinical Psychology - External Examiner
  • MSc Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy - External Examiner

 

Grant Reviewer

  • Grant reviewer for MRC
  • Grant reviewer for Carnegie Trust
  • Member of Russian Science Foundation (RSF) College Of Experts
  • Grant reviewer for Health Technology Assessment (HTA) – Clinical Evaluation and Trials (NIHR)
  • Member of Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Peer Review College
  • Grant reviewer for National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)

 

Invited Speaker

  • UKPTS Annual Conference. Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Psychological Trauma: Impact and Treatment
  • Child sexual abuse impact and interventions: A critical review of the existing evidence

 

Media Activity

  • The Sun (Eire).
  • Irish Independent (web).
  • CBC News Radio
  • The Sun (Scotland)
  • Glasgow Sunday Herald
  • Herald Scotland (web).

 

Membership of Professional Body

  • Chartered Clinical Psychologist
  • Member of the Health Professions Council
  • Chartered Scientist (CSci), Science Council
  • Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • Chartered Health Psychologist, British Psychological Society
  • Graduate Member, British Psychological Association

 

Reviewing

  • Journal of Affective Disorders
  • Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences
  • Journal of Traumatic Stress
  • Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
  • Journal of Anxiety Disorders
  • British Journal of Psychiatry
  • European Journal of Psychotraumatology
  • Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice & Policy
  • Children and Youth Services Review
  • Stress & Health
  • International Journal of Forensic Mental Health
  • Psychology, Health & Medicine
  • Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease
  • Journal of Anxiety Disorders
  • Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology
  • Journal of Intellectual Disabilities
  • Traumatology
  • Behaviour Research & Therapy
  • Women’s Studies International Forum
  • Journal of Behaviour Therapy & Experimental Psychiatry
  • European Review of Applied Psychology
  • Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
  • Psychiatria Danubina
  • Child Abuse & Neglect
  • British Journal of Guidance & Counselling
  • Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Journal of Happiness Studies
  • British Journal of General Practice
  • Psychology and Psychotherapy; Theory, Research and Practice
  • Psychiatry Research
  • British Journal of Health Psychology
  • Quality of Life Research
  • Aggressive Behaviour

 

Visiting Positions

  • Visiting Professor in Mental Health

 

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Date


240 results

The International Trauma Interview (ITI): development of a semi-structured diagnostic interview and evaluation in a UK sample

Journal Article
Roberts, N. P., Hyland, P., Fox, R., Roberts, A., Lewis, C., Cloitre, M., Brewin, C. R., Karatzias, T., Shevlin, M., Gelezelyte, O., Bondjers, K., Fresno, A., Souch, A., & Bisson, J. I. (in press)
The International Trauma Interview (ITI): development of a semi-structured diagnostic interview and evaluation in a UK sample. European Journal of Psychotraumatology,
Background: The International Trauma Interview (ITI) is a structured clinician-administered measure developed to assess posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (...

The structure of Benevolent Childhood Experiences: A latent class analysis and association with mental health outcomes and psychological factors in a large adult UK sample

Journal Article
Zagaria, A., Karatzias, T., Hyland, P., & Shevlin, M. (online)
The structure of Benevolent Childhood Experiences: A latent class analysis and association with mental health outcomes and psychological factors in a large adult UK sample. Adversity and Resilience Science, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42844-025-00167-2
The aims of this study were firstly to explore the relationship between Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) and demographic variables, secondly to investigate the taxonic ...

Testing the Use of “Clinical Checks” With the International Trauma Questionnaire to Measure PTSD and Complex PTSD

Journal Article
Shevlin, M., Hyland, P., Brewin, C. R., Cloitre, M., Karatzias, T., & Redican, E. (online)
Testing the Use of “Clinical Checks” With the International Trauma Questionnaire to Measure PTSD and Complex PTSD. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.13799
Background: The International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) is the most widely used measure of ICD-11 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD (CPTSD). This self-rep...

Positive symptoms of psychosis and ICD-11 complex post-traumatic stress dis-order: A network analysis in a Canadian sample from Montreal

Journal Article
Levin, Y., Mazza, A., Hyland, P., Karatzias, T., Shevlin, M., McGinty, G., Hoffman, Y., Lis, E., Ben-Ezra, M., & Rahel, B. (in press)
Positive symptoms of psychosis and ICD-11 complex post-traumatic stress dis-order: A network analysis in a Canadian sample from Montreal. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry / Revue Canadienene de Psychiatrie,
Objectives: Traumatic experiences constitute a risk factor for developing different psychopathologies, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex post-traumatic st...

Are ‘time’ and ‘culture’ useful and necessary diagnostic requirements for ICD-11 Prolonged Grief Disorder? A Cross-national study

Journal Article
Redican, E., Shevlin, M., Ben-Ezra, M., Karatzias, T., & Hyland, P. (online)
Are ‘time’ and ‘culture’ useful and necessary diagnostic requirements for ICD-11 Prolonged Grief Disorder? A Cross-national study. Death Studies, https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2025.2468822
ICD-11 PGD can only be diagnosed if symptoms persist beyond 6 months after bereavement and for longer than would be expected from societal, cultural, or religious norms. This ...

Experiences of Social Disconnection in a Bereaved Community Sample from Ontario, Canada

Journal Article
Nolan, E., Redican, E., Hyland, P., Duffy, M., Karatzias, T., & Shevlin, M. (online)
Experiences of Social Disconnection in a Bereaved Community Sample from Ontario, Canada. Journal of Loss and Trauma, https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2025.2465392
Lower perceived social support is a known risk factor for problematic grief reactions, but specific facets such as social disconnection may play a critical role in shaping gri...

Navigating the landscape of trauma treatments: the need for personalized care

Journal Article
Karatzias, T. (2025)
Navigating the landscape of trauma treatments: the need for personalized care. World Psychiatry, 24(1), 83-84. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21272
Abstract unavailable.

Assessing Self-Reported Prolonged Grief Disorder with ‘Clinical Checks’: A Proof of Principle Study

Journal Article
Shevlin, M., Hyland, P., Cloitre, M., Brewin, C., Martsenkovskyi, D., Ben-Ezra, M., Bondjers, K., Karatzias, T., Duffy, M., & Redican, E. (2025)
Assessing Self-Reported Prolonged Grief Disorder with ‘Clinical Checks’: A Proof of Principle Study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 38(1), 174-180. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.23100
Psychological assessment is commonly conducted using either self-report measures or clinical interviews; the former are quick and easy to administer, and the later are more ti...

Physical, mental, and behavioral health after adverse and benevolent childhood experiences: a comparison of two adversity conceptualizations

Journal Article
Ho, G. W., Ling Chan, K., Ho Wong, K., Fong Leung, S., & Karatzias, T. (online)
Physical, mental, and behavioral health after adverse and benevolent childhood experiences: a comparison of two adversity conceptualizations. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001732
Objective: Adverse and benevolent childhood experiences (ACEs, BCEs) impact health across the lifespan. No known study has investigated these associations across different hea...

Prevalence and Validity of ICD-11 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD: A Population-Based Survey of Hong Kong Adults

Journal Article
Ho, G. W., Chan, K. L., Karatzias, T., Hyland, P., Fung, H. W., & Shevlin, M. (2024)
Prevalence and Validity of ICD-11 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD: A Population-Based Survey of Hong Kong Adults. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 96, Article 104045. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2024.104045
The present study aimed to report the prevalence of ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) in the general adult Hong Kong population, and examine...

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