Bernet Elzinga

Prof. Bernet Elzinga is a leading researcher at the Clinical Psychology Department of Leiden University, focusing on trauma's psychological, cognitive, and neurobiological consequences. Her work spans stress-related disorders, depression, PTSD, and intergenerational trauma transmission.

• Key research themes:
  • Intergenerational stress mechanisms
  • Emotion regulation in BPD
  • DSM-5 PTSD criteria validation
  • Developmental psychopathology

Her 2021 study on adolescent-parent perception discrepancies revealed critical insights into youth affective states. The 2018 Dutch CAPS-5 validation established high reliability (ICC=0.98) while refining PTSD factor models. Recent projects like RE-PAIR (2024) on emotional maltreatment neurobiology and BAT (2024) targeting familial anxiety transmission highlight her translational approach.

Key findings: Demonstrated superiority of the six-factor Anhedonia PTSD model over DSM-5's four-factor structure. Identified Memory impairment (D1) and Reckless behavior (E2) as low-prevalence symptoms in professional trauma populations. Revealed clinician diagnostic ambiguity in moderate-symptom cases, emphasizing the need for collaborative assessment practices.

• Academic affiliations
  • Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition
  • Arq Psychotrauma Expert Group collaborations
  • Foundation Centrum '45 partnerships