Left globus pallidus volume moderates the association between traumatic experiences and coping flexibility

Refugees are frequently exposed to severe trauma, which may impair coping flexibility-the capacity to adaptively shift between coping strategies depending on situational demands. While prior studies have linked coping styles to hippocampal and thalamic morphology, no research has examined whether subcortical brain volumes moderate the relationship between trauma exposure and coping flexibility in refugees. This study investigated whether volumes of the key brain structures influence this relationship in Ukrainian refugees. Sixty refugees (aged 27.8 ± 6.1 years, 81.7% females) who arrived in Poland after the 2022 Russian invasion and 50 matched controls underwent psychiatric assessment, coping style evaluation, and high-resolution structural MRI. Coping flexibility was quantified using a Between-Strategy variability index from the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations. Moderation analyses showed that larger left globus pallidus volume weakened the negative association between trauma exposure and coping flexibility across the full sample. Additionally, greater bilateral striatal volumes were positively associated with coping flexibility. These findings suggest that structural characteristics of the left globus pallidus may buffer the adverse impact of trauma on coping flexibility, while larger striatal volumes may generally enhance adaptive coping capacity. Results highlight the potential role of subcortical brain structures in resilience and underscore the value of integrating neurobiological markers into models of adaptation in trauma-exposed populations.