Psychological trauma is an increasingly prominent construct in contemporary culture, invoked across diverse contexts of policy, practice, and public discourse. However, little is known about how laypeople conceptualise trauma in everyday life. This qualitative study explored social representations of trauma among residents of the Republic of Ireland. Twenty participants completed interviews that elaborated their associations with the term ‘trauma’. Thematic analysis identified three overarching themes, which represented trauma as (a) an individual journey, (b) a byproduct of social ills, and (c) a cultural construct. More specifically, participants viewed trauma as highly subjective, shaped by individual differences in experiences, responses and outcomes. In parallel, trauma was linked to societal-level phenomena such as war and violence, with social support positioned as key to coping and recovery. Participants were highly sensitive to the growing cultural prominence and widening uses of trauma and expressed ambivalence regarding this trend, welcoming trauma’s de-stigmatisation but decrying its potential trivialisation. These findings offer original insights into how trauma is understood beyond clinical settings, informing responsible uses of the concept and ongoing debates about its cultural significance. • Psychological trauma is an increasingly prominent construct in contemporary culture • Qualitative interviews explored lay associations with the concept of trauma • Trauma was construed as an individual journey, byproduct of social ills, and cultural construct • Lay understandings of trauma have potential implications for clinical, personal and societal contexts

The widespread use of psychotropic medication in long-term care, especially antipsychotics for managing dementia-related behaviours, is controversial due to serious side effects, significant risks, and increased mortality rates. While prescribing authority lies with physicians, nurses often demand treatment and administer as-needed medications at their discretion. This study discusses the ongoing reliance on antipsychotics within the context of structural tensions between person-centred nursing values, multiple professional responsibilities, and resource constraints in long-term care facilities. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with 15 nurses across seven German nursing homes, the study reveals diverse ways in which nursing staff navigate the use of psychotropic medication in dementia care. While nurses' self-descriptions and explicit ethos are framed in humanistic terms – addressing individual needs, promoting health and preserving functional capacities of those in need of care – they also feel responsible for protecting other residents and maintaining organisational stability in the care facilities. While some nurses still try to uphold their person-centred care ethos, seek to resist the rationing of care, and strongly oppose excessive sedation, others set aside their compassionate nursing values in everyday care and rationalise psychotropic medication for managing dementia-related behaviours as a matter of organisational necessity. Moving beyond individualised explanations for the overuse of psychotropic drugs, this study discusses the practices of pharmacological behaviour control as part of a pharmaceuticalisation of dementia care and as emblematic of the broader social-political governance of ageing and dementia. • Explores nurses' perspectives on psychotropic medication in dementia care. • Analyses antipsychotic use amid the economisation of long-term care systems. • Reveals tensions between nursing values, multiple role responsibilities and limited resources. • Conceptualises drug overuse as part of the pharmaceuticalisation of dementia. • Examines psychotropic behavioural control within the socio-political governance of ageing.