Psychological implications of man-made trauma and efficacy of “Teaching Recovery Techniques” on children and adolescents exposed to trauma

Abstract

Trauma is a mental state of distress and pain resulting from memories of an unexpected, terrifying experience that threatens the survivor's sense of security, especially in children. The present research aimed to examine the Psychological Implications of man-made trauma and the efficacy of Teaching Recovery Techniques (TRT) to children and adolescents exposed to trauma.The Study comprises two parts. First, it aimed to find out the relationship between Child trauma (ChT) and Post-Traumatic Stress and Depressive Symptoms (PSTD) in children and adolescents who were exposed to fire incidents and terrorist attacks. Non-probability Purposive sampling was used in which 80 participants (45 boys and 35 girls) aged 8—17 years were selected from Joseph Colony and Yohanabad Christian Community of Lahore, and the second aimed to assess the TRT on the children and adolescents exposed to terrorist attacks. The results revealed a significant positive relationship between ChT and PTSD in children and adolescents exposed to fire incidents and terrorist attacks. Significant differences were found between the two groups in PTSD symptoms experienced by the participants. Furthermore, participants exposed to terror attacks experienced more PTSD symptoms than fire attacks. Age and proximity to the traumatic incident were significant predictors of PTSD symptoms. The intervention was given in five sessions at the Sunday school of Christ Church Yohanabad Lahore, and the results were promising. It concludes that significant improvement in post-intervention reduces PTSD symptoms in children and adolescents. The study findings can be applied to other such man-made and natural traumas in the future.