Disaster Trauma Research Articles

Coping strategies used by adult survivors in the process of recovery from disaster trauma: A narrative review

CONTEXT: The catastrophic stress of disasters and the associated secondary traumas lead to negative mental health outcomes in a great proportion of survivors. A range of coping strategies are used, which may have possible preventive and therapeutic effects related to posttraumatic stress-related manifestation. AIMS: It is essential to learn about the coping strategies employed by the survivors following disasters to reflect about their usability as possible intervention methods. This review intended to explore the literature about coping mechanisms used by adult survivors of the disasters. METHODS: Comprehensive literature search and review. RESULTS: It was observed that various coping strategies have been reported, along with posttraumatic mental health conditions. Many of the coping strategies differ in different cultures and other demographic groups. Some articles have made reference to the effectiveness of the coping strategies. It has been observed that the ways coping can be facilitated at different levels. These observations may help in designing culture-specific, pre- and post-disaster management programs for effective and holistic recovery of the survivors. CONCLUSION: There is a need to understand the coping mechanisms in different cultures and the factors associated with the resilience in the face of the massive trauma of disasters. It is probable that these could be instrumental in recovery process and expected to help in supporting disaster survivors.

Nothing Disappeared: The Representation of Disaster Trauma and Testimony as the Image

Disaster is a problematic thing because it is the subject of humanities research and the basis for asking what the humanities are. The disaster itself asks what humans are, makes them reflect on the past time, and evokes imagination about the upcoming community.BR After Disaster, memories and traces of pain do not disappear quickly. The trauma of disaster persists. Difficulties in representing disasters reach the dilemma of whether it is possible to reproduce invisible things such as silence, darkness, voice, and so on.BR We are accustomed to dividing disasters in literature and art into (un) representable. However, literature and art cannot replicate the pain and scars of disasters as they are, and that is not the ultimate purpose of doing so. The image of disaster in literature and art simultaneously reminds us of the (im)possibility of reproducing the traces of pain and wounds caused by the disaster. The aim of this paper is to study the way disaster trauma is reproduced so that we will refer to records of various genres such as related literary works, movies, essays, and testimony.BR As this paper showed outline, we should try to discover the possibility of historical healing trauma through cross-reading various records. By starting from the study of the East Asian area, this overview looks forward to connecting and sharing the global problems with disasters of history or history of disasters. Such examinations combine with representing trauma, the testimony of images, changes of sensitivity, etc.

Psychological traumatic events in the recent past and association with diagnosis of cancer

Emotional stress due to psychological trauma causes immune system dysfunction resulting in high risk of development of cancer. The study aimed to correlation psychological trauma in the past five years of cancer diagnosis. This study was a community based survey including cancer patients diagnosed with different cancers undergoing treatment or follow-up by using snowball sampling and questionnaire based technique. The study was conducted during a period of one year from December 2019 till December 2020. All recruited patients were requested for an interview. The results of the study showed a high rate of major psychological trauma among cancer patients. Sudden death of a close relative with and without trauma of natural disaster were high. The study conclude that risk of cancer development rises with major emotional trauma specially death of a close relative.

A study of suicidal thoughts and behaviour in a sample of adults affected by the 9/11 attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center

Previous research on suicide risk in relation to disasters has yielded varying findings, likely resulting at least in part from inconsistencies in definitions of disaster exposure and assessment of psychiatric disorders. This study examined suicidal thoughts and behaviour in a sample of 379 adults affected by the 9/11 attacks on New York City, using carefully-defined disaster exposure variables and assessing psychopathology with full diagnostic criteria, nearly 3 years after the disaster. Only 7% of the sample reported any postdisaster suicidal thoughts or behaviour, only 1% of which were new (incident) after the disaster, amounting to very little evidence of incident suicidal risk. The occurrence of a postdisaster psychiatric disorder in nearly one-half of the sample (45%) was significantly associated with postdisaster suicide risk (15% vs 1%). Disaster trauma exposure was not associated with postdisaster suicide risk. The findings of this study are not consistent with the disaster experience itself giving rise to suicide risk. Nonetheless, the postdisaster setting provides opportunities for education about and surveillance for suicide risk and other mental health concerns.

Pemulihan Trauma pada Anak Korban Bencana dalam Perspektif Islam (Studi Kasus Bencana Gunung Sinabung di Desa Guru Kinayan, Kecamatan Payung, Kabupaten Karo, Sumatera Utara)

The problem that is currently happening in Indonesia is the occurrence of various disasters, ranging from landslides, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis to the eruption of Mount Merapi with a fairly high potential. The Mount Sinabung disaster, which is currently on alert status, does not yet have a comprehensive management system for the protection and handling of children in particular. Children are a group of people who are vulnerable to trauma or psychological disorders requiring problem solving, events that are experienced by a person and are not able to be anticipated can cause psychological disturbances for that person. This change in social phenomena requires a study and trauma recovery to restore belief in religion. Religion becomes a choice and a reference to overcome the conflicts that occur within him. Researchers feel it is important to create a disaster trauma recovery method based on an Islamic perspective as a form and response to the social conditions of the victims to be able to reduce trauma as a result of the disaster. Thus the question arises, namely what steps are taken in trauma recovery in children based on an Islamic perspective. This paper explores the concept of Islam as a religion that contains high spiritual values capable of solving human psychological problems in facing trials and overcoming difficulties in life. Keywords : Trauma Healing, Children, Islamic Perspective .

9/11 Attacks Changed Understanding of Trauma, Elevated Disaster Psychiatry

9/11 Attacks Changed Understanding of Trauma, Elevated Disaster Psychiatry

Online Mental Health Assessments of COVID-19 Patients in South Korea.

Experiences of infectious diseases cause stressful and traumatic life events, hence, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients could suffer from various mental health problems requiring psychological support services. This study investigates the severity of mental health problems among confirmed COVID-19 patients. From March to November 2020, we collected the data from 118 COVID-19 patients who voluntarily participated in the National Center for Disaster Trauma's online mental health assessment consisting of self-report scales like Primary Care of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder screen (PC-PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), and P4 Suicidality Screener. For control, 116 other disaster-experienced and 386 non-COVID-19-experienced participants were recruited. The COVID-19 patients showed more severe symptoms including post-traumatic symptoms, depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms than control groups across all four screening scales (p < 0.001). Regarding high-risk, COVID-19 patients had an increased association with high-risk compared to the comparison groups (PC-PTSD: OR = 24.16, 95% CI = 13.52–43.16 p < 0.001; PHQ-9: OR = 14.45, 95% CI = 8.29–25.19, p < 0.001; GAD-7: OR=20.71, 95% CI = 10.74–39.96, p < 0.001; PHQ-15: OR = 5.65, 95% CI = 3.44–9.25, p < 0.001; P4: OR = 14.67, 95% CI = 8.95–25.07, p < 0.001). This study's results imply that there is a high-risk of overall mental health problems, especially stronger associations of post-traumatic stress symptoms, in COVID-19 patients. These findings help inform practitioners about the psychological responses to COVID-19 experiences and to prepare appropriate interventions and services for the incremental number of confirmed cases.

Psychosocial Effects on US Government Personnel of Exposure to the 1998 Terrorist Attack on the US Embassy in Nairobi

Objective: The mental health effects of major terrorist attacks on diplomatic government personnel have not been well studied. This study examined the psychiatric and psychosocial effects of the 1998 terrorist bombing of the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, on US government personnel exposed to the bombing. Method: At 8–10 months after the bombing, 179 US government employees (53 Americans, 126 Kenyans, 53% male, age mean = 40.6 and SD = 8.4 years ranging 21–65) were assessed with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for DSM-IV for disaster-related psychiatric diagnoses and the Disaster Supplement Interview and Questionnaire about their immediate disaster experiences, subjective responses, mental health interventions/treatment, safety perceptions, and coping. Results: About one-third (32%) of these US government personnel developed postdisaster psychiatric disorders, mostly bombing-related PTSD (20%), but few received psychiatric treatment. Prevalence rates of all postdisaster psychiatric disorders, including bombing-related PTSD, were similar between subgroups of Americans and Kenyans, despite the Kenyans reporting more direct disaster trauma exposures, subjective postdisaster distress, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. These US government personnel had fewer psychiatric consequences of the Nairobi bombing than their previously studied civilian counterparts. Conclusions: Possible explanatory factors in the lower prevalence of postdisaster psychopathology in these government personnel compared to the civilians are selection for greater personal resilience for government employment and stigma-based underreporting of mental health needs in governmental workplaces. Stigma is a potential barrier to psychiatric treatment that needs to be addressed in government workplaces.

Associations between News Media Coverage of the 11 September Attacks and Depression in Employees of New York City Area Businesses.

Research has examined the association between contact with media coverage of mass trauma events and various psychological outcomes, including depression. Disaster-related depression research is complicated by the relatively high prevalence of the major depressive disorder in general populations even without trauma exposure. The extant research is inconclusive regarding associations between disaster media contact and depression outcomes, in part, because most studies have not distinguished diagnostic and symptomatic outcomes, differentiated postdisaster incidence from prevalence, or considered disaster trauma exposures. This study examined these associations in a volunteer sample of 254 employees of New York City businesses after the 11 September 2001, terrorist attacks. Structured interviews and questionnaires were administered 35 months after the attacks. Poisson and logistic regression analyses revealed that post-9/11 news contact significantly predicted the number of postdisaster persistent/recurrent and incident depressive symptoms in the full sample and in the indirect and unexposed groups. The findings suggest that clinical and public health approaches should be particularly alert to potential adverse postdisaster depression outcomes related to media consumption in disaster trauma-unexposed or indirectly-exposed groups.

Responding to the Pandemic: An Update From the GSA COVID-19 Task Force

The GSA COVID-19 Task Force was convened in March 2020 to address the needs of GSA members and older adults related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This interdisciplinary group of members represents physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, educators, and researchers with expertise in disaster preparedness, caregiving, trauma, HIV, vaccination, home health, long-term care, social isolation, motivation, and risk communication with older adults. In this symposium, Task Force members will share how they have advanced the areas of research, education, and practice related to the pandemic. Speakers will discuss the process of developing a COVID-19 research agenda and how that is moving forward. They will also share how Task Force members representing AGHE have been supporting members through listening sessions and the development of materials to assist with the transition to online teaching. Finally, speakers will provide updates on the several fact sheets, webinars, and a decision aid that have been developed to support GSA members and their work with older adults.

Trauma Healing With Play Therapy For Student of Senior High School 16 Pandeglang Banten

A year pass after Tsunami Banten - Lampung disaster, there were some victims who still feeling trauma. This study aims to describe about the implementation of play therapy method for reduce students survivor of the Tsunami Sunda Strait disaster trauma. This research method is descriptive, that will describe about doing play therapy for trauma healing on trauma survivor. The results of the assessment showed that there are some students experience physical, emotional, and habitual disorders. Play therapy activities carried out in three stages: initiation, outdoor activities, and indoor activities. The final results show that after participating in play therapy activities, students feel more comfortable and relax because they can pour out their fears. Students also begin to reduce anxiety and fear.

How to Surge to Face the SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak: Lessons Learned From Lombardy, Italy.

Italy is fighting against one of the worst medical emergency since the 1918 Spanish Flu. Pressure on the hospitals is tremendous. As for official data on March 14th: 8372 admitted in hospitals, 1518 in intensive care units, 1441 deaths (175 more than the day before). Unfortunately, hospitals are not prepared: even where a plan for massive influx of patients is present, it usually focuses on sudden onset disaster trauma victims (the most probable case scenario), and it has not been tested, validated, or propagated to the staff. Despite this, the All Hazards Approach for management of major incidents and disasters is still valid and the "4S" theory (staff, stuff, structure, systems) for surge capacity can be guidance to respond to this disaster.

The Association between General and Pathological Dissociation and Disaster-Related Psychopathology in Directly Exposed Survivors

Objective: Dissociation and trauma have a well-documented relationship, and dissociation is assumed to result from trauma exposure. If trauma generates dissociative psychopathology, it should be observed after exposure to disaster and be associated with disaster-related psychopathology. Few studies have focused specifically on dissociation as an outcome of disaster trauma. This study examined dissociation and its association with disaster-related psychopathology in survivors of five different disasters. Methods: In the first 6 postdisaster months, directly exposed survivors (N = 216) of mass shootings, floods, or a firestorm completed structured diagnostic interviews providing lifetime predisaster and postdisaster prevalent/incident psychiatric diagnoses and the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) 1–3 years after baseline. Results: DES scores were very low; only 1% met the DES Taxon signifying pathological dissociation. In multivariate models including predisaster lifetime major depression, lifetime panic disorder, lifetime generalized anxiety disorder, and lifetime alcohol use disorder; disaster-related PTSD; and number of incident somatoform symptoms as independent covariates, predisaster lifetime major depression and alcohol use disorder were independently associated with both general (DES score) and pathological (DES Taxon) dissociation, and postdisaster incident somatization symptoms were also associated with general dissociation, but postdisaster psychopathology including disaster-related PTSD was not associated with general or pathological dissociation. Conclusions: Neither general nor pathological dissociation was independently associated with disaster-related PTSD or other incident psychopathology. The only psychiatric disorders associated with dissociation were present before the disasters. Coupled with the low dissociation rates, these findings indicate that dissociation does not appear to be a mental health outcome of disaster trauma.

The Impact of Community Disaster Trauma: A Focus on Emerging Research of PTSD and Other Mental Health Outcomes

This paper reviews community residents' mental health following exposure to a community disaster trauma, with a focus on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health outcomes, such as emotional disorders, behavioral problems including addictive disorders, and personality as a maladaptive trait. This review concludes with recommendations to advance the field of community disaster research by exploring how natural and man-made disasters impact community residents across multiple domains. Moreover, this study suggests that residents impacted by community disaster trauma are frequently appropriate targets for mental health assessments or services in a community setting.

Lessons Learned from a Medical Response Team 45 Days Post-Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Describe the lived experience of a grassroots, nongovernmental disaster medical team (DMT) through a research lens and share practical lessons learned based on the DMT's experience to support and inform future response teams. Forty-five days after Hurricane Maria, a nongovernmental DMT provided primary medical care by means of community-based pop-up clinics and home visitations in 5 different areas of Puerto Rico. Observational data, photo images, and debriefing notes were collected and documented in the response team's daily activity log. Field notes were coded using a descriptive coding method and then categorized into 2 domains specific to public health and medical diagnosis. Medical aid was provided to nearly 300 (N = 296) residents. Field note observations identified exhaustion related to living conditions and the exacerbation of underlying conditions, such as reactive airway diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and depression due to the compounding effects of multiple post-disaster triggers. During home visitations, feelings of sadness and helplessness were identified secondary to natural disaster trauma and current living conditions. Our nongovernmental DMT displayed similar characteristics demonstrated by federal DMTs post-natural disaster. Several strategic lessons learned emerged from the public health intervention important to future nongovernmental DMTs.

Psychological First-Aid Experiences of Disaster Health Care Workers: A Qualitative Analysis.

Disaster health care workers experience much greater stress providing psychological first-aid and suffer from the indirect experience of traumatic events. This study examines how disaster health care workers experience disaster mental health. Twenty-one disaster health care workers recruited from fire stations, community mental health service centers, and disaster trauma centers in Korea participated in this study. Data were collected via in-depth interviews and qualitatively analyzed according to Colaizzi's phenomenological approach. Disaster health care workers' experiences of disaster mental health can be analyzed according to 4 theme categories: (1) commitment to one's duty as a disaster health care worker; (2) powerlessness and lack of confidence; (3) incident shock and burnout; and (4) incomplete and inadequate healing. In order to prevent mental health problems and support the disaster health care workers, it is necessary to develop and provide effective, nationwide psychological first-aid training, as well as disaster trauma recovery programs that are tailored to Korean sociocultural context and use immersive digital health care/education technology.

Lessons Learned from a Medical Response Team 45 Days Post Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Describe the lived experience of a grassroots, non-governmental disaster medical team (DMT) through a research lens and share practical lessons learned, based on the DMT's experience to support and inform future response teams. Forty-five days after Hurricane Maria, a non-governmental DMT provided primary medical care via community based pop-up clinics and home visitations in 5 different areas of Puerto Rico. Observational data, photo images, and debriefing notes were collected and documented in the response team's daily activity log. Field notes were coded using a descriptive coding method and then categorized into 2 domains specific to public health and medical diagnosis. Medical aid was provided to nearly 300 (N = 296) residents. Field note observations identified exhaustion related to living conditions and the exacerbation of underlying conditions such as reactive airway diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and depression due to the compounding effects of multiple post-disaster triggers. During home visitations, feelings of sadness and helplessness were identified secondary to natural disaster trauma and current living conditions. Our non-governmental DMT displayed similar characteristics demonstrated by federal DMTs post natural disaster. A number of strategic lessons learned emerged from the public health intervention important to future non-governmental DMTs.

Genetic and Environmental Predictors of Adolescent PTSD Symptom Trajectories Following a Natural Disaster.

Genes, environmental factors, and their interplay affect posttrauma symptoms. Although environmental predictors of the longitudinal course of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are documented, there remains a need to incorporate genetic risk into these models, especially in youth who are underrepresented in genetic studies. In an epidemiologic sample tornado-exposed adolescents (n = 707, 51% female, Mage = 14.54 years), trajectories of PTSD symptoms were examined at baseline and at 4-months and 12-months following baseline. This study aimed to determine if rare genetic variation in genes previously found in the sample to be related to PTSD diagnosis at baseline (MPHOSPH9, LGALS13, SLC2A2), environmental factors (disaster severity, social support), or their interplay were associated with symptom trajectories. A series of mixed effects models were conducted. Symptoms decreased over the three time points. Elevated tornado severity was associated with elevated baseline symptoms. Elevated recreational support was associated with lower baseline symptoms and attenuated improvement over time. Greater LGLAS13 variants attenuated symptom improvement over time. An interaction between MPHOSPH9 variants and tornado severity was associated with elevated baseline symptoms, but not change over time. Findings suggest the importance of rare genetic variation and environmental factors on the longitudinal course of PTSD symptoms following natural disaster trauma exposure.

Haitian Children’s Disaster Trauma: Validation of Pictorial Assessment of Resilience and Vulnerability

The House-Tree-Person (HTP) drawing test has been culturally adapted for Haitian children and objectively scored for resilience and vulnerability (Roysircar, Colvin, Afolayan, Thompson, &amp; Robertson, 2017). The HTP was used to assess 88 Haitian children’s adjustment to the 2010 earthquake and the continuous trauma of societal inequalities. The study examined the validity of the adapted HTP test and its dimensionality. The study included participant interviews with child self-report measures of self-esteem, as perceived by self, peers, and family; posttraumatic symptoms; and self-concept. All measures were translated and administered in Créole. Analyses included standardized sample scores; descriptive statistics; internal consistency reliability; interscale correlations; a generalizability study showing that there were no differences in HTP scores due to novice or expert raters; and an exploratory factor analysis of HTP scores indicating three factors and accounting for just under 50% of the variance. The three dimensions, HTP Resilience-Vulnerability Integrated, House Feeling Safe, and Person Feeling Unloved, are discussed within the international literature on child disaster trauma assessed pictorially, and within Haitians’ spiritual worldview of suffering and endurance.

Disaster-related trauma and blood pressure among young children: a follow-up study after Great East Japan earthquake.

The 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan resulted in ~19,000 lost lives and the displacement of nearly a quarter million people owing to extensive property damage and evacuation from the nuclear meltdown in Fukushima. We sought to prospectively examine whether exposure to disaster-related trauma affected blood pressure levels among young children. We sampled children in three affected prefectures (Miyagi, Fukushima, Iwate) and one unaffected prefecture (Mie). The participants (mean age 6.6 years) and their caregivers answered a baseline survey (N = 320) and a follow-up survey 4 years after the earthquake (N = 227, follow-up rate 71%). Disaster-related trauma was assessed at the baseline, and blood pressure measurements were taken at the follow-up. We converted blood pressure data into age/sex/height-specific z-scores. In linear regression models, we controlled for body mass index, income, age, sex, and housing situation (living in the same house as before the disaster, in a shelter, or in a new house). The number of traumatic experiences was related to diastolic blood pressure in a dose-dependent manner but was not related to systolic blood pressure. Children reporting four or more traumatic experiences had marginally significant elevated diastolic blood pressure (β = 0.43, p = 0.059). Among specific types of disaster trauma, witnessing a fire was significantly related to higher diastolic blood pressure (β = 0.60, p = 0.009). In conclusion, disaster-related trauma was associated with higher diastolic blood pressure among young children 4 years after the traumatic events.