Shared Trauma Research Articles

Therapists in Wartime: Holding Others' Trauma While Contending With Your Own.

This study explores the experience of Israeli therapists who both worked with clients in emergency interventions during the third week following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and were themselves exposed, to one extent or another, to the terrifying events. Open-ended questionnaires were completed by 201 therapists during the third week following October 7. Using thematic analysis, therapists' reports of the themes their clients raised in therapeutic sessions were compared with their reports of the hardships they themselves experienced as individuals and professionals during the same period. Drawing on the concept of shared traumatic reality, the study considers how close the themes are, and how challenging it is to cope concurrently with a traumatic reality that is experienced both directly and indirectly. Seven main categories emerged from the responses to questions about both their clients and themselves: (1) uncertainty and worries about the near and more distant future; (2) overwhelming emotions; (3) physical sensations; (4) shattered meaning and loss of trust; (5) lack of routine; (6) self-preservation; and (7) shared trauma. The findings shed light on early reactions to a shared traumatic reality in the period closely following the trauma itself, indicating that professionals find it hard to differentiate between the personal, professional, and national levels when exposed to a large-scale traumatic event they share with their clients.

Shared trauma: Examining the moderating role of parental psychological flexibility and self-compassion on PTSD and distress in refugee families

BackgroundRussia's 2022 assault on Ukraine caused widespread destruction and displacement, affecting families. War and displacement heighten the risk of mental health issues, particularly when both parents and children are exposed to trauma. Resilience factors such as parental self-compassion and psychological flexibility might play a crucial role in moderating the symptoms. ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the mental health issues among parent-child refugees and assess their association with parental self-compassion and psychological flexibility. Method50 parent-child refugees who arrived in Israel after fleeing the war in Ukraine participated in the study. Parents completed self-report questionnaires assessing mental health issues and resilience factors regarding them and their children. Results56% of parents and 2% of children met the PTSD cutoff, while 56% of parents and 50% of children met the criteria for general psychological distress. Associations were found between children's PTSD, general distress, and those of their parents. High levels of parental psychological flexibility, self-kindness, and common humanity eliminated the association between parent and child symptoms. While in low and medium levels of these factors, children's PTSD and distress were linked to their parents. ConclusionsRefugee parents and children mutually influence each other's mental health difficulties. Parental psychological flexibility and self-compassion may moderate these dynamics, offering potential assistance in managing and alleviating children's symptoms. Targeting these parental resilience factors in treatment can enhance outcomes, improving the overall mental well-being of both children and parents.

Ethnicity and Representation

AbstractThose Germans who remained in Hungary after the Second World War faced complex political, economic, and social difficulties. In cultural terms, the diverse self-definitions of the Germans living in Hungary at that time precluded national cohesion, despite the use by the authorities of the unifying definition “German.” This national minority was bound together primarily by shared trauma. Individuals and communities alike were searching for their place amidst the changed circumstances, and it was the umbrella organization known as the Democratic Association of Germans in Hungary (Magyarországi Németek Demokratikus Szövetsége) that sought to bring them together. It was not until the 1970s that the association began to professionalize its activities and to conduct ethnographic research in cooperation with qualified specialists. During this process, the village of Harta, which was already famous for its folk art, came to their attention. It was specifically the economic potential of this settlement in Bács-Kiskun County, and its character as an ethnic and confessional enclave, that laid the foundations for the uniform objects and motifs of this local center of furniture painting. After the Second World War, the county administration's cultural policy was relatively accepting of the furniture-making tradition here, and the local intelligentsia showed a supportive attitude towards the settlement's German heritage. In the 1970s, there was still a furniture painter living in Harta, who won the most prestigious folk-art award, regularly participated in exhibitions and gala events, and even produced painted furniture in the cooperative's subsidiary branch at the initiative of the local council president. This ensured that painted furniture from Harta came to represent not only the traditionalist aspirations of the German Association, but also national cultural policy. Harta furniture emerged as the most iconic style of minority painted furniture and as the shared heritage of the German community in Hungary.

Shared Trauma: An evolutionary model concept analysis in light of COVID-19.

Shared trauma (ST) is a term historically applied to social work experiences, but other healthcare professionals (HCP) also experience ST. With the occurrence of COVID-19, ST has impacted HCP globally and has led to new discoveries and more questions regarding its scope, impact and duration. This article aims to explore the concept of ST applied to nurses in light of COVID-19 using the Rogers and Knafl Evolutionary Model for Concept Analysis. Further examination and evolution of 'shared trauma', particularly during COVID-19, has led to the development of an adapted model to explore the implications of ST on health-related outcomes for nurses.

Exploratory factor analysis of shared trauma in psychiatric-mental health nurses using the Shared Trauma Professional Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (STPPG)

IntroductionThe Shared Trauma Professional Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (STPPG) was developed by Tosone et al. (2014) to help understand shared trauma (ST) in social workers. ST occurs when the healthcare professional and client both experience the same collective traumatic event. This inventory has been adapted for use with mental health nurses. A cross-sectional study of N = 552 mental health nurses was completed in the spring of 2023 to assess the feasibility of using the STPPG to explore shared trauma in mental health nurses. MethodsAn exploratory factor analysis was run for the STPPG using squared multiple correlations with the maximum likelihood method. ResultsThe alpha coefficient ranged from 0.82 to 0.89 for 2-factors and 0.73 to 0.89 for 3-factors. The results indicated that all correlations were significant among the total scales and subscales. All correlations were positive, ranging from 0.81 to 0.95 for two factors and 0.58 to 0.89 for three factors. ConclusionThe STPPG has confirmed a two-factor analysis for mental health nurses. The STPPG is a valid inventory to measure ST in mental health nurses and will allow the concept to be further studied.

Mutual Grieving, Healing and Resilience in Sigrid Nunez’s The Friend

The paper addresses the narrative of mutual healing, grieving and resilience in Sigrid Nunez’s novel The Friend. The aim of the article is to determine whether in the presented narrative shared trauma among different species leads to improved resilience of humans and animals, as well as whether a shared experience of grieving and healing is beneficial for both sets of beings involved. An overview of the healing process in humans and animals which takes place after trauma is provided. Although based on a work of fiction, this paper seeks to be a contribution to the field of trauma studies, highlighting the benefits and therapeutic value of human-animal relations and reflecting approaches in fiction.

Modeling living in the present: a novel learning activity about US military-connected populations and trauma

ABSTRACT Addressing trauma among US military-connected populations can be complex and layered, however, it is imperative to facilitate their wellbeing, functionality, and continued service. Shared trauma is a novel phenomenon among social workers, and may have relevance to the military context. Innovative approaches in social work are necessary to enhance provider’s awareness of addressing shared trauma. We propose an innovative learning activity that incorporates the use of the film, Top Gun: Maverick, to reveal sophisticated understandings about shared trauma among military-connected populations. Since this activity has not been formally tested, educators should assess its impact on practice with military-connected populations.

Examining Strategies among Veterans Affairs Outpatient Social Workers to Facilitate Job Retention and Emotional Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The social work profession is dealing with an increased rate of turnover, due largely in part to the pandemic. A recent study showed that U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) inpatient social workers utilized strategies of "emotional preparedness" to retain their job during the pandemic. The aim of this current study is to explore if outpatient social workers utilized similar strategies for their own job retention. There may be differences in the strategies utilized because outpatient and inpatient social workers tend to work in different environments. In this qualitative study, authors conducted interviews with (N = 13) outpatient social workers from a VA site in the Southwestern region of the United States. Findings were analyzed thematically. Authors conducted open coding and applied a priori themes/strategies from extant research among VA inpatient social workers. Most of the a priori themes/strategies were prevalent among outpatient social workers, and two emerging themes were (1) acknowledging shared trauma and (2) human connection to overcome isolation. Strategies of emotional preparedness should be implemented on a grander scale to facilitate job retention since there is an expected deficit in the social work workforce until at least 2030.

Assessing Shared Trauma Among Master of Social Work Students: A Validation Study

Purpose: This study reports on the validation of the COVID-19 Quality of Professional Practice Survey (C19QPPS) among Master of Social Work (MSW) students in field training. Method: The C19QPPS measures the unique construct of shared trauma among social work practitioners related to COVID-19 but has yet to be validated with any population. To determine validity, data were collected from 145 graduate students and a model-generating form of structural equation modeling was employed. Results: The priori theory of three shared traumatic stress factors, Technique, Growth, and Trauma were confirmed. The best-fitting model consisted of three factors with acceptable fit statistics (χ2 = 66.45, p = .00; RMSEA = 0.07, 90% CI [0.04, 0.10]; CFI = 0.95; TLI = 0.93). Discussion: Results validated the C19QPPS for evaluating MSW students’ shared trauma related to COVID-19. The findings support utilizing the C19QPPS to evaluate shared trauma among professional social workers.

Supplemental Material for “Solidarity and Community on Our Terms and Through Our Lens”: Community Care and Shared Trauma for Transgender and Nonbinary Peer Supporters During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Supplemental Material for “Solidarity and Community on Our Terms and Through Our Lens”: Community Care and Shared Trauma for Transgender and Nonbinary Peer Supporters During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Last Flight by Kristen Mai Giang

Reviewed by: Last Flight by Kristen Mai Giang Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor Giang, Kristen Mai Last Flight; illus. by Dow Phumiruk. Levine Querido, 2023 [56p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781646140862 $18.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 5-8 yrs Saigon is a busy, bustling place, sometimes overwhelming our protagonist, but she and her family still call it home, even when new sounds add to the din: “Heavy boots. Warning whistles. Booms that sounded far but felt near.” Life becomes increasingly challenging as the Vietnam War rages on, and when the fall of Saigon seems inevitable, the little girl’s father’s employer, Pan Am, promises to fly the family out to safety. Bureaucracy puts things on hold, however, until President Gerald Ford declares an emergency rescue flight, and soon the family is on a plane to a new but hopefully safer home. Giang’s affecting, powerful recounting of her family’s escape from Saigon in 1975 renders a largely unexplored moment in history intimate and urgent. The narrative tone is appropriately childlike, with simple, direct text relaying some specific information but mostly focusing on the experience of being [End Page 221] powerless in an increasingly scary situation, particularly as it becomes clear that even the adults are struggling to figure out how to keep themselves and their children safe. Figures lack movement, and scenes in the mixed media illustrations are often flat, but facial expressions portray moments of worry, terror, and sometimes a determined cheerfulness. An author’s note gives further detail but also emphasizes how her memories are cobbled together from her own experience and her family’s, which could spark a discussion about how people remember a shared trauma and how each experience is valid. Flight facts and a bibliography are included in the backmatter. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Centering Indigenous knowledge in suicide prevention: a critical scoping review

BackgroundIndigenous peoples of Canada, United States, Australia, and New Zealand experience disproportionately high rates of suicide as a result of the collective and shared trauma experienced with colonization and ongoing marginalization. Dominant, Western approaches to suicide prevention—typically involving individual-level efforts for behavioural change via mental health professional intervention—by themselves have largely failed at addressing suicide in Indigenous populations, possibly due to cultural misalignment with Indigenous paradigms. Consequently, many Indigenous communities, organizations and governments have been undertaking more cultural and community-based approaches to suicide prevention. To provide a foundation for future research and inform prevention efforts in this context, this critical scoping review summarizes how Indigenous approaches have been integrated in suicide prevention initiatives targeting Indigenous populations.MethodsA systematic search guided by a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach was conducted in twelve electronic bibliographic databases for academic literature and six databases for grey literature to identify relevant articles. the reference lists of articles that were selected via the search strategy were hand-searched in order to include any further articles that may have been missed. Articles were screened and assessed for eligibility. From eligible articles, data including authors, year of publication, type of publication, objectives of the study, country, target population, type of suicide prevention strategy, description of suicide prevention strategy, and main outcomes of the study were extracted. A thematic analysis approach guided by Métis knowledge and practices was also applied to synthesize and summarize the findings.ResultsFifty-six academic articles and 16 articles from the grey literature were examined. Four overarching and intersecting thematic areas emerged out of analysis of the academic and grey literature: (1) engaging culture and strengthening connectedness; (2) integrating Indigenous knowledge; (3) Indigenous self-determination; and (4) employing decolonial approaches.ConclusionsFindings demonstrate how centering Indigenous knowledge and approaches within suicide prevention positively contribute to suicide-related outcomes. Initiatives built upon comprehensive community engagement processes and which incorporate Indigenous culture, knowledge, and decolonizing methods have been shown to have substantial impact on suicide-related outcomes at the individual- and community-level. Indigenous approaches to suicide prevention are diverse, drawing on local culture, knowledge, need and priorities.

Exploring Shared Trauma in the Time of COVID: A Simulation-Based Survey Study of Mental Health Clinicians.

From fear of contracting the virus, isolation from physical distancing, to navigating lifeworkbalance, the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to leave long-lasting psychosocialimpacts on many. Shared trauma refers to similar psychological reactions to anextraordinary community event when experienced by both the clinicians and clients.We examined the experiences mong mental health clinicians in Canada and the UnitedStates (n = 196) in this online survey study during the second phase of thepandemic (Spring 2021). In addition to using traditional survey items (e.g.,demographics, scales, and short answers), we also used video-recorded SimulatedClients (SC; i.e., professional actors) as a novel method to elicit the participants'assessment of the SCs and the psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.Using shared trauma as a theoretical framework, we analyzed both quantitative andqualitative data. Quantitative results suggested that although these mental healthclinicians certainly reported experiencing psychosocial impacts of the pandemicthemselves, these shared experiences with client and general populations did notgreatly impact how they understood the SCs. Qualitative results helped furthercontextualize the clinicians' own personal and professional lives. Implications forclinical practice and further research related to shared trauma are discussed.

Pharmacy Workplace Wellbeing and Resilience: Themes Identified from a Hermeneutic Phenomenological Analysis with Future Recommendations.

This study applied a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to better understand pharmacy workplace wellbeing and resilience using respondents' written comments along with a blend of the researchers' understanding of the phenomenon and the published literature. Our goal was to apply this understanding to recommendations for the pharmacy workforce and corresponding future research. Data were obtained from the 2021 APhA/NASPA National State-Based Pharmacy Workplace Survey, launched in the United States in April 2021. Promotion of the online survey to pharmacy personnel was accomplished through social media, email, and online periodicals. Responses continued to be received through the end of 2021. A data file containing 6973 responses was downloaded on 7 January 2022 for analysis. Usable responses were from those who wrote an in-depth comment detailing stories and experiences related to pharmacy workplace and resilience. There were 614 respondents who wrote such comments. The findings revealed that business models driven by mechanized assembly line processes, business metrics that supersede patient outcomes, and reduction of pharmacy personnel's professional judgement have contributed to the decline in the experience of providing patient care in today's health systems. The portrait of respondents' lived experiences regarding pharmacy workplace wellbeing and resilience was beyond the individual level and revealed the need for systems change. We propose several areas for expanded inquiry in this domain: (1) shared trauma, (2) professional responsibility and autonomy, (3) learned subjection, (4) moral injury and moral distress, (5) sociocultural effects, and (6) health systems change.

Enveloppes psychiques et destin des enveloppes psychiques dans la créativité groupale

ContextThe literature on group psychoanalysis–whether on a national or international scale -- contains few references to group creativity. This article is situated in this under-explore field; more specifically, we propose to question the interactions between the dynamics of the formation of individual and group psychic envelopes and the emergence of the creative process in a group. ObjectivesOur research work pursues the general objective of showing that the emergence of the creative process in a group comes after a modification of the texture of the individual and group psychic envelopes. MethodWe use a working method that is based on a theoretical and epistemological exploration of group creativity and psychic envelopes. It is also based on qualitative research, using the analysis of psychodrama sessions carried out in the context of a supervision of employees of a governmental agency in southwestern France. In this perspective, we carried out an analysis of the individual and group associative chains as well as transferential and countertransferential movements. ResultsThe results obtained confirm the close links between the creative process and the formation and organization of individual and group psychic envelopes. InterpretationsMore broadly, we propose to interpret the emergence of creativity in the supervision group as a modality of the working-through of a potential shared trauma, in this case the violence inflicted on the employees by the population they serve.

Shared trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic: Psychological effects on Israeli mental health nurses.

Mental health nurses, tasked with the constant care of clients undergoing mental health treatment, have faced unique challenges arising from the uncertain outcomes of the COVID‐19 pandemic. The shared exposure of both nurses and their patients to a traumatic event such this pandemic leads to additional challenges and ways of coping. The psychological effects of this shared trauma on mental health nurses arising from the pandemic are the subject of this study. An online survey was used to examine personal levels of anxiety and concern, personal and national resilience (NR), and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among 183 mental health nurses working in mental health services in Israel. Overall, the study revealed moderate levels of concern and relatively low levels of anxiety, with significant negative correlations between personal and NR and levels of concern and anxiety. Higher levels of personal and NR were related to lower levels of concern and anxiety, and there was a significant positive correlation between assessments of personal resilience and NR. A significant positive correlation was found between personal and NR and PTG. Higher religiosity was associated with higher resilience, and higher professional seniority was related to higher PTG. Finally, results for particular demographic subgroups indicate that in Israel, special attention should be given to those mental health nurses who have immigrated to Israel, are non‐Jews or have less professional experience.

Love in the Time of Covid: Reflections on Retaining Attunement Through a Period of Shared Trauma

ABSTRACT The treatment room for mental health practitioners has transformed drastically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the complications of moving therapy online further compounded by the stressors of a public health emergency and, in many cases, increasing racist rhetoric and violence toward minority communities. For many LGBTQ+ clients, feelings of anxiety, insecurity, and shame were already exacerbated by a contentious political climate in place well before the pandemic. No one was untouched by the effects of the spread of the virus; individual emotional and behavioral responses vary as we know from trauma research and the clinician’s subjective experience of the pandemic will likely affect their practice in several ways. Though each clinical encounter is uniquely affected, the intersubjective dynamics created by a shared trauma put an onus on the clinician to adapt frequently to stay empathically attuned with a client. This paper will draw on concepts from motivational systems theory to help understand a composite case vignette involving a gay Asian American client with a history of relational trauma and a gay white therapist. Motivational Systems theory will be used to help elucidate how the client may be affected by the current moment, the affected intersubjective, gay-affirmative therapeutic dynamic, and how clinicians can maintain their attunement to clients in a way that allows them to respond effectively.

Shared Trauma, the Renegotiation of the Frame, and the Preservation of What Is Essential: Transformations in Psychoanalytic Treatment in the Time of the Pandemic

In this paper, the author describes a process, renegotiation of the frame, that emerged as he contemplated with his patients the continuation of work together in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such a renegotiation lends itself to the formation of bastions, as described by Baranger and Baranger (1969); attention to these bastions demonstrates that the psychoanalytic process continues and can deepen. An extended clinical vignette is presented to illustrate. If a more broadly defined functional frame is considered, not only may the frame be used as a clinical tool in a more nuanced way, but in addition, aspects of the traditional narrowly defined frame may be seen to contribute to the formation of bastions that, unaddressed, could impede the analytic process.

Student Reflections on Shared Trauma: One Year Later

In March of 2021, as the world marked the first anniversary since COVID-19 altered our reality, graduate social work students in Dr. Carol Tosone’s Evidence-Based Trauma class at NYU considered the challenges of learning about trauma treatment while simultaneously living through a global trauma. Students reflected on their home lives, school experiences, field placements, mental health challenges, feelings of burnout, and the added complexities of racial disparities and injustices. Students also shared their coping mechanisms and hope for the future. This paper aims to provide insight into their varied experiences while relating their struggles and demonstrating their pathways toward resiliency.

Antinomies: Shared Trauma, Unequal Privilege and Psychoanalysis in the Time of Plague

Antinomies: Shared Trauma, Unequal Privilege and Psychoanalysis in the Time of Plague