Effect of Trauma and Reaction of Survivors

Traumatic incidents like war, terror, natural disasters, and other aggressive attacks can affect individuals more than expected. These individuals may develop stress management difficulty, acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder or other psychiatric disorders which causes decrease in the quality of their life. Ellis, MacDonald, Lincoln and Cobral (2008) investigated mental health, stress after being located and traumatic effect of discrimination on 12-19 aged refugees who are located in United States a year after terror attack in Somalia. Findings demonstrated that, stress after being located increases with shelter inadequacy, absence of English speaking ability and cultural differences. Moreover, same research showed that post-traumatic stress disorder is parallel with depressive symptoms. Refugees who experience stress after being located and who thinks they are discriminated, develops more post-traumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms. It can be stated that, refugees who experience heavy trauma and ecologic, emotional or cognitive stress carry the risk of heavy post-traumatic stress disorder more than who do not. Silver and colleagues (2013) did a research to understand effect of media after September 11 attacks. In this study, relationship between media data and individuals’ physical and psychological well-being, acute stress reactions and existence of post-traumatic stress symptoms being investigated. Findings showed that, being exposed to media causes more post-traumatic stress disorder. When the affected individuals being evaluated, it’s understood that regardless of their sex, age, religion, language, race, education or social classes they affected negatively from being exposed to media (Silver etc.,2013).
 
Crisis experts, clinical psychologists or other mental health workers should ask to migrants with trauma story about cultural values, personal attributions, prejudices, images shown in media, war, countries having war with, and the public of that countries, religion and the thoughts of people’s religion of that country. The objective of that is, everybody has a beliefs and attributes to everything and these attributions may cause some deadlocks which may negatively affect people’s social and work life. Therefore, understanding attributions and rules about war, terror, terrorist, other countries that they having war with, people of that country and how their meaning has changed, may prevent these individuals from risky situations, attempts and relationships. Moreover, it’s seen that, after traumatic events, locations with multicultural backgrounds consumes more alcohol and there is increase in alcohol addiction (Mahoney, Chandra, Gambheera, De Silva, & Suveendran, 2006). Hence, to evaluate how they cope with this situation, it’s crucial to get information about alcohol and substance consumption, amount, and duration of these.

To rise in psychological well-being after trauma and disasters, it is an effective method to implementing healthy life style (working conditions, nutrition, exercise and drinking preferences) (Shultz et al., 2013).

Environmental factors after migration is important to prevent people from developing mental disorders. For helping to immigrants to adapt, mental health workers, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists and other experts can use first aid principles and techniques. Psychological Firs Aid (PFA) is a beneficial supportive program especially after trauma (Brymer, Jacobs, Layne, Pynoos, Ruzek, & Steinberg, et al. 2006). First step is approach by taking into consideration of individual’s culture, values, language, body language and other characteristics. According to PFA’(2006) experts should be sensitive to individual’s culture and get information about emotions, self-reported psychological reactions and attributions of their public utilities.
When immigrants’ needs are evaluated, it is most effective to start from their basic domain (PFA,2006). Therefore, there should be comfortable and helpful approach to make a contact. During state of emergency or there is need for psychological and physical support, security or comfort principle is used. If calmness is needed stabilization principle is used. Priority in interview is understanding needs and concerns of immigrant and get information about these. Afterward, with the practical assistance principle, immigrant is asked about his/her urgent needs. After, needs are determined, individuals should be led to the services or people that provide them.If they have difficulty to reach family member and acquaintances, social support connection principle is used. If he or she has difficulty in coping with stress, information about coping abilities are shared. Finally, with the help of collaborator service principles, make immigrants to reach the services, institutions and organizations they need.

Lately, we started to live in multicultural structure and community after arrivals of immigrants coming from Syria and other countries. Our state institutions, charities, mental health experts and even Turkish citizens may need to practicing psychological first aid to these people. Thus, people who takes first aid at least carry lighter effect of migration, war, trauma on them. For doing that, first step is learning their urgent need and lead them to provider services, organizations, associations. Second step aims to raise psychological well-being. To reach this aim, experts leads them start to healthy life style and psychological support program. With the help of this program peace, unity, security and cultural values of both immigrants and Turkish citizens may be preserved.


Dr. Esra Savaş
Clinical Psychologist & Psycho-Onchologist
Istanbul Gelisim University, Department of Psychology



REFERENCES
 
Brymer, M., Jacobs, A., Layne, C., Pynoos, R., Ruzek, J., Steinberg, A., et al. (2006). Psychological first aid (PFA): Field operations guide (2nd ed.). Retrieved from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network National Center for PTSD website: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/manuals/manual-pdf/pfa/PFA_2ndEditionwithappendices.pdf
Ellis, B. H., MacDonald, H. Z., Lincoln, A. K., & Cabral, H. J. (2008). Mental health of Somali adolescent refugees: The role of trauma, stress, and perceived discrimination. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76(2), 184–193.
Mahoney, J., Chandra, V., Gambheera, H., De Silva, T., & Suveendran, T. (2006). Responding to the mental health and psychosocial needs of the people of Sri Lanka in disasters. International Review of Psychiatry, 18(6), 593–597. DOI: 10.1080/09540260601129206
Shultz, JM., Forbes, D., Wald, D., Kelly, F., Solo-Gabriele, HM., Rosen, A., MPH, et al. (2013). Trauma Signature Analysis of the Great East Japan Disaster: Guidance for Psychological Consequences. Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness;0; 1-14. DOI: 10.1017/dmp.2013.21
Silver, R. C., Holman, E. A., Andersen, J. P., Poulin, M., McIntosh, D. N., & Gil-Rivas, V. (2013). Mental- and physical-health effects of acute exposure to media images of the September 11, 2001, attacks and the Iraq War. Psychological Science, 24(9), 1623–1634.