Download Psychological Responses to Trauma

Psychological Responses to
Trauma: The Impact of Terrorism
Roxane Cohen Silver, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Psychology and Social Behavior
School of Social Ecology
University of California, Irvine
Presentation delivered at Western Knight Center for Specialized Journalism’s
Seminar “Homeland Terrorism: A Primer for First-Responder Journalists,” sponsored
by the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, June 26, 2003
Characteristics of Traumatic
Life Events
Random
Unpredictable
Uncontrollable
When a community-based event (e.g.,
natural disaster): shared experience
among many victims
The Unique Case of Terrorism
Faceless enemy with malevolent intent
Ongoing threat
Political undertones and ramifications
Common Responses
Post-trauma
 Shock, Disbelief, and/or Emotional numbness (e.g.,
surprise and a feeling of unreality)
 Fear and Separation Anxiety
 Emotional distress (e.g., sadness, depression)
 Survivor guilt
 Somatic Symptoms (nausea, loss of appetite,
headaches, nervousness, GI distress, chest pains)
 Ongoing memories, thoughts and mental pictures of
the event (often intrusive, often avoided, often
associated with anxiety)
Common Responses
Post-trauma (cont)
 Sleep disturbance (including nightmares)
 Difficulty concentrating, disorganized thought
 Desire to be close with friends, family, or
similarly affected others
 Need to talk about one's experiences
 Relief and a focus on one's good fortune
relative to worse-off others
 Altruistic behavior
Possible Short and Long term
Effects
 Psychopathological Disorders (e.g., Acute
Stress Disorder, PTSD, Major Depressive
Disorder, other Anxiety Disorders)
 Generalized distress (sadness, fear, anxiety)
 Intrusive ruminations
 Physical symptoms (somatic complaints;
physical health effects of chronic stress)
 Increased health care utilization and cost
 Disruptions in functioning (e.g., work, school,
domestic activities, relationships)
Possible Short and Long term
Effects (cont)
Decreased positive affect
Decreased psychological well-being
Posttraumatic growth, meaning-making,
construal of personal benefits (e.g.,
changes in personal values)
Positive community effects (e.g.,
increased patriotism, altruism,
volunteerism)
The Myths of Coping with
Traumatic Life Events
 Psychological responses are predictable; that is,
there are universal reactions to traumatic events
 Emotional responses to traumatic events will
follow a pattern, or orderly sequence of stages
 Individuals will respond to traumatic events with
early and intense emotional distress
 Psychological responses will be limited to those
directly exposed to the traumatic event
The Myths of Coping (Cont.)
 Degree of emotional response will be
proportional to the degree of exposure, amount
of loss, or proximity to the trauma (e.g., as
“objective” loss increases, so will distress)
 Distress is necessary, and failure to confront the
experience will lead to subsequent pathology
 Individuals soon “recover” from traumatic events
Probable Moderators of Response
 Pre-existing mental health history
 Personality dispositions
 Family background (learned responses; modeling)
 Religious orientation; philosophical perspective
 Lifetime or recent trauma history
 Chronic stress
 Coping strategies/responses
 Social context, network responses over time
 Media exposure?
Beneficial vs. Detrimental
Impact of the Media
 Provide useful/critical information to those who need
and want it
 Present repeated traumatic visual images;
reactivate traumatic experience and enlarge
geographic range of “direct” victims
 Intrude on the privacy of victims
 Inaccurately portray range of responses to trauma
vs. “normalize” variability
 Perpetuate the myths of coping vs. educate public
 Exacerbate distress and anxiety vs. assist in
containing anxiety
Helpful Social
Responses to Victims of Trauma
 Provide opportunity to ventilate feelings
 Express concern
 Provide tangible support
 Presence ("Being there")
 Provide contact with similar other(s)
Unhelpful Social Responses to
Victims of Trauma
 Giving advice (unless one has special, needed
expertise)
 Minimizing the trauma
 Forced cheerfulness
 Encouraging quick recovery
 Identification with feelings --"I know how you feel"
(unless one has experienced a similar trauma)
 Providing a philosophical or religious perspective
on the trauma
 Over-controlling behavior