Psychological Responses to Trauma
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Transcript 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