ASPECTS OF PROCESSING EXISTENTIAL EXPERIENCE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH ANXIETY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
pp. 24-40
Author(s):  
Vladimir A. Mokhov ◽  
◽  
Svetlana L. Babushkina ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Psychological Help ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Stress Coping ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Existential Crisis ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Existential Issues

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a real shock, forcing people to question the basic sense of security and face existential givens, such as finiteness of life, loneliness, freedom and meaning. The ongoing epidemic has sparked a wave of research on the mechanisms of effective stress coping in the situation of threat to life and safety. At the same time, more scientists are emphasizing the existential nature of anxiety caused by the pandemic, and the results of recent studies indicate a mediating role of existential anxiety between the symptoms of post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth. The purpose of this research is to study the aspects of processing existential experience and its connection with coping with anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic. The study analyzed written interviews of 108 subjects aged 25-45 years, held during the second wave of coronavirus in Moscow, for the presence of existential issues of death, loneliness, freedom and meaning. The types of processing existential experience were distinguished; an empirical analysis of the connection between the aspects of processing the existential experience and trait anxiety was carried out. Results showed that 90% of respondents are confronted with one or more existential given, which may indicate the presence of a situational existential crisis. A connection has been found between an emotional processing of existential experience together with the availability of personal resources and successful stress coping during the pandemic. The necessity of including fundamental existential issues in the process of providing psychological help during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as assistance to people, who have had traumatic experiences, has been argued.

scholarly journals Mediating role of avoidance of trauma disclosure and social disapproval in ICD-11 post-traumatic stress disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder: cross-sectional study in a Lithuanian clinical sample

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Kvedaraite ◽  
Odeta Gelezelyte ◽  
Thanos Karatzias ◽  
Neil P. Roberts ◽  
Evaldas Kazlauskas
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Trauma Exposure ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Relationship

Background ICD-11 includes a new diagnosis of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), resulting predominantly from reoccurring or prolonged trauma. Previous studies showed that lack of social support is among the strongest predictors of PTSD, but social factors have been sparsely studied in the context of the ICD-11 definition of PTSD and CPTSD. Aims To analyse the factor structure of the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) in a Lithuanian clinical sample and to evaluate the mediating role of social and interpersonal factors in the relationship between trauma exposure and ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD. Method The sample comprised 280 adults from out-patient mental health centres (age, years: mean 39.48 (s.d. = 13.35); 77.5% female). Trauma-related stress symptoms were measured with the ITQ. Social disapproval was measured with the Social Acknowledgment Questionnaire (SAQ) and trauma disclosure using the Disclosure of Trauma Questionnaire (DTQ). Results ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD prevalence among the participants in this study was 13.9% and 10.0% respectively. Results indicated that avoidance of trauma disclosure mediated the relationship between trauma exposure and PTSD as well as CPTSD, whereas social disapproval mediated only the relationship between trauma exposure and CPTSD. Conclusions The findings suggest that disclosure of traumatic experiences and support from closest friends and family members might mitigate the effects of traumatic experiences, potentially reducing the risk of developing CPTSD.

scholarly journals PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF POST-TRAUMATIC PERSONALITY GROWTH

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 259-270
Author(s):  
Spartak Subbota ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Psychosocial Model ◽  
Post Traumatic

The article proves that there are more and more evidence to positive psychological changes that can be the result of one’s struggle with the consequences of stress and traumatic experiencing. The aim of our work is to show that post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth are possible to understand and to study within framework of integral psychosocial model. It is shown that within context of adaptation after the trauma, new approaches that arise up on the basis of positive psychology considerably differ from traditional accents on illness and abnormal psychology that mental health specialists often make. At first glance, historically young domain of positive psychology hardly can offer much interesting for those who study and work in the area of (post) traumatic stress. However, as we noticed earlier, it is necessary to make a new look at development of clinical psychology, in particular on that, how distribution of illness ideology separated research of post-traumatic stress from studies of post-traumatic growth instead of development of integral perspective for understanding of these forms of human experience within the limits of single model. Psychosocial model describes interaction between psychological and social factors for acceleration or improvement of cognitive-emotional processing. This model is psychosocial, because although the cognitive-emotional processing belongs to the area of internal psychological experience, its speed and depth however to a great extent are determined by socially-psychological factors. Important, that psychosocial model is based not on traditional medical understanding of illness and health, and consequently does not consider post-traumatic stress as separate result of trauma, analysing it instead as a natural process related to these factors. Essential features of post-traumatic stress are re-experiencing, avoidance, and arousal - examined within the framework of psychosocial model as experiencing of event cognitions: appraisal, coping and emotional states. Within the limits of this model the repeated experiencing, avoidance, and excitation are not examined as symptoms of pathology or disorder, but as markers of need of cognitive-emotional processing of the new trauma-related information. Moreover, these features are studied rather even as variables of a wide spectrum, but not only as dichotomic states that are either present or absent.

Abstract P222: Psychological Recovery After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Haemorrhage: The Role of Post-Traumatic Growth and Self-Compassion

Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne M Thorburn
Keyword(s):  
Subarachnoid Haemorrhage ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Haemorrhage ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Relationship

Aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH), a subset of haemorrhagic stroke, is a potentially fatal condition with a mortality rate of approximately 50%. Of those that survive, some 60% will experience ongoing disability and impairment. Forty per cent of remaining survivors will experience what is deemed as a good neurological recovery. Despite good recovery, people have been found to experience negative psychosocial outcomes such as high levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), depression and reduced levels of overall well-being. As a result, aSAH has been viewed as a traumatic life experience with the potential for ongoing psychological sequelae. More recently the literature has identified that traumatic experiences can also elicit an opportunity for growth. Post-traumatic growth (PTG) states that for some people, the experience of trauma may also result in positive psychological gains. PTG has previously been investigated as an outcome after natural disasters and in a range of medical conditions; however, no studies have investigated PTG after an aSAH. A recent study identified that PTG may play a psychologically buffering role after a diagnosis of breast cancer. It is possible that PTG may also play a protective role in recovery after an aSAH; however, this has not been investigated. This study comprised N = 251 adults who had experienced an aSAH, and were recruited from Australia, U.K., U.S.A., New Zealand, and Canada. This study examined whether people who have survived an aSAH experience PTG; if predictors including self-compassion (SC) and social support (SS) influence the development of PTG after an aSAH; and if PTG moderates the relationship between PTSS, and depression and subjective well-being. Regression analyses were utilised to analyse the data. Results showed that people experience PTG after an aSAH; SC predicted PTG; PTG was not found to moderate the relationship between PTSS and either Depression or SWB domains. Supplementary analyses were conducted with SC not a significant moderator between PTSS and either depression or SWB domains. However, SC was found to mediate the relationship between PTSS and Depression and PTSS and SWB domains.

Losing a Loved One During the Covid-19 Pandemic: An On-Line Survey Looking at the Effects on Traumatic Stress, Coping and Post-Traumatic Growth

2021 ◽  
pp. 003022282110496
Author(s):  
Jerome Carson ◽  
Austin Gunda ◽  
Komal Qasim ◽  
Rosie Allen ◽  
Melvin Bradley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Coping ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Impact Of Event Scale ◽  
Event Scale ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect across the world. In the UK alone, the death toll is 132,742, with 207 people dying the previous day and a total of 6,825,074 cases of Covid-19 thus far (September 1st, 2021). The aim of this study was to look at post-traumatic stress, coping skills and post-traumatic growth in relatives, who lost a loved one during the pandemic. Some 185 individuals took part in a Qualtrics survey. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the Coping Assessment for Bereavement and Loss (CABLE) and the Post-Traumatic Growth Questionnaire. There were two major findings. First, there were very high levels of post-traumatic stress, with 94.6% of the sample scoring above the threshold of 33 for a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Second, levels of post-traumatic growth were very low. Losing a relative during the Covid-19 pandemic may lead to more PTSD. The circumstances surrounding many Covid deaths, may have long term negative consequences for the bereaved relatives.

scholarly journals Dynamics of the Transmission of Trauma through three Generations of Slovene Families

Family Forum ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 229-251
Author(s):  
Katarina Kompan Erzar
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Religious Faith ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Traumatic Experience ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Trauma Processing ◽  
Post Traumatic

 In this paper, we will present a study into the dynamics of the transmission of emotional traumatic in three families of victims of World War II and post-war communist oppression. This study is taken from a broader research project in which we investigated the experiences of nonclinical families that managed to survive through three generation, and in which post-traumatic growth is present, i. e. the ability to integrate traumatic experiences and provide greater security for future generations. The main focus will be on how emotional content is transmitted and transformed through generations and how to recognise it in various forms of behaviour, thinking and emotions, that appear in each of the generations. As we follow the transformation of traumatic content, we will also follow the the signs that show how traumatic content has integrated and begun to bring new, deeper emotional and mental insights. The emotional depth of the traumatic experience is what burdens the victim the most and slows down the dynamics of trauma processing. It appears in the form of symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome, insecurity and mistrust. This is found even in victims who have articulated the trauma sufficiently to rise above intimidation, managed to develop emotionally strong and connecting interpersonal relationships, maintain faith in the future, and form a coherent narrative of their traumatic past. The most interesting result of the research was that all three families, regardless of their diversity, are similar in term of processing the trauma. They were all able to speak openly about their traumatic experiences. In all three families there there was a great deal of discussion and searching for the social framework and personal truth of historical events, and the desire to present and describe the events that left such deep wounds in such a way that they would be clear, reworked and accessible to future generations as a document of the reality of some tragic and difficult times. Another source of trauma processing was religious faith, which allowed all the participants in this study to look at trauma and life more deeply, through relationships and connections between people and through a deeper understanding of human history embedded in a broader and deeper spiritual flow. Faith helped these families to find the courage to make decisions, to face life’s challenges, and to endure even the most severe of life's trials. A third source that facilitates the processing and integration of a traumatic experience is secure interpersonal relationships and compassionate parenting. Despite the fact that the whole question of parenting was demanding and full of challenges for our interviewees, the quality of parenting has been improved from generation to generation, and sincere affection for children and gratitude for children were present everywhere. The ability to follow the new generation and its initiatives while maintaining a connection to its roots is a dynamic that characterises all three families. There is also a lot of thinking and conscious effort in establishing and maintaining good marital relationships in these families. For the recovery from trauma this study shows the importance of talking about it and also talking about it in a safe relationship until it takes a form that is genuine and at the same time clear, coherent and thus suitable for the general public. That’s when the traumatic story ceases to be traumatizing and becomes a story of courage, perseverance, and truth.  

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