scholarly journals Collective Trauma and Mental Health in Adolescents: A Retrospective Cohort Study of the Effects of Retraumatization

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Pazderka ◽  
Matthew R. G. Brown ◽  
Vincent I. O. Agyapong ◽  
Andrew James Greenshaw ◽  
Caroline Beth McDonald-Harker ◽  
...  

In the wake of the massive Canadian wildfire of May 2016 in the area of Fort McMurray Alberta, we observed increased rates of mental health problems, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in school-aged adolescents (ages 11–19). Surprisingly, we did not see these rates decline over the 3.5-year follow-up period. Additionally, our research suggested that the impact of this mass incident resulted in other unanticipated effects, including the finding that children who were not present for and relatively unaffected by the wildfire showed a similar PTSD symptom profile to children more directly involved, suggesting some degree of spillover or stress contagion. A potential explanation for these high rates in individuals who were not present could be undiagnosed retraumatization in some of the students. To investigate this possibility, we compared two groups of students: those who reported the wildfire as their most significant trauma (n = 740) and those who had their most significant trauma prior to the wildfire (n = 295). Those with significant pre-existing trauma had significantly higher rates of both depression and PTSD symptoms, although, unexpectedly the groups exhibited no differences in anxiety level. Taken together, this evidence suggests retraumatization is both longer-lasting and more widespread than might be predicted on a case-by-case basis, suggesting the need to reconceptualize the role of past trauma history in present symptomatology. These findings point to the need to recognize that crises instigated by natural disasters are mass phenomena which expose those involved to numerous unanticipated risks. New trauma-informed treatment approaches are required that incorporate sensitivity to the collective impact of mass crises, and recognize the risk of poorer long-term mental health outcomes for those who experienced trauma in the past.

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Lambrini Kourkouta ◽  
Konstantinos Koukourikos ◽  
Ioanna V. Papathanasiou ◽  
Areti Tsaloglidou

Introduction: Immigration is the movement of people into a country where they will remain as its permanent residents or future citizens without having citizenship. Purpose: The purpose of this review study is to highlight the impact of immigration on the mental health of immigrants and to identify the mental disorders from which immigrants are at risk of getting ill. Methodology: The study material consisted of articles on the topic, found in Greek and international databases such as: Google Scholar, Mednet, Pubmed, Medline and the Hellenic Academic Libraries Association (HEAL-Link), using the appropriate keywords: mental illness, immigrants, treatment. Results: It is estimated that two-thirds of refugees - migrants experience anxiety and depression. Studies show that these are populations with severe social problems, unmet needs, and a range of mental health problems such as depression, panic attacks, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, suicidal ideation, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Conclusions: Addressing the mental health problems of immigrants and refugees can only be holistic. It requires much more psychosocial interventions and practical solutions, always combined with culturally appropriate psychological support methods.


2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (199) ◽  
pp. 202-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arun Jha ◽  
Suraj Shakya

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is common psychiatric morbidity among earthquake survivors, and if untreated people suffer from it for years. Government of Nepal and NGOs provided various short-term mental health services to the victims of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, but there was no plan or provision for long-term mental health problems. The prevalence of PTSD following natural disasters depends on various local factors requiring understanding and further investigation before identifying affordable evidence based interventions. This paper discusses the need for PTSD research among the survivors of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, and describes the challenges and difficulties of recruiting and training PTSD volunteers.  Keywords: earthquake; narrative exposure therapy; Nepal; prevalence; PTSD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 249-258
Author(s):  
Thalia Audina

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia, apart from having an impact on physical health, also has an impact on psychological or mental health. Psychological impacts during the pandemic include post-traumatic stress disorder,  depression,  anxiety,  frustration,  fear of infection, insomnia, and feeling helpless. Aim: This study was conducted to determine the impact of Covid-19 on mental health, as well as to find out strategies in dealing with these impacts so that they survive in the Covid-19 pandemic era. Methods: This study uses literature with the object of mental health research during the Covid-19 pandemic, several journal sources and related articles are reviewed and grouped. Results: This study shows that Covid-19 has an impact on mental health by people in various parts of the world. In Indonesia, mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, trauma due to the Covid-19 pandemic are also being felt in real terms at this time. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has a major impact on mental health. The government's strategy and community participation are expected to be able to face mental health challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic.


2020 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Murphy ◽  
C Williamson ◽  
J Baumann ◽  
W Busuttil ◽  
N T Fear

IntroductionData are emerging showing the adverse consequences on mental health of the general public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about the needs of veterans with pre-existing mental health difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsData were collected through a cross-sectional online survey from a randomly selected sample (n=1092) of military veterans who have sought help for mental health difficulties from a veteran-specific UK-based charity. The response rate was 25.2% (n=275). Participants were asked to complete a range of standardised mental health outcomes (post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist, common mental health difficulties (CMDs): 12-Item General Health Questionnaire, difficulties with anger: 5-Item Dimensions of Anger Reactions—Revised and alcohol misuse: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and endorse a list of potential stressors related to changes to daily life resulting from COVID-19. Regression analyses were fitted to explore predictors of mental health severity.ResultsIt was observed that symptoms of common mental disorder and PTSD (69.3% and 65.0%, respectively) were the most commonly reported to have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Lack of social support and reporting increasing numbers of stressors related to COVID-19 were consistently associated with increasing severity of a range of mental health difficulties.ConclusionsOur findings suggest veterans who had pre-existing mental health difficulties prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 may be at increased risk of experiencing CMDs as a result of the pandemic. Intervening to improve levels of social support and offering practical guidance to better manage any additional stressors relating to the pandemic may provide strategies to help reduce the burden of mental health symptoms.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Farinaz Havaei

Workplace violence is a prevalent phenomenon in healthcare, particularly among nursing professionals. Exposure to workplace violence may be direct through firsthand involvement, indirect through secondhand witnessing, or both. Even though implications for victims of workplace violence have been well-studied, less is known about the various types of exposure and their effects on nurse mental health. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of workplace-violence exposure types on the mental health of nurses, while accounting for the intensity of the incident/s. This study employs an exploratory correlational design with survey methods. Nurses from British Columbia (BC), Canada, were invited by the provincial nurses’ union to complete an electronic survey in Fall 2019. A total of 2958 responses from direct-care nurses in acute-care settings were analyzed using logistic regression. The results showed that mental-health problems increased with cumulative exposure; even though nurses with solely indirect exposure to workplace violence did not report greater mental-health problems, those experiencing solely direct exposure, or both direct and indirect exposure, were two to four times more likely to report high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression and burnout compared to their counterparts with no exposure. There is an urgent need for better mental-health support, prevention policies and practices that take into account the type of workplace-violence exposure.


Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Yan Xu ◽  
Wantian Cui

BACKGROUND: China’s atmospheric PM2.5 pollution is serious, and PM2.5 exerts a negative impact on the human respiratory system, cardiovascular, and mental health, and even more serious health risk for the elderly with weak immunity. OBJECTIVE: This work aims to analyse the impacts of PM2.5 microenvironment exposure on the health of the elderly and provide corresponding countermeasures. METHODS: The survey subjects are 118 retired elderly people in the community. PM2.5 exposure concentrations are monitored in summer (June 10 ∼ July 10, 2019) and winter (November 25 ∼ December 25, 2019). RESULTS: The exposure concentration in winter is higher than that in summer, with statistical difference (P <  0.05). Under the impact of PM2.5 microenvironment exposure, smoking in the elderly can increase the concentration of PM2.5, and long-term exposure to PM2.5 in the elderly can cause mental health problems. CONCLUSION: Long-term exposure of the elderly to the PM2.5 microenvironment leads to physical diseases and even psychological problems, which requires attention.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 432
Author(s):  
Athena Madan

<p class="Default">“Refugee war trauma” is a poor adjunct to post-traumatic stress, lacking context for a civilian survivor of war. The “therapeutic mission”, or consolidating a therapeutic agenda with political reconstitution, has its tensions: Such founders embody politics of “emotionology” (Humphrey, 2005, p. 205) bound largely to pharmaceuticals, from a land of “freedom” (where emphasis is on market) and “democracy” (where emphasis is on autonomy of choice, not accountability). Additionally, how people “cope” or “solve problems” is not universal: Therapy speaks of self-empowerment, self-actualisation, and self-control; reconciliation speaks of collective citizenship, national participation, and group reform. Instituting participation in rituals that ‘help” according to predefined norms of an American prescription to suffering speaks more to the globalisation of the American psyche (Watters, 2010; Venne, 1997) than of humanitarian relief. This paper looks at the absence of cultural and socio-political specificities within the dominant discourse on “war trauma”, that are however of ultimate relevance for people affected by war. Using a case example from my own practice with a Rwandan woman living now in Canada, I question the “helpfulness” of post-traumatic stress treatment with this instance of refugee war trauma, and the impact of power systems in mental health care. How can the therapeutic encounter, given its genesis in Eurocentric, patriarchal, enlightenment thought, pause to better consider its potential for injury, especially within contexts of post-colonial genocide? How to avoid a new “mission to civilise”? What tensions to note as the advent of “trauma counselling” seeks more global application and transnational legitimacy?</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung Hyun Lee ◽  
Dayoung Lee ◽  
Soyoen Hyun ◽  
Ji Sun Hong ◽  
Chang-Hoon Kim ◽  
...  

Experiences of infectious diseases cause stressful and traumatic life events, hence, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients could suffer from various mental health problems requiring psychological support services. This study investigates the severity of mental health problems among confirmed COVID-19 patients. From March to November 2020, we collected the data from 118 COVID-19 patients who voluntarily participated in the National Center for Disaster Trauma's online mental health assessment consisting of self-report scales like Primary Care of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder screen (PC-PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), and P4 Suicidality Screener. For control, 116 other disaster-experienced and 386 non-COVID-19-experienced participants were recruited. The COVID-19 patients showed more severe symptoms including post-traumatic symptoms, depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms than control groups across all four screening scales (p &lt; 0.001). Regarding high-risk, COVID-19 patients had an increased association with high-risk compared to the comparison groups (PC-PTSD: OR = 24.16, 95% CI = 13.52–43.16 p &lt; 0.001; PHQ-9: OR = 14.45, 95% CI = 8.29–25.19, p &lt; 0.001; GAD-7: OR=20.71, 95% CI = 10.74–39.96, p &lt; 0.001; PHQ-15: OR = 5.65, 95% CI = 3.44–9.25, p &lt; 0.001; P4: OR = 14.67, 95% CI = 8.95–25.07, p &lt; 0.001). This study's results imply that there is a high-risk of overall mental health problems, especially stronger associations of post-traumatic stress symptoms, in COVID-19 patients. These findings help inform practitioners about the psychological responses to COVID-19 experiences and to prepare appropriate interventions and services for the incremental number of confirmed cases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 44-54
Author(s):  
Julia Budzyńska ◽  
Magdalena Leśniewska ◽  
Ilona Kozioł ◽  
Joanna Milanowska

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of a coronavirus pandemic in 2019 posed a serious threat to the global population. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has not only been a public health emergency, but has also affected mental health worldwide. Patients were exposed to a number of significant stressors during COVID-19 infection by which it appears that it may have had a major impact on mental health. Little is known about changes in levels of psychological affect, stress, anxiety and depression during this pandemic.AIM OF THE STUDY: The purpose of this study was to analyze the most recent available literature on the association of pandemic COVID-19 with psychiatric disorders occurring both as a result of past infection and in response to stress associated with the new situation of a global epidemic of Sars-CoV-2 virus.RESULTS: The psychological effects of the epidemic are clearly noticeable. The study identified groups particularly vulnerable to developing symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Risk factors were also identified in people working in health care as having direct contact with the effects of infection with the new virus.SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS: Key elements of preventing psychological impact are the creation of a mental health organization. Another important task for governments is to create the conditions for economic security, as financial problems or job losses can also be the cause of mental crises.


2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fazel

Large numbers of refugee children are arriving in high-income countries. The evidence to date suggests that they have mental health needs that are higher than for the general population and that these are exacerbated by the numbers of traumatic events they have experienced and the post-migration stressors they continue to be exposed to. The importance of a thorough and thoughtful assessment is discussed. Treatments of note are described for post-traumatic stress disorder, family functioning, general mental health problems and school environments. Future opportunities to operationalise outcome measures, develop multimodal interventions and utilise implementation science methodology are considered.


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