scholarly journals The Burn Behind the Bullet: Understanding Black Mothers’ Experiences After Losing a Child to Gun Violence in Washington, DC-Baltimore City Metropolitan Region

2021 ◽  
pp. 28-42
Author(s):  
Denzell Brown
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Complicated Grief ◽  
Gun Violence ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Black Mothers ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Post Traumatic

The purpose of this research article is to examine how complicated grief, post-traumatic stress, and depressive symptoms induced from losing a child to gun violence affect traits of resilience and post-traumatic growth among a sample of Black mothers living in Washington DC and Baltimore, Maryland. This research project was executed by surveying 4 Black mothers who lost a child to gun violence (B.M.C.G.V.) that resided in the Baltimore-Washington area to assess grief, traumatic stress, and depression. Participants also completed an oral interview that focused on resilience, post-traumatic growth, and policy recommendations. Findings associated with post-traumatic stress indicated that all Black mothers in this study reported it was somewhat true that they avoid things that remind them of their loved ones (n= 4, 100%), and 3 out of 4 of the mothers felt cut off or distant from other people since their loved one died (n= 3, 75%). Outcomes related to complicated grief revealed that all mothers in this study reported that they felt a great deal of loneliness since their child had died (n= 4, 100%). Moreover, 3 out 4 B.M.C.G.V. reported that memories of their child made them upset in the last past 7 days (n= 3, 75%). Results aligning with post-traumatic growth displayed that all Black mothers in this study reported it was mostly true that they learned they were stronger than they originally thought they were after losing a child to gun violence (n=4, 100%). Additionally, 3 out of 4 Black mothers in this study stated that it is mostly true that they developed a strong religious faith upon losing a child to gun violence (n= 3, 75%). Furthermore, 3 out of 4 Black mothers in this study reported that they found a stronger sense of purpose in life upon losing a child to gun violence (n = 3, 75%). Findings related to depressive symptomatology contained a large amount of variation and did not produce any significant results. The data results from the oral interview indicated that 9 common characteristics emerged from Black mothers who lost a child to gun violence in this study which included Black mothers explaining their character traits as Loving, Committed, and Strong. Subsequently, Black mothers classified their coping strategies as Active Coping (Embracing Self-love, Forgiveness, and Faith in God) and Avoidant Coping (Denial, Betrayal, and Not Coping). Lastly, Black mothers’ policy recommendations in this study focused on themes such as Demanding resources and Laws on gun violence prevention.

Adult separation anxiety in patients with complicated grief: relationship with post traumatic stress versus mood spectrum symptomatology

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 142-142
Author(s):  
C. Carmassi ◽  
C. Socci ◽  
M. Corsi ◽  
I. Pergentini ◽  
E. Massimetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Adjustment ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Separation Anxiety ◽  
Complicated Grief ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Event Scale ◽  
Control Subjects ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionAround 9–20% of bereaved individuals experience symptoms of complicated grief (CG) associated with significant distress and impairment. Increasing research has been focused on identifying the distinctive set of psychiatric symptoms that characterize this condition with respect to major depression, corroborating the need to include this syndrome in the forthcoming DSM-V as a distinctive diagnosis. Vulnerability to CG has been rooted in attachment disturbances and authors reported that symptoms of separation anxiety in childhood should be considered as predictors of CG onset in adulthood.ObjectivesTo date no study explored symptoms of adult separation anxiety among patients with CG with respect to healthy control subjects (HC).AimsTo explore adult separation anxiety and mood spectrum symptoms in patients with CG with respect to HC.Methods53 patients with CG and 50 control subjects were recruited, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pisa. Assessments: SCID-I/P, the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG), the Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire (ASA-27), the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and the Mood Spectrum-Self Report (MOODS-SR) lifetime version.ResultsPatients with CG reported significantly higher scores on the MOODS-SR, ASA_27, IES and WSAS with respect to controls. The scores on the ASA_27 were more strongly associated with IES scores with respect to other scales.ConclusionsOur results suggest a correlation between adult separation anxiety and CG onset after the loss of a loved one in adulthood, with a possible correlation to a post-traumatic stress symptomatology. Further studies are needed.

HIV infection associated post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic growth – A systematic review

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 612-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine Sherr ◽  
Navneet Nagra ◽  
Grace Kulubya ◽  
Jose Catalan ◽  
Claudine Clucas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Post Traumatic

POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH IN A PROCESS OF REHABILITATAION

2018 ◽  
pp. 57-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Tokhtamysh
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Rehabilitation Process ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Post Traumatic

This topic is particularly relevant in the context of combat operations in eastern Ukraine against the occupation of the country, where members of the combined forces operation in each day are in a situation threatening the life and risk of getting a military psychological trauma. The article considers the elements and conditions of post-traumatic growth in the context of the rehabilitation process and the social promotion of human development after a traumatic event. The phenomenon of post-traumatic growth can transform the concept of rehabilitation into a term that can be labeled as "proabilitation". The forms of social and rehabilitation support in terms of creating conditions for post-traumatic growth and their effectiveness are explored. The theoretical and applied models with resource elements of the rehabilitation process and post-traumatic growth process are analyzed. It is noted that the traditional model of posttraumatic growth pay attention to the process of rumination and getting control over it and ignores one of the basic symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder, such as uncontrolled visual images (flash backs). The two-component concept of post-traumatic growth, which may be «illusory» or «adaptive», can also be presented as a «compensatory» or «healing» type with regard to the presence or absence of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after reaching post-traumatic growth. Posttraumatic growth occurs in several domains and can be depending on the type of traumatic event experienced, the individual reactions and the psychological qualities of the person. This process is not such that it automatically eliminates the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, the same, rejecting the need for psychotherapeutic and psychosocial care and focusing only on post-traumatic growth can be a false strategy for those who have experienced a traumatic event. Consequently, the phenomenon of post-traumatic growth can be regarded as a powerful resource factor for the rehabilitation process, in particular, as a motivational component of psychosocial assistance.

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