After the tsunami: A story from Sri Lanka

Nikapota, Anula

doi:10.1080/09540260600658262

Cited by 29 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…In 2004, Sri Lanka experienced an unexpected tsunami causing a death toll of 35,000 [1], including 10,000 children [2], resulting in bereavement, lack of social and family support and significant economical insecurity [3, 4]. Previous disaster research revealed significant mental health problems among children exposed to major disasters including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13], behavioral problems [14], anxiety [6], depression [15, 16], fears [17], and learning difficulties [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

School-Based Intervention for the Treatment of Tsunami-Related Distress in Children: A Quasi-Randomized Controlled Trial

Berger

Gelkopf²

2009

Psychother Psychosom

127

108

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Background: On December 26, 2004, a tsunami hit the southern coast of Sri Lanka, leaving thousands dead and injured. Previous research has found significant mental health problems among children exposed to major disasters. School-based universal interventions have shown promise in alleviating distress and posttraumatic symptomatology in children and adolescents. This study evaluated the efficacy of a school-based intervention in reducing stress-related symptomatology among Sri Lankan children exposed to the tsunami. Methods: In a quasi-randomized controlled trial 166 elementary school students (ages 9–15) with significant levels of tsunami exposure and previous traumatic background were randomly assigned to a 12-session structured program ‘ERASE Stress Sri Lanka’ (ES-SL) or to a waiting list (WL) religious class control group. Students were assessed 1 week prior and 3 months after the intervention on measures of posttraumatic symptomatology [including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and severity of posttraumatic symptomatology], depression, functional problems, somatic problems and hope. Results: This study shows a significant reduction on all outcome variables. PTSD severity, functional problems, somatic complaints, depression and hope scores were all significantly improved in the ES-SL group compared to the WL group. No new cases of PTSD were observed in the experimental group. Conclusion: This study adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting the efficacy of school-based universal approaches in helping children in regions touched by war, terror and disaster and suggests the need to adopt a two-stage approach toward dealing with trauma-exposed students, namely, starting with a universal intervention followed by targeted specialized interventions for those still suffering from posttraumatic distress.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

School-Based Intervention for the Treatment of Tsunami-Related Distress in Children: A Quasi-Randomized Controlled Trial

Berger

Gelkopf²

2009

Psychother Psychosom

127

108

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“…It is thus generally important to include informants of different genders and ages (Dahlberg et al, 2008). Grief is a normal response in the early aftermath of a disaster, but is at the same time culturally specific (Nikapota, 2006; Pérez-Sales et al, 2005). Autobiographies from the Eastern part of the world would probably have contributed to greater variations in the data, which would have been an advantage to the study.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most cultures have their own particular grief rituals/ceremonies, and these play an important role in the trauma recovery (Lundin, 1982; Pérez-Sales, Cervellón, Vázquez,Vidales, & Gaborit, 2005). Cultural norms in Sri Lanka dictated that the information that next of kin had been killed in the tsunami catastrophe was withheld from the relatives, thus preventing them from mourning (Nikapota, 2006). However, when screened for complicated grief nearly half of the project liberty service recipients showed symptoms of complicated grief 18 months after September 11.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Out of the wave: The meaning of suffering and relief from suffering as described in autobiographies by survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

Roxberg

Sameby²,

Brodin³

et al. 2010

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

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The aim of this study was to explore the meaning of suffering and relief from suffering as described in autobiographies by tourists who experienced the tsunami on 26 December 2004 and lost loved ones. A lifeworld approach, inspired by the French philosopher Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology of perception, was chosen for the theoretical framework. This catastrophe totally changed the survivors' world within a moment. In this new world, there were three main phases: the power of remaining focused, a life of despair, and the unbearable becoming bearable. Life turns into a matter of making the unbearable bearable. Such challenging experiences are discussed in terms of the philosophy of Weil, Jaspers, and Merleau-Ponty. The survivors of the tsunami catastrophe were facing a boundary situation and “le malheur,” the unthinkable misfortune. Even at this lowest level of misfortune, joy is possible to experience. This is part of the survivors' ambivalent experiences of their lifeworld. In this world of the uttermost despair there are also rays of hope, joy, and new life possibilities.

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“…communities, families and children "internalised" many of the fears and anxieties linked to the loss of family and homes, suggesting the need to consider and study further the "contagious" effects of trauma caused by such natural disasters [21, 24,25]. As shown by a study on collective trauma in northen Sri Lanka, exposure to conflict, war and disaster situations impacts on fundamental family and community dynamics, which results in changes at a collective level [26].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of life, vulnerability and resilience: a qualitative study of the tsunami impact on the affected population of Sri Lanka

Fauci

Bonciani

Guerra

2012

Annali Dell'Istituto Superiore Di Sanità

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Abstract. aim. This qualitative study is aimed at analysing the impact of the 2004 tsunami on the Quality of Life of the Sri Lankan population. It focused on the factors that have contributed to an increase in the people's susceptibility to the impact of hazards -their vulnerability -as well as of the natural ability to cope of the populations affected -their resilience. Methodology. The study is based on the conduction of 10 Focus Group discussions and 18 In-depth Interviews, then analysed through a qualitative analysis software. Results and conclusions. The analysis shows that each factor involved in the interplay among the different processes that produced the changes in the affected people's quality of life is at the same time a damaged asset, a vulnerability factor and a resource to draw upon for coping. The complexity of this situation opens further speculation as to how disasters and relief interventions influence relationships and dynamics in society. This should thus be further investigated, together with the effects of individual and group trauma on society.Key words: quality of life, vulnerability, resilience, qualitative research, disasters. Riassunto (Qualità della vita, vulnerabilità e resilienza: uno studio qualitativo dell'impatto dello tsunami sulla popolazione colpita dello Sri Lanka).Obiettivo. La presente ricerca qualitativa propone un'analisi dell'impatto dello tsunami del 2004 sulla qualità della vita della popolazione dello Sri Lanka, concentrandosi sui fattori che hanno contribuito ad aumentare, nella popolazione colpita, la suscettibilità ai disastri -la cosiddetta vulnerabilità -e la loro naturale capacità di recupero e ripresa -la cosiddetta resilienza. Metodologia. Lo studio ha previsto la conduzione di 10 Focus Group e 18 Interviste In Profondità. I dati sono stati poi analizzati con un software per l'analisi dei dati qualitativi. Risultati e conclusioni. Lo studio ha dimostrato che ognuno dei fattori presi in esame rappresenta allo stesso tempo un bene danneggiato, un elemento di vulnerabilità e una risorsa su cui fare affidamento per far fronte alle difficoltà e iniziare la ripresa. La complessità del quadro emerso apre il campo a ulteriori ipotesi su come i disastri e gli interventi di emergenza influenzino le relazioni e le dinamiche sociali, che andrebbero studiate ulteriormente, insieme agli effetti dei traumi individuali e sociali sulla società.Parole chiave: qualità della vita, vulnerabilità, resilienza, ricerca qualitativa, disastri.

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After the tsunami: A story from Sri Lanka

Cited by 29 publications

References 1 publication

School-Based Intervention for the Treatment of Tsunami-Related Distress in Children: A Quasi-Randomized Controlled Trial

School-Based Intervention for the Treatment of Tsunami-Related Distress in Children: A Quasi-Randomized Controlled Trial

Out of the wave: The meaning of suffering and relief from suffering as described in autobiographies by survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

Quality of life, vulnerability and resilience: a qualitative study of the tsunami impact on the affected population of Sri Lanka

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