Exploring the links between posttraumatic stress disorder and social support: Processes and potential research avenues

Guay, Stéphane; Billette, Valérie; Marchand, André

doi:10.1002/jts.20124

Cited by 283 publications

(252 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Nondisaster population studies consistently report that higher levels of social support-in particular, perceived social support-may protect against the development of mental illness in the face of stressful events (10,59). Social support may function as a buffer against negative psychological consequences of stressful events by influencing how an individual reacts to and copes with her experience (25,73). Displacement, death, and disruption of communication in the wake of a disaster can result in loss of pre-disaster social networks and support or reductions in the quality of social support, particularly when it is most needed (40,50).…”

Section: Wwwannualreviewsorg • Mental Health Consequences Of Disastersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health Consequences of Disasters

Goldmann

Galea

2014

Annu. Rev. Public Health

841

824

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We present in this review the current state of disaster mental health research. In particular, we provide an overview of research on the presentation, burden, correlates, and treatment of mental disorders following disasters. We also describe challenges to studying the mental health consequences of disasters and discuss the limitations in current methodologies. Finally, we offer directions for future disaster mental health research.

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Section: Wwwannualreviewsorg • Mental Health Consequences Of Disastersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health Consequences of Disasters

Goldmann

Galea

2014

Annu. Rev. Public Health

841

824

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“…In contrast to social support, social acknowledgment as a survivor does not encompass the structural (e.g., the number of supporters) or functional (e.g., emotional aspects) supportiveness of the direct environment [29,30]. Social acknowledgment as a survivor is defined as the survivor's perception that individuals or society react positively and appreciate their traumatic experiences, as opposed to societal disapproval, criticism, or rejection [14].…”

Section: Social Acknowledgment As a Survivormentioning

confidence: 99%

Posttraumatic Growth, Social Acknowledgment as Survivors, and Sense of Coherence in Former German Child Soldiers of World War II

Forstmeier

Kuwert

Spitzer

et al. 2009

The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

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Objectives: To examine posttraumatic growth and its predictors social acknowledgment as survivors, sense of coherence, trauma severity, and further factors in former child soldiers more than 60 years after deployment. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: University-based geropsychiatric center in Germany. Participants: 103 former German child soldiers of World War II, mean age 78 years, 96% experienced at least one war trauma. Measurement: Subjects completed the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Social Acknowledgment Questionnaire (SAQ), and Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC). Trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms were assessed by the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS). Depression, anxiety, and somatization were assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Results: Number of traumas, recognition by significant others, and general disapproval as facets of social acknowledgment as a survivor, and meaningfulness as a dimension of sense of coherence correlated significantly with posttraumatic growth. In a multiple hierarchical regression analysis, recognition as a survivor by significant others (SAQ) and meaningfulness (SOC) remained the only significant predictors of posttraumatic growth. Conclusion: Social acknowledgment as a survivor by significant others and the belief that the world is meaningful are among the most important factors contributing to posttraumatic growth. Further research should investigate whether treatments of PTSD in people who experienced war traumas recently or many years ago might benefit from a focus on the belief system and the role of family and social support.

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“…Social support was very important across time (Brewin, Andrews, & Valentine, 2000;Guay, Billette, & Marchand, 2006;Ozer, Best, Lipsey, & Weiss, 2003): I had a friend and I hadn't seen him in years and years. He turned up in the funeral and [after that] he came to the house every other day, and we had a cup of tea.…”

Section: Social Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Effects of Political Violence: Narrative Inquiry Across a 20-Year Period

2008

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The study of long-term effects of political violence generally concentrates on effects of a single event or period of violence on individuals or groups of individuals and commonly relies on recollections from those who experienced violence a long time after the event. Against the backdrop of Northern Ireland's Troubles, in this article we use narrative inquiry methodology to explore the long-term effects of violence across a 20-year period on a different level. Using two sets of interview data, one collected 20 years ago during a period of intense violence and the other collected recently, after the ceasefires when levels of community violence had decreased, we allow for comparisons of contemporaneous experiences and personal narratives that illustrate differences and similarities across a 20-year period. Personal accounts of violent experiences, individual coping and psychological health, social support needs and provision, and political and cultural change mirrored fluctuating levels of community violence across time, showed growing levels of societal awareness of victims' issues and increasing levels of service provision, and illustrated the effects of postceasefire violence.

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Exploring the links between posttraumatic stress disorder and social support: Processes and potential research avenues

Cited by 283 publications

References 74 publications

Mental Health Consequences of Disasters

Mental Health Consequences of Disasters

Posttraumatic Growth, Social Acknowledgment as Survivors, and Sense of Coherence in Former German Child Soldiers of World War II

Long-Term Effects of Political Violence: Narrative Inquiry Across a 20-Year Period

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