Family and psychotrauma

Dok se kroz prošlo stoljeće izravan učinak psihološke traume široko proučavao, sekundarni utjecaj života s pojedincem koji pati od posttraumatskog stresnog poremećaja ostao je daleko manje razvijeno polje istraživanja. Posljednjih godina istraživači i kliničari ipak su počeli ispitivati kako individualno izlaganje traumatskim događajima pogađa supružnike ili partnere, djecu, osobe koje profesionalno pomažu psihotraumatiziranima, te ostale koji dolaze u izravni kontakt sa žrtvama prirodnih i ljudskih katastrofa. Proučavanje traume unutar obitelji dio je onoga što se u suvremenoj literaturi naziva sistemskom traumatologijom, studijom skupina, institucija i ostalih ljudskih sustava koji pokazuju stresne reakcije koje su izravni rezultat traumatskog događaja ili niza događaja. Utjecaj traumatskog stresa pojedinca na članove njegove obitelji i osobe u bliskom kontaktu konceptualiziran je kao sekundarna traumatizacija. U užem smislu izraz sekundarna traumatizacija odnosi se na prijenos noćnih mora, intruzivnih misli, bljeskova prisjećanja i ostalih simptoma posttraumatskog stresnog poremećaja koje tipično doživljavaju traumatizirani pojedinci, na osobe u njihovoj blizini. U širem smislu izraz sekundarne traumatizacije odnosi se na bilo koji prijenos distresa s nekoga tko je doživio traumu na one u njegovoj blizini i uključuje širok spektar manifestacija distresa, pored onih koje sliče posttraumatskom stresnom poremećaju. Nalazi istraživanja posttraumatskog stresnog poremećaja u kontekstu obitelji uvjerljivi su u svojim otkrićima da život u obitelji u kojoj netko pati od posttraumatskog stresnog poremećaja ima duboke učinke na druge članove obitelji, obiteljsku dinamiku i obiteljski sustav u cijelosti. Ova saznanja upućuju na potrebu stvaranja i razvijanja učinkovitijih programa u liječenju oboljelih od posttraumatskog stresnog poremećaja u kojima bi točka intervencije bila upravo obitelj.While in the last century the studies of direct effects of psychological trauma were widely spread, the secondary influence of living with PTSD sufferer remained far less developed field of study. But in the recent years, the researchers and clinicians started examining the way individuals’ traumatic stress exposure influences the spouses or partners, children, people who professionally assist traumatized persons, and others who come into direct contact with victims of natural and human disasters. The study of trauma within the family is part of what modern literature calls systemic trauma, study of groups, institutions and other human systems that show stress reactions that are a direct result of a traumatic event or series of events. Effect of traumatic stress on individual family members and people in close contact is conceptualized as secondary traumatization. In the narrow sense the term of secondary traumatization refers to the transfer of nightmares, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks and other symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder typically experienced by traumatized individuals, onto the people in their vicinity. In a broader sense of the term, secondary traumatization refers to any transfer of distress from someone who had experienced trauma to those in his/hers vicinity, and includes a wide range of distress manifestations in addition to those similar to posttraumatic stress disorder. The findings of post-traumatic stress disorder in the family context are convincing in their discovery that living in families where someone suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder has profound effects on other family members, family dynamics and overall family system. These findings suggest the need for creating and developing effective programs to treat those suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder in which the point of intervention would be focused on the family