Disaster and Family Break-Up - Term Paper Example

Running head: DISASTER AND FAMILY BREAK-UP Disaster and family break-up Name Institution Tutors name Grade course Date Disaster and Family Break-up 1. Introduction A disaster occurs often and affects individuals, families and even communities as a whole. Disaster is either natural (earthquakes or floods) or as a result of human deliberation (terrorism or war) and neglect. Disasters are traumatic in nature. Most people faced with these problems undergo trauma and traumatic loss (Lanius, Vermetten & Pain, 2010 p.9). Some of the losses after a disaster include loss of family members or loved ones and property. It could also result in physical impairments thereby affecting routine way of living and working. An instance such as terrorism which is today a threat to insecurity worldwide is an impediment to peace thereby leaving people in great fear (Lanius, Vermetten & Pain, 2010 p.11). People affected by this problem normally find it difficult for them to function in their normal lives. Often, traumatic loss is accompanied by stress reactions that could persist for a long time. Intense and prolonged grieving and mourning due to loss, again detracts the normal functioning of people. In all disasters, the experience of safety, security, and predictability in the world is challenged, and a sense of uncertainty becomes a part of life (Kendall, 2006, p.98). 2. Disaster and Impacts Following a major disaster, cases of intense fear, shock, despair, anxiety and disbelief are reported from the victims (Kendall, 2006, p.21). Early interventions to address these problems such as rescue operations, provision of food, medical care, financial assistance and so on is crucial in stabilizing the emergency. This should be followed by efforts to psychologically and emotionally help the victims. Many victims of disaster undergo a condition referred to as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) immediately after a disaster strikes (Kendall J., 2006 p.165). It is an anxiety disorder that may develop following exposure to life-threatening events. An individual experiences intense fear, helplessness and horror in response to such an event, and that he or she experience pronounced symptoms of recurrence of the traumatic event (e.g., nightmares or disturbing thoughts). Research has shown that trauma from a disaster, if left unattended could result increasingly to health and social problems (Kendall J., 2006 p.16). Trauma has been linked to hallucinations and delusions, depression, suicidal tendencies, chronic anxiety, hostility, chronic fatigue syndrome, eating disorders, and dissociation (Lanius, Vermetten, & Pain, 2010 p.98). Trauma victims are also at a much higher risk for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, violent victimization and perpetration, self-injury, risky sexual behaviour, and many other means of coping which themselves have devastating human, social, and economic costs (Everson, 2010). 2.1 Impact of Disaster on Children and Families Most phenomena cause trauma to children. This depends largely on how their families are affected by the disaster. The family member might be physically injured; die, loose home or property and therefore children tend to experience difficulty in coping. Children take longer to recover and even think and talk more often about the experience. Medically, children who experience disruption of their normal life due to a disaster exhibit health condition symptoms such as headaches, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, chest pain, etc.( Kendall, 2006 p.26) Children are often thought of as resilient but disaster impacts could create life long challenges to them. The health and social effects of traumatic childhood experiences has demonstrated that trauma is far more prevalent than previously recognized i.e. the impacts of trauma are cumulative, and that unaddressed trauma underlies a wide range of health problems (e.g., heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, liver disease, skeletal fractures, HIV-AIDS) and social problems (e.g., homelessness, prostitution, delinquency and criminal behaviour, inability to hold a job) (Cummings & Davies, 1994). Adults with difficulties in dealing with trauma in the aftermath of disaster start showing signs of stress such as substance abuse, self injury, depression, suicidal tendencies, divorce, aggression, child abuse and domestic violence about six months after the incident(Cummings & Davies, 1994 p.88). Their children also suffer due to limited family connection thereby causing unreliable parental involvement. 3. Family Break-up and Impacts When a marriage ends specially a long term one causes a lot of painful and unsettling feelings (Fainsilber & Wooden, 2002 p.236). Sense of grief and loss accompany family break up just like death. It takes time for affected parties to adjust to the changes and every person has unique response to the situation. Parents try to struggle with their own feelings while they make practical and very important decisions that will affect the whole family (Fainsilber & Wooden, 2002 p.237). Family breakup may result to an end of a special relationship between the parents but the parent child relationship will not end. The children deserve support and love from both parents. However, most parents do not provide the needed support thereby inflicting more pain and suffering to their children. 3.1 Impacts of Family Breakup on Children Family breakups tend to affect children most. Once there is a breakup children feel insecure and powerless (Fainsilber & Wooden, 2002 p.231). They undergo a grieving and suffering process. Some even experience shock, gets angry and sad about loosing their family unit. They feel afraid that the other parent might also leave them. Another problem is whether to love the parent who is no longer with them. The emotional impacts of family breakup have a significant effect on the future well being of children. They are psychologically, socially and intellectually affected. Research has shown that children from divorced parents tend to have lower educational attainment and poorer socioeconomic circumstances together with bed wetting, sleeplessness and delinquency. Prevalence of mental disorders has also been pegged on the family structures. The prevalence is about twice in children of lone parents (single or widowed) than those with both parents (Cummings & Davies, 1994 p.31). 4. Similarities and differences in terms of grief and trauma Grief is associated with the reaction to death or loss of a person. It is characterized by emotional, spiritual and physical response to it (Everson, 2010). The process of grieving is persistent and often will take time to subside. Its intensity will depend on the nature, timing and the relationship with the deceased. There are similarities between grief and trauma and on the other hand differences between them. Traumatic grief is a situation whereby an individual suffers from both grief and trauma. This is as a result of person loosing a loved one through death resulting to a distress. Trauma and grief sometimes exhibit similar symptoms that include disturbing thoughts, pain, horror, deep helplessness and fear (Everson, 2010). There is tendency of traumatized and grieved persons to exhibit same reactions towards that a particular event that causes distress. Also trauma and grief may be caused by a single or common event. While trauma and grief can be caused by a single event like loosing a loved one through death, both may also arise from different circumstances (Kauffman, 2010 p.134). In trauma, the affected person normally experiences the images of the event while in grief the person is preoccupied with images of the lost person. Traumatised person will try to avoid the event and have difficulty in talking about it. In grief, he/she will try to locate images or scenes related to the deceased and share or talk about them with others. These are normally done through social catering such as anniversaries to remember the deceased. The two situations (trauma ad grief) have diverse features. For instance, while trauma is horrific, grieving person shows signs of sadness. Traumatic situations are often as a result of pain, fear and helplessness (Kauffman, 2010 p.146). For grief, pain is the salient feature. The traumatised person may dream of the events leading to the disaster but on the hand his/her dreams features the image of the loved one lost (Kauffman, 2010 p.146). Although trauma and grief might have intrusive thoughts, memories associated with trauma will focus on specific negative /horrific aspects of the event while grief will focus on the positive aspects of the lost person (Everson, 2010 p.256). References Cummings E. & Davies D., (1994). Children and Marital Conflict: The Impact of Family Dispute and Resolution. London: Guilford Press. Everson B. R., (2010). Families Under Fire: Systemic Therapy with Military Families. New York Taylor & Francis. Fainsilber L. & Wooden E. (2002). Hostility, Hostile Detachment and Conflict Engagement in Marriages, Effect on Child and Family Functioning. Child Development, Vol. 73. Kauffman J., (2010). The shame of death, grief, and trauma. New York: Taylor & Francis. Kendall J., (2006). After the storm: healing after trauma, tragedy and terror. Sydney: Hunter House. Lanius R.A., Vermetten E., and Pain C., (2010). The Impact of Early Life Trauma on Health and Disease: The Hidden Epidemic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Read More