Types of traumatic events

The National Health Watch

By Dr Uma AMBI, OBE

  • Short Term: Brief events like natural disasters, accidents, or assaults.
  • Long Term: Prolonged events like chronic illness, toxic spills, or prolonged abuse. These can lead to complex PTSD.
  • Vicarious Exposure: Trauma experienced by observing or hearing about another’s trauma, common among emergency workers and family members of victims.
  • Type 1 and Type 2 Traumas: Type 1 are sudden, unexpected events; Type 2 are prolonged, repeated traumas.

Psychosocial effects of trauma

  • Most people experience mild to moderate stress reactions, which are normal and usually temporary.
  • Common responses include emotional (shock, anger, helplessness), physical (fatigue, sleep problems), cognitive (memory issues, intrusive thoughts), and interpersonal effects (social withdrawal, relationship difficulties).
  • Positive reactions like flexibility, unselfishness, and strengthened community bonds.

Specific Populations

  • Community: Disasters disrupt community functioning, leading to new bonds and conflicts based on experiences.
  • Emotional Effects: Shock, anger, fear, guilt, grief, and loss of pleasure.
  • Cognitive Effects: Difficulty concentrating, memory problems, self-blame, and intrusive thoughts.
  • Physical Effects: Fatigue, insomnia, hyperarousal, and physical complaints.
  • Interpersonal Effects: Social withdrawal, increased conflict, and work or school impairment.

Common Responses

  • Emotional: Shock, fear, anger, sadness, shame.
  • Physical: Sleep problems, physical agitation, headaches, nausea.
  • Thinking: Intrusive memories, confusion, difficulty making decisions.
  • Behaviour: Social withdrawal, irritability, decreased interest in activities.

Next week’s edition
Special populations

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