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Battle Echoes Never Fade: Soldiers' Trauma At The End Of Life, John E. Eller

Capstones

Soldiers suffer moral injuries when wartime experiences go against their own moral compass, such as killing innocent civilians or mutilating the bodies of enemies. Many soldiers bury the shame and guilt leftover from battle for years or decades, but these memories can surface unbidden as veterans near death.

The Role Of Trauma And Mental Health Problems In The Perpetration Of Intimate Partner Violence In Post-Genocide Rwanda, Sarah Myers Tlapek

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to political violence or war is associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) in post-conflict settings (Clark et al., 2010; Gupta, Reed, Kelly, Stein, & Williams, 2012), and civilians and veterans who develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after exposure to combat or violence are more likely to perpetrate violence against an intimate partner (Taft, Watkins, Stafford, Street, & Monson, 2011). Rwandan health professionals estimate that after the 1994 genocide more than one-quarter of the country’s population now suffers from PTSD (Munyandamutsa, Nkubamugisha, Gex-Fabry, & Eytan, 2012). Although the majority of Rwandan women (56%) have experienced IPV in their lifetime (National …

Life Experiences Following Trauma For Three African American Females: A Qualitative Study, Gwendolyn Dale Tyson

Theses and Dissertations

Victims of trauma are likely to experience diverse social, psychological, and physical problems, but very little is known about how these experiences impact Vocational Rehabilitation employment outcomes and other aspects of life. This research provides detailed experiences of the impact of trauma on the lives of three young adult African American women with disabilities who live in one of the poorest states in the southern part of the country. Each participant shared their experiences of trauma and the onset of impairment early in their adult lives and the impact that it had on their employment and other aspects of life. …

The Meadow: A Novel, Scott Albert Winkler

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE MEADOW: A NOVEL

by

Scott A. Winkler

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2015

Under the Supervision of Professor George Clark

The Meadow considers the question of how all Americans, both civilians and military personnel alike, are affected by the United States’ military actions. Set during the Vietnam era, The Meadow tells the story of Walt Neumann, who is torn between his dream of going to college and his father’s insistence that his sons serve their nation as he did in World War II. Circumstance unexpectedly enables Walt to pursue his dream, but he also comes to realize the source …

An Evaluation Of The Validity Of A Script-Driven Imagery Procedure Among Traumatic Event Exposed Adolescents, Emily Renae Mischel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Extensive research suggests script-driven imagery procedures employed with traumatic event-exposed adults produce reliable reactions that map onto contemporary models of posttraumatic stress, including increased physiological (Carson et al., 2000; Orr et al., 1998; Ramón et al., 2006) and negative affective (Pitman et al., 1987) responses to trauma scripts. Therefore, such procedures can be utilized in a controlled, laboratory-based setting, supporting mechanism-oriented research designed to better understand the nature, correlates, and consequences of traumatization and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Unfortunately, only one study has begun to evaluate the validity of script-driven imagery procedures for use with youth, making further investigation of …

Writing Trauma In Iraq: Literary Representations Of War And Oppression In The Fiction Of Sinan Antoon, Zahraa Qasim Habeeb

MSU Graduate Theses

The Iraqi war narrative reflects the traumatizing situation that omnipresence of war and three decades of oppression have caused to Iraqis' views of life. Writing about their traumatic experience is an essential way of giving voice to their wounds. The Iraqi American novelist Sinan Antoon is a "wounded storyteller" who is able to give words to the wounds of his homeland. His two novels, I'jaam: An Iraqi Rhapsody and The Corpse Washer, address the physical and psychological trauma of wars and prolonged years of oppression in Iraq. Academic research and literary production about the effect of trauma presented in the …

Examining Resilience In Relation To Ptsd Symptomatology In Maltreated Youth, Timothy Day

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Resilience following exposure to adverse life situations is an ongoing process that reduces the impact of traumatic experiences and opens potential for posttraumatic growth (Fincham, Altes, Stein, & Seedat, 2009; Luthar, Cicchetti, & Becker, 2000). The relationship between resilience and risk for PTSD in maltreated youth, however, remains unclear. This study sought to explore this relationship by examining a sense of mastery, a sense of relation to others, and emotional reactivity in youth endorsing a history of maltreatment related trauma. Participants were recruited from a Las Vegas Department of Family Services affiliated clinic and were administered the Children’s PTSD Inventory …

Writing To Heal: What Kinds Of Emotions Predict Outcome In Expressive Writing?, Tsubasa Sawashima

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the current study, the aim was to explore whether certain types of emotions that emerge in participants’ personal narratives of past traumatic events are associated with subsequent improvement in emotional well-being following expressive writing. The sample was archival data consisting of 255 undergraduate students. Participants’ narrative material was coded for the presence of key emotions. Participants’ psychological well-being was assessed at baseline, and at 17 and 31 days post-intervention. Participants were observed to evidence different key emotional states that were differentially associated with symptom distress. No relationship was observed between expressions of different emotions and participants’ subsequent emotional development. …

Experiences Of Multilingual Social Workers : Trauma Therapy In Spanish And English, Emily H. Aviles

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory study examines the experiences of social workers engaging in multilingual—Spanish and English—therapy with individuals who speak both Spanish and English, identify as Latino/a, have a history of trauma, and identify as having a history (personal, familial) of immigration to the U.S. The study uses semi-structured interviews with 10 social workers to gather qualitative data about their experiences engaging in trauma therapy with individuals who identify as multilingual as well as Latino/a immigrants to the U.S. The project examines ways that multilingual clinicians process trauma with individuals in more than one language; paying attention to the ways clinicians think …

Cultural Conceptualizations Of The Trauma Response: The Role Of Locus Of Control, Religiosity, And Religious Coping, Yu-Feng Emily Hu

Dissertations

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a relatively recent diagnosis that results in significant personal and societal costs. Given the diversity of American mental health consumers, a more thorough understanding of PTSD and its relation to cultural factors may have important implications for treatment implementation and refinement. Cultural factors such as locus of control, religiosity, and religious coping have been frequently overlooked in trauma research, yet show a clear link to PTSD risk and symptomatology. This study examined these cultural factors in more detail with relation to race and trauma type and their combined influence on PTSD symptomatology. A national sample …

Who Do You Think You Are?: Recovering The Self In The Working Class Escape Narrative, Christine M. Maksimowicz

Doctoral Dissertations

This project considers how socioeconomic impoverishment and society's failure to recognize working class women as valued subjects impinge upon a mother's ability to afford recognition to her daughter's selfhood. Situated within the larger North American literary tradition of fiction animated by flight in search of freedom, the texts here explored constitutes a subgenre that I term the “working class escape narrative.” Combining close readings of fiction by Toni Morrison, Alice Munro, and Sigrid Nunez with sociological research and psychoanalytic theory, I explore a relationship between mother and daughter characterized not by mirroring and bonding but rather the absence of intimacy …

Life-Style, Coping Resources, And Trauma Symptoms: Predicting Posttraumatic Growth, Michael Leeman

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

Despite the negative psychological, emotional, relational, and physiological impact of traumatic events that often persist into adulthood (Breslau, Davis, Andreski, Peterson, 1991; Briere, 2004), some individuals may also experience posttraumatic growth (PTG) as they struggle to resolve their traumatic experiences. PTG is a process that originates from a cognitive response to cope with traumatic events, and an outcome that yields positive personal changes (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1998). Several factors are linked to the increased likelihood of PTG such as symptom severity, coping resources, and personality characteristics (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004). This study examined the contributory roles of life-style themes, coping …

Trait Mindfulness As A Mediator Of Resilience, Depressive Symptoms, And Trauma Symptoms, Kiranmayi Neelarambam

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the role of mindfulness as a resilience resource in depressed and trauma exposed college students (Thompson, Arnkoff, & Glass, 2011). Chapter one reviews current literature that is relevant to the role of mindfulness in resilience and focuses on depression as an outcome. Further, chapter two details the research study. The study proposed and tested a model in which resilience and mindfulness predict trauma symptoms and depressive symptoms and mindfulness mediates the relationship between resilience and trauma and depression symptomology. A total of 529 college students were recruited at a large urban university. …

Posttraumatic Growth Among Latina Victims Of Interpersonal Violence In Psychological Treatment, Amelia Swanson

Open Access Dissertations

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is an area of research that describes the positive psychological changes that often occur after a traumatic event (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004). To date, PTG has been documented in many countries for individuals that have experienced a range of traumatic experiences (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004; Weiss & Berger, 2010a). However, there is no research on PTG changes as a result of participation in psychological treatment with Latinas in the US. This study used data obtained at a local community mental health clinic to assess PTG levels before and after a trauma treatment among 77 Latinas victims of …

"The Four Horseman Of The Late Capitalist Apocalypse": U.S. Comic Books, Ideology, And Trauma In Post-9/11 Society, Kathryn Manis

Art & Art History ETDs

In the contemporary United States apocalypse, dystopia, and catastrophe are commonplace. Indeed, both the increasing presence of fictional apocalypse in art and popular culture and the tone of apocalypticism in U.S. political, environmental, and social rhetorics, have been noted by writers and thinkers from a wide range of fields. Scholars of neoliberalism in particular have traced this popularity to the economic and political realities of late-capitalism and the ideological contradictions embedded in the evolution of capitalism to its current, immersive iteration. What has gone undiscussed, however, is the relationship of this anxious preoccupation to a prevailing, national condition; a condition …

Treating Trauma: The Efficacy Of Emdr As A Treatment For Ptsd, Grace S. Crawford

Honors Projects

This literature review examines the efficacy of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) relative to other evidence-based treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), such as Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). The paper explores the problem of PTSD; outlines the history, theory, and initial trials of EMDR; and examines five randomized controlled trials which compare EMDR to PE or CPT. Results suggest that neither treatment model produces significantly greater reductions in PTSD symptoms, though there is some evidence that EMDR may be better tolerated and produce desired results faster than other treatments.

Music Therapists Behind Locked Doors: The Role Of Trauma Exposure And Current Music Therapy Practices In Correctional And Forensic Psychiatry, Deanna K. Bush

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the role trauma exposure has on the possible development of symptoms of Vicarious Traumatization (VT) in the lives of Board Certified Music Therapists employed in correctional and forensic settings. Research was conducted through completion of an electronic survey. Additionally, the researcher sought to identify current music therapy practices as well as differences between practicing in forensic settings and correctional settings. The participants involved in this study were Board Certified Music Therapists who work in forensic and correctional settings. Survey invitations were electronically sent to 133 prospective participants as listed on either …

"100 Years Later, It Is Still So Powerful": Navigating The Effects Of The Armenian Genocide And Its Trauma On Armenian American Youth, Lara S. Kleine

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the effects of the Armenian Genocide on five Armenian American university students ages 18 to 29 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The impact of this event from 100 years ago is passed down generationally and still affects the current descendants of its survivors. Since this genocide is still denied by Turkey, its perpetrators, and by the United States, the impact on Armenians has increased as each generation fights for official recognition.

By conducting semi-structured qualitative interviews, the participants revealed its impact on their identity. This thesis was grounded in intergenerational trauma transmission theory and collective memory …

The German Jewish Post-Holocaust Novel: Narrative And A Literary Language For Loss, Corey Lee Twitchell

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how a constellation of German Jewish post-Holocaust novels confronts the paradox of recovering and recuperating lost stories of Holocaust victims. I analyze how works by Edgar Hilsenrath, Jurek Becker, and Fred Wander reveal a preoccupation with the innumerable stories and testimonies of the individuals who did not survive the Nazi Judeocide to contribute to the archive of experience. These novels gesture toward an epistemological alternative to this loss: they consider possibilities for recovering the unarchivable. These German Jewish authors employ a particular cluster of varied narrative strategies: the dialogic, linguistic and cultural elements of Eastern European Jewish …

Moving Thru: Dance/Movement Therapy Based Program For Direct Caregivers Of Childhood Survivors Of Human Trafficking And Commercial Sexual Exploitation In Belize, Amy Vanbecelaere

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this project was to; identify the biopsychosocial needs of child survivors of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation in Belize and to develop a dance/movement therapy based program that Belizean caregivers can utilize to better serve the children they work with. The Moving THRU (Trauma Healing, Recovery + Understanding) program was developed based on current literature regarding post-trafficking mental health care and information provided in interviews by Belizean direct caregivers currently working with youth who have been trafficked and exploited in the Cayo District of central Belize. The curriculum is designed to help direct caregivers utilize techniques …

Understanding Change In A Therapeutic Community For People With Severe Mental Illness: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study, Julie Caroline Keys

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

In order to gain better understanding of how therapeutic communities instigate change, this interpretative phenomenological study explores the recognized agents of change as reported by current and recent community members of a particular therapeutic community. Four superordinate themes were discovered: the structure of the program, engagement in the community, intentionality/mindfulness, and applied knowledge. While the results from this study are similar in several ways to the current literature, they also expand the literature about therapeutic communities in one important way. The change agents reported as leading to healing strongly resemble current best practice for the treatment of trauma. Limitations and …

How Are Art Therapists Utilizing The Theory Of Meaning Making In Trauma Treatment?, Carrie C. Critser

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This purpose of this research study was to explore if and how art therapists utilize the theory of meaning making in trauma treatment. A secondary aim was to investigate art therapist’s perspectives and application of the theory of posttraumatic growth. Semi-structured interviews were used to investigate how twelve art therapists conceptualized trauma treatment, meaning making and posttraumatic growth. Study participants were all female, located in a wide variety of mental health settings across the United States, with experience spanning four to 34 years. Major findings included that while nine out of twelve participants found meaning making was important to healing …

Traumatic Experiences And Cognition: How Do Static And Dynamic Variables Contribute To Current Functioning?, Cathryn Richmond

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Approximately 25% of children in the United States will witness or experience a traumatic event before age 4, and individuals with a history of trauma, particularly traumatic events in childhood, have a much higher likelihood of developing psychopathology in adulthood. Prior research indicates that the vast majority of individuals with a serious mental illness, particularly those in community mental health centers and psychiatric inpatient settings, have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. These individuals require special consideration in treatment planning, and a large range of neurodevelopmental and environmental factors must be taken into account when interpreting results …

The Impact Of Childhood Trauma As Moderated By Ptsd, Relationship With Caregiver, And Rumination, Aislyn M. Allen

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

The current study explored the relationship between childhood trauma and deliberate rumination, as well as PTSD symptomology, psychological and physiological functioning. Participants consisted of 55 undergraduate students, ages 18-23; who completed measures about a specific traumatic event, psychological functioning, parental attachment, PTSD symptoms, deliberate rumination, childhood maltreatment, and a demographics questionnaire. Reported childhood trauma was a specifically identified traumatic life event, child maltreatment, or having a parent with a substance abuse or mental disorder. Following completion of measures, participants were asked to answer questions while heart rate, heart rate variability, and electrodermal activity were monitored. Results indicated there was relation …

Therapists’ Perspectives On The Use Of Yoga In The Treatment Of Trauma, Brianna Klatt

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This study explored therapists’ experiences of incorporating the practice of yoga into their psychotherapy with clients who experience traumatic stress. Using a qualitative design, five volunteer licensed mental health professionals were interviewed regarding their experiences with integrating yoga as a therapy tool with their clients who experience traumatic stress symptoms. Data was taken from a semi-structured interview and analyzed to identify common themes. The findings support the literature which says, traumatic events affect both the mind and body, and clinicians’ need to implement inventions’ addressing the whole person, to be effective helping clients’ heal from traumatic stress. Findings indicated that …

Effective Ways Social Workers Respond To Secondary Trauma, Amy Fogel

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Due to the traumatic material of their clients, social workers are often faced with symptoms of secondary trauma. Symptoms of secondary trauma can have an impact on a social worker’s ability to form therapeutic relationships with their clients as well as interfere with their personal life. This qualitative study of six social workers, examines the ways that social workers effectively respond to the effects of secondary trauma. The findings of this study found that supervision, the importance of leaving work at work, spending time with family and friends, talking with colleagues, and extra support of agencies helped social workers respond …

Playing To Find Out: Adapting Story Games For Group Therapy With Teens, Adam Mcconnaughey

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Millions of adolescents in the United States face childhood trauma and its sequelae, and group therapy is a common treatment. The purpose of this project was to examine the field of role-playing game design with an eye toward developing future group therapy methods for adolescents with trauma histories. Using a qualitative textual analysis research design that was a mix of grounded theory and content analysis, two contemporary role-playing game texts, Apocalypse World and Monsterhearts, were analyzed. The text was coded, and themes were generated to organize the findings. Findings indicated that RPGs and group therapy share a great deal …

Efficacy Of Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing Therapy In The Treatment Of Trauma: A Systematic Review, Jessica Regan

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This systematic review examines the efficacy of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy as an intervention in the treatment of trauma in adults. Upon careful review of present literature, 14 articles met criteria. Common themes were identified throughout the reviewed studies, including treatment intervention comparison, variation in EMDR model, treatment fidelity, longitudinal follow-up, and co-morbidity. While results show that EMDR is an effective treatment intervention for the treatment of trauma, the majority of studies found it to be no more effective than other treatment interventions.

The Effects Of Parental Response On Their Children’S Trauma Experience, Carly S. Vaplon

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The American Psychological Association defines trauma as the emotional response to a terrible event. An event becomes traumatic when its adverse effects produce feelings of helplessness and lack of control, and thoughts that one’s survival may possibly be in danger. The purpose of this study was to collect data from licensed professionals who have experience working with children who have experienced trauma and their parents to determine the effects parental response to their child’s trauma have on their child’s trauma experience. Eight professionals were interviewed in this qualitative study to determine the effects of supportive and unsupportive parental responses. This …

An Examination Of Psychoeducation And Its Potential Modifying Influence On Alcohol Use Patterns Among Adults Reporting Co-Occurring Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms And Hazardous Alcohol Consumption, Sarah Jo Bujarski

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research has suggested that consumption of alcohol in the presence of elevated posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) may serve an avoidant function to cope with negative emotions. These coping-related motives for use are theorized to both maintain PTSS and relate to poorer prognoses in treatment for alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Treatments utilizing coping skills training, which typically also involves educating clients about the negative consequences of drinking alcohol to cope, suggest the utility of targeting coping behaviors to reduce alcohol use. These studies, however, have not attempted to isolate the effects of psychoeducation on alcohol-related factors. The current study investigated the …