Narratives of forced migration are open to a variety of interpretations. In mental health, refuge... more Narratives of forced migration are open to a variety of interpretations. In mental health, refugee narratives of arduous journeys in the face of systemic macro socio-political forces are often transformed from this context into a medicalized micro context of inner individual worlds. Both the dominant patho-genic lens of trauma studies and the growing salutogenic lens embodied in resilience research, often reflect a western cultural idiom of focusing on the individualized nature of these phenomena. Using qualitative data collected among refugees from Burma now settling in Australia, the article emphasizes the need for a more reflexive and expansive account of both suffering and hope within refugee narratives. It recounts these narratives within a conceptual framework which acknowledges the importance of the connections between the micro, individual experience and the macro, socio-political context. This is not only a question of political principle, but also a matter of listening to the voice of those who know most about the relationship between macro forces of
Over the last decade the field of trauma research has expended to include not only the adverse ef... more Over the last decade the field of trauma research has expended to include not only the adverse effects of experiencing a traumatic event, but also the potential for beneficial outcomes. a notable example of such research is Posttraumatic Growth (PTG), a salutogenic construct that acknowledges the multitude of responses to an experience of trauma. subtle differences have been demonstrated between the australian construction of PTG outcomes and those in the US literature. Thus, this study expandd upon previous research to encompass a salutogenic approach to understanding the Australian trauma survivor's experience. Grounded Theory Methodology was employed to elucidate themes of the Australian experience of trauma which were used to construst a model of post-trauma adaptation for this sample.l The model is robust and includes both the adverse effects of trauma, for example, loss of controland self-deprecation, and the potential positive outcomes of such experience, such as increase...
to psychological distress as a result of attending traumatic events. However, few studies have ex... more to psychological distress as a result of attending traumatic events. However, few studies have examined this finding in terms of the subgroups that exist in the firefighting population. This study compared the degree of psychological distress reported by career and auxiliary firefighters. Self-report questionnaires, including measures of traumatic incident exposure, general psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire –28) and symptomatic responses to traumatic stressors (Impact of Events Scale Revised), were completed by 75 career and 67 auxiliary Australian firefighters. Career firefighters reported more psychological distress than auxiliary firefighters, with length of firefighter service being associated with the difference in psychological distress reported by the two types of firefighters. The results support the literature linking length of firefighting service with psychological distress. However, a caveat was placed on inferring causal relationships between length o...
This chapter examines the ways in which paramedics respond to, and cope with, the demands they fa... more This chapter examines the ways in which paramedics respond to, and cope with, the demands they face in regard to their role in naturally occurring large-scale disasters. In order to understand the methods employed by this group of professionals, it is first necessary to briefly highlight the model of coping that underpins the propositions included in this discussion. It is also important to examine the ways in which paramedics approach, cope with, and respond to, the stressful and/or traumatic events that feature in the course of their usual employ. To facilitate such a discussion, current literature is referred to. Perhaps even more pertinent though, we have included qualitative accounts from paramedics with respect to their experiences in the usual course of their work and accounts gathered from a group of Australian paramedics who responded to the Asian tsunami disaster at the end of 2004 and early 2005 as a recent example of these factors in attending to a large-scale natural di...
While research has focused on the difficulties faced in adapting to life following the experience... more While research has focused on the difficulties faced in adapting to life following the experiences of a traumatic event, limited research has examined positive legacies of incorporating a traumatic experience into life post-trauma. This study uses quantitative and qualitative data (N = 218) to examine the effect that trauma severity and social support have on post-trauma outcomes. Individual’s perceptions of their traumatic experiences and the social support they received were significant influences post-trauma. The knowledge gained has practical applications for therapy and the client/counsellor relationship in terms of counselling and facilitating personal growth after trauma.
... Jane Shakespeare-Finch and Paul Scully 73 ... The positive aspects of receiving support from ... more ... Jane Shakespeare-Finch and Paul Scully 73 ... The positive aspects of receiving support from co-workers, family and friends, in buffering the negative effects of work stress, has also been demonstrated in groups of firefighters (Beaton et al., 1997), emer-gency medicine residents ...
Clinicians who support people from refugee- and asylum-seeking backgrounds are routinely exposed ... more Clinicians who support people from refugee- and asylum-seeking backgrounds are routinely exposed to stories of trauma as part of their work. Hearing these stories can be highly distressing for clinicians but simultaneously provide opportunities for positive personal growth. Adopting a longitudinal qualitative design, we interviewed 12 service providers at two time points a year apart. We used a semistructured interview protocol and analyzed the data according to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Five superordinate and nineteen constituent themes emerged from the analysis at Time 1 and Time 2. We found that participants were both positively and negatively affected by their work, and their experiences remained relatively stable across time. The participants highlighted the use of organizational and personal coping strategies to help minimize distress and maximize well-being. Adopting a broad repertoire of such strategies is not only advantageous for the service providers but u...
The field of bereavement and grief has been expanding to recognise the potential for growth follo... more The field of bereavement and grief has been expanding to recognise the potential for growth following the loss of a loved one. This study sought to examine the effect of the relationship to the deceased and perceptions of the severity of the trauma on dimensions of posttraumatic growth. Participants were 146 people who had lost either: a) a first degree relative, b) a second degree relative, or c) a non-related friend. Results demonstrated that both severity and the relationship to the bereaved differentiate posttraumatic growth outcomes. For example, participants who had lost a first degree relative reported higher levels of growth than those who had lost a second degree relative. Consistent with previous research in general trauma populations, the more severe the loss was rated, the higher the levels of growth. Implications for practice are discussed.
ABSTRACT Refugees flee their countries of origin due to supreme hardship and threat to life, freq... more ABSTRACT Refugees flee their countries of origin due to supreme hardship and threat to life, frequently having witnessed mass atrocities. This research is embedded in a salutogenic paradigm that emphasizes strength and adjustment. Twenty-five refugees from Burma who were newly arrived in Australia were interviewed and transcripts were analyzed using an Interpretive Phenomenological Analytic (IPA) approach. In addition to themes of distress, data revealed an extraordinary adaptive capacity and highlighted strengths, both individual and collective. Specific adaptive strategies included religiousness and a sense of duty to family, community, and country. Findings have implications for policy and practice that aim to support refugees and asylum seekers.
ABSTRACT Emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) respond to crisis calls for ambulance; they dispatc... more ABSTRACT Emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) respond to crisis calls for ambulance; they dispatch paramedics and provide emotional and medical assistance to callers. Despite the stressful nature and exposure to potentially traumatising events in this role, there has been no published research specifically investigating well-being or posttraumatic growth among EMDs. Extrapolating from research conducted among other emergency services workers (e.g., paramedics, police), literature attests to the importance of self efficacy and social support in promoting mental health in emergency service workers. Therefore, this study assessed the impact of self efficacy, and giving and receiving social support on psychological well-being, posttraumatic growth (PTG), and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sixty EMDs (50 % response rate) completed an online questionnaire. Three hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to ascertain predictors of well-being, PTG and PTSD. Receiving social support emerged as a significant positive predictor of well-being and PTG, and a significant negative predictor of PTSD. Self efficacy was found to significantly and positively predict well-being, and shift-work was found to significantly and negatively predict PTSD. These results highlight that self efficacy and receiving social support are likely to be important for enhancing well-being within this population, and that receiving social support is also likely to facilitate positive post-trauma responses. Such findings have implications for the way emergency service personnel are educated with reference to aspects of mental health and how best to support personnel in order to achieve optimal mental health outcomes for all.
... level of Page 4. J. Shakespeare-Finch et al. 278 education is somewhat related to length of s... more ... level of Page 4. J. Shakespeare-Finch et al. 278 education is somewhat related to length of service (Mahoney, 2001). Thus, participants in the control group were also married male shift workers with dependent children. However ...
... 61 3 6324 3168, or by e-mail: Jane.ShakespeareFinch@utas.edu.au 2 Kathryn Gow, PhD ... measur... more ... 61 3 6324 3168, or by e-mail: Jane.ShakespeareFinch@utas.edu.au 2 Kathryn Gow, PhD ... measure of positive post-trauma changes (Shakespeare-Finch et al., 2003; Smith & Cook ... Literature that claims a personality unique to emergency service personnel does exist (eg, Mitchell ...
... to Policing Karena J. Burke, Jane Shakespeare-Finch, Douglas Paton, and Michael Ryan ... Some... more ... to Policing Karena J. Burke, Jane Shakespeare-Finch, Douglas Paton, and Michael Ryan ... Some research highlights the incidence of difficulty in adjusting to the role of police officer such as predictors of elevated stress and symptoms of posttrau-matic stress disorder (PTSD). ...
Abstract This article describes the rationale, developmental process, and content of a resilience... more Abstract This article describes the rationale, developmental process, and content of a resilience-building program that has been implemented with new recruits to a police academy. The process of extensive consultation with the police service (consistent with ...
Narratives of forced migration are open to a variety of interpretations. In mental health, refuge... more Narratives of forced migration are open to a variety of interpretations. In mental health, refugee narratives of arduous journeys in the face of systemic macro socio-political forces are often transformed from this context into a medicalized micro context of inner individual worlds. Both the dominant patho-genic lens of trauma studies and the growing salutogenic lens embodied in resilience research, often reflect a western cultural idiom of focusing on the individualized nature of these phenomena. Using qualitative data collected among refugees from Burma now settling in Australia, the article emphasizes the need for a more reflexive and expansive account of both suffering and hope within refugee narratives. It recounts these narratives within a conceptual framework which acknowledges the importance of the connections between the micro, individual experience and the macro, socio-political context. This is not only a question of political principle, but also a matter of listening to the voice of those who know most about the relationship between macro forces of
Over the last decade the field of trauma research has expended to include not only the adverse ef... more Over the last decade the field of trauma research has expended to include not only the adverse effects of experiencing a traumatic event, but also the potential for beneficial outcomes. a notable example of such research is Posttraumatic Growth (PTG), a salutogenic construct that acknowledges the multitude of responses to an experience of trauma. subtle differences have been demonstrated between the australian construction of PTG outcomes and those in the US literature. Thus, this study expandd upon previous research to encompass a salutogenic approach to understanding the Australian trauma survivor's experience. Grounded Theory Methodology was employed to elucidate themes of the Australian experience of trauma which were used to construst a model of post-trauma adaptation for this sample.l The model is robust and includes both the adverse effects of trauma, for example, loss of controland self-deprecation, and the potential positive outcomes of such experience, such as increase...
to psychological distress as a result of attending traumatic events. However, few studies have ex... more to psychological distress as a result of attending traumatic events. However, few studies have examined this finding in terms of the subgroups that exist in the firefighting population. This study compared the degree of psychological distress reported by career and auxiliary firefighters. Self-report questionnaires, including measures of traumatic incident exposure, general psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire –28) and symptomatic responses to traumatic stressors (Impact of Events Scale Revised), were completed by 75 career and 67 auxiliary Australian firefighters. Career firefighters reported more psychological distress than auxiliary firefighters, with length of firefighter service being associated with the difference in psychological distress reported by the two types of firefighters. The results support the literature linking length of firefighting service with psychological distress. However, a caveat was placed on inferring causal relationships between length o...
This chapter examines the ways in which paramedics respond to, and cope with, the demands they fa... more This chapter examines the ways in which paramedics respond to, and cope with, the demands they face in regard to their role in naturally occurring large-scale disasters. In order to understand the methods employed by this group of professionals, it is first necessary to briefly highlight the model of coping that underpins the propositions included in this discussion. It is also important to examine the ways in which paramedics approach, cope with, and respond to, the stressful and/or traumatic events that feature in the course of their usual employ. To facilitate such a discussion, current literature is referred to. Perhaps even more pertinent though, we have included qualitative accounts from paramedics with respect to their experiences in the usual course of their work and accounts gathered from a group of Australian paramedics who responded to the Asian tsunami disaster at the end of 2004 and early 2005 as a recent example of these factors in attending to a large-scale natural di...
While research has focused on the difficulties faced in adapting to life following the experience... more While research has focused on the difficulties faced in adapting to life following the experiences of a traumatic event, limited research has examined positive legacies of incorporating a traumatic experience into life post-trauma. This study uses quantitative and qualitative data (N = 218) to examine the effect that trauma severity and social support have on post-trauma outcomes. Individual’s perceptions of their traumatic experiences and the social support they received were significant influences post-trauma. The knowledge gained has practical applications for therapy and the client/counsellor relationship in terms of counselling and facilitating personal growth after trauma.
... Jane Shakespeare-Finch and Paul Scully 73 ... The positive aspects of receiving support from ... more ... Jane Shakespeare-Finch and Paul Scully 73 ... The positive aspects of receiving support from co-workers, family and friends, in buffering the negative effects of work stress, has also been demonstrated in groups of firefighters (Beaton et al., 1997), emer-gency medicine residents ...
Clinicians who support people from refugee- and asylum-seeking backgrounds are routinely exposed ... more Clinicians who support people from refugee- and asylum-seeking backgrounds are routinely exposed to stories of trauma as part of their work. Hearing these stories can be highly distressing for clinicians but simultaneously provide opportunities for positive personal growth. Adopting a longitudinal qualitative design, we interviewed 12 service providers at two time points a year apart. We used a semistructured interview protocol and analyzed the data according to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Five superordinate and nineteen constituent themes emerged from the analysis at Time 1 and Time 2. We found that participants were both positively and negatively affected by their work, and their experiences remained relatively stable across time. The participants highlighted the use of organizational and personal coping strategies to help minimize distress and maximize well-being. Adopting a broad repertoire of such strategies is not only advantageous for the service providers but u...
The field of bereavement and grief has been expanding to recognise the potential for growth follo... more The field of bereavement and grief has been expanding to recognise the potential for growth following the loss of a loved one. This study sought to examine the effect of the relationship to the deceased and perceptions of the severity of the trauma on dimensions of posttraumatic growth. Participants were 146 people who had lost either: a) a first degree relative, b) a second degree relative, or c) a non-related friend. Results demonstrated that both severity and the relationship to the bereaved differentiate posttraumatic growth outcomes. For example, participants who had lost a first degree relative reported higher levels of growth than those who had lost a second degree relative. Consistent with previous research in general trauma populations, the more severe the loss was rated, the higher the levels of growth. Implications for practice are discussed.
ABSTRACT Refugees flee their countries of origin due to supreme hardship and threat to life, freq... more ABSTRACT Refugees flee their countries of origin due to supreme hardship and threat to life, frequently having witnessed mass atrocities. This research is embedded in a salutogenic paradigm that emphasizes strength and adjustment. Twenty-five refugees from Burma who were newly arrived in Australia were interviewed and transcripts were analyzed using an Interpretive Phenomenological Analytic (IPA) approach. In addition to themes of distress, data revealed an extraordinary adaptive capacity and highlighted strengths, both individual and collective. Specific adaptive strategies included religiousness and a sense of duty to family, community, and country. Findings have implications for policy and practice that aim to support refugees and asylum seekers.
ABSTRACT Emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) respond to crisis calls for ambulance; they dispatc... more ABSTRACT Emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) respond to crisis calls for ambulance; they dispatch paramedics and provide emotional and medical assistance to callers. Despite the stressful nature and exposure to potentially traumatising events in this role, there has been no published research specifically investigating well-being or posttraumatic growth among EMDs. Extrapolating from research conducted among other emergency services workers (e.g., paramedics, police), literature attests to the importance of self efficacy and social support in promoting mental health in emergency service workers. Therefore, this study assessed the impact of self efficacy, and giving and receiving social support on psychological well-being, posttraumatic growth (PTG), and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sixty EMDs (50 % response rate) completed an online questionnaire. Three hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to ascertain predictors of well-being, PTG and PTSD. Receiving social support emerged as a significant positive predictor of well-being and PTG, and a significant negative predictor of PTSD. Self efficacy was found to significantly and positively predict well-being, and shift-work was found to significantly and negatively predict PTSD. These results highlight that self efficacy and receiving social support are likely to be important for enhancing well-being within this population, and that receiving social support is also likely to facilitate positive post-trauma responses. Such findings have implications for the way emergency service personnel are educated with reference to aspects of mental health and how best to support personnel in order to achieve optimal mental health outcomes for all.
... level of Page 4. J. Shakespeare-Finch et al. 278 education is somewhat related to length of s... more ... level of Page 4. J. Shakespeare-Finch et al. 278 education is somewhat related to length of service (Mahoney, 2001). Thus, participants in the control group were also married male shift workers with dependent children. However ...
... 61 3 6324 3168, or by e-mail: Jane.ShakespeareFinch@utas.edu.au 2 Kathryn Gow, PhD ... measur... more ... 61 3 6324 3168, or by e-mail: Jane.ShakespeareFinch@utas.edu.au 2 Kathryn Gow, PhD ... measure of positive post-trauma changes (Shakespeare-Finch et al., 2003; Smith & Cook ... Literature that claims a personality unique to emergency service personnel does exist (eg, Mitchell ...
... to Policing Karena J. Burke, Jane Shakespeare-Finch, Douglas Paton, and Michael Ryan ... Some... more ... to Policing Karena J. Burke, Jane Shakespeare-Finch, Douglas Paton, and Michael Ryan ... Some research highlights the incidence of difficulty in adjusting to the role of police officer such as predictors of elevated stress and symptoms of posttrau-matic stress disorder (PTSD). ...
Abstract This article describes the rationale, developmental process, and content of a resilience... more Abstract This article describes the rationale, developmental process, and content of a resilience-building program that has been implemented with new recruits to a police academy. The process of extensive consultation with the police service (consistent with ...
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