06 March 2023

Secondary Trauma After Disaster and Communication with Earthquake Victims

Disasters are natural events that profoundly affect the normal flow of life in the region where they occur, causing psychological and physical damage to people.

People may show signs of trauma after the event. Therefore, care should be taken when communicating with earthquake victims. Post-disaster secondary trauma is an important phenomenon in which those who are in contact with those affected by the event in the first degree have difficulty coping with the effects of stress and trauma. 

Support for psychosocial disorders in individuals affected by disasters and emergencies will accelerate the recovery process.

What is Secondary Trauma After Disaster?

Secondary post-disaster trauma is the symptoms of psychological trauma that occur after the event, such as stress and anxiety disorders experienced by relatives of people directly affected by disasters or extraordinary events. Even if these individuals are not directly affected by the event, they may be psychologically affected by the impact of the event. While primary trauma is the psychological factors in events where the individual is directly affected, secondary trauma occurs when the immediate environment or people working in the disaster area are affected. Symptoms of secondary trauma may occur not only in the immediate environment but also in people who follow the disaster through mass media.

Recommendation:Disaster Recovery: How to Overcome Challenges

What are the Symptoms of Post-Disaster Trauma?

Symptoms of post-disaster trauma are symptoms that occur after primary trauma and, if not overcome, can have long-lasting effects. It is recommended that individuals experiencing secondary trauma after a disaster receive professional support. Those who are psychologically affected after the event should be treated and included in the normalization process. Symptoms of secondary trauma may include;Top of Form

1. Stress: Witnessing a disaster or following news about a disaster can stress you out. Restlessness, anxiety and sleep problems may be among the symptoms of stress.

2. Depression: Symptoms of depression may be seen in disaster victims or people working in the disaster area. Helplessness, unhappiness and hopelessness may be among the symptoms of depression.

3. Anxiety Disorders: This can occur in people who remember what happened after the event or think that it will happen again in the future.

4. Psychosomatic symptoms: People who experience secondary trauma may have both psychological and physical complaints. Symptoms such as severe headaches and heart palpitations may be present.

5. Distrust: Individuals who experience an emotional trauma after the disaster may feel distrust towards others around them. Therefore, they show a distrustful attitude towards events that arouse anxiety.

6. Guilt: People working in a disaster area may feel guilty because they feel inadequate to help the victims.

How to Communicate with Earthquake Victims?

  • People should not be forced to speak when they do not want to speak.
  • Even if they ask the same question over and over again, the answer should not be avoided.
  • Asking questions about how they feel should be avoided.
  • They should be given the opportunity to express themselves.
  • Critical and accusatory remarks against victims should be avoided.
  • The privacy of their private lives must be protected.
  • Accurate information about post-disaster activities should be provided.
  • Promises that cannot be kept should not be made.
  • ''It was fate'' or ''pray you are alive'' should not be used.

Communicating with earthquake victims is an important part of the recovery and normalization processes after a disaster. Providing both psychological and physiological support to earthquake survivors after this difficult process is essential for post-disaster recovery. In this process, it is also important to pay attention to the communication with people. Communication with earthquake victims during and after the earthquake is vital in many ways. As a result, a communication environment where individuals can express their feelings comfortably after the earthquake should be created. If the right communication is established, the post-disaster recovery process can begin and move towards normalization.

To learn more about post-disaster traumas, please see What is Disaster Psychology? What are its effects on human beings? You can check our content.


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