Resiliency and Recovery: Lessons From the Asian Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina

Separated by continents and cultures, survivors of the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina share a common bond in their extreme trauma and ensuing struggles. The authors discuss and illustrate core ideas based on the commonalities derived from the experiences of women survivors of these two disasters. Separados tanto por continentes como culturas, los supervivientes del tsunami asiático y el huracán Katrina comparten el vínculo común de su enorme trauma y las dificultades subsiguientes. Los autores discuten e ilustran las ideas fundamentals basándose en las similitudes derivadas a partir de las experiencias de las mujeres que sobrevivieron a ambos desastres.     

Hurricane Andrew: Psychological distress among shelter victims

This study examined psychological distress and functioning among Hurricane Andrew victims who lost their homes and were living in shelters. Four and one-half weeks after Hurricane Andrew struck southern Florida, 89 (45 males, 44 females) Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites completed a questionnaire. The questionnaire asked for information about psychological and psychophysiological symptoms, use of mental health services, coping responses, and extent of preparation for the storm. The findings suggest that loss of home and property were related to distress and depression. About one-quarter of the sample were moderately depressed. Over one-third of the sample reported experiencing psychological and psychophysiological distress. Approximately one-half of the subjects did not take the hurricane warnings seriously. White subjects began preparing earlier for the storm, and evacuated their homes more frequently than did Black subjects. Implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed.     

Understanding Teasing: Lessons From Children With Autism

Teasing requires the ability to understand intention, nonliteral communication, pretense, and social context. Children with autism experience difficulty with such skills, and consequently, are expected to have difficulty with teasing. To better understand teasing concepts and behaviors, children with autism, their parents, and age and Verbal-IQ-matched comparison children and parents described concepts and experiences of teasing and engaged in a parent–child teasing interaction. The teasing of children with autism was less playful and provocative and focused less on social norms than that of comparison children. Similarly, parents of children with autism teased in less playful ways. Scores on a theory of mind task accounted for several of the observed differences. Discussion focused on the importance of understanding social context and playful behavior during teasing.     

Weathering the storm: children's long-term recall of Hurricane Andrew

Children who experienced a highly stressful natural disaster, Hurricane Andrew, were interviewed within a few months of the event, when they were 3-4 years old, and again 6 years later, when they were 9-10 years old. Children were grouped into low, moderate, or high stress groups depending on the severity of the experienced storm. All children were able to recall this event in vivid detail 6 years later. In fact, children reported over twice as many propositions at the second interview as at the first. At the initial interview, children in the high stress group reported less information than children in the moderate stress group, but 6 years later, children in all three stress groups reported similar amounts of information. However children in the high stress group needed more questions and prompts than children in the other stress groups. Yet children in the high stress group also reported more consistent information between the two interviews, especially about the storm, than children in the other stress groups. Implications for children's developing memory of stressful events are discussed.     

Recovering after a Natural Disaster: Differences in Quality of Life across Three Communities after Hurricane Sandy

Applied Research in Quality of Life -     

Lessons From Pair Counseling With Incarcerated Juvenile Delinquents

Pair counseling was used with incarcerated juvenile offenders with emotional problems to examine its effectiveness in increasing moral reasoning, improving interpersonal relationships, and reducing recidivism. Qualitative results presented in case studies provided support for improvement in peer relationships.     

Psychological Consequences of Earthquake Disaster Survivors

A survey has been undertaken to examine long-term psychological after-effects of a devastating earthquake (the Tangshan earthquake) in China in 1976. Subjects (equal number of males and females, aged between 20 and 70) consisted of 110 paraplegic and 100 non-deformed persons. The 16-PF Questionnaire, two attitude tests and individual interviews were used in the investigation. Results show that the earthquake had long-term effects on people's minds. The effects are extensive and long-lasting, and differed between different groups. This indicates that in the study of the impact of Global Change on humans, earthquake disasters should be brought into focus, not only as physical disasters but also with reference to the psychological shock caused by an earthquake.     

Approaching Complex Cases With a Crisis Intervention Model and Teamwork

Patients referred for genetic counseling may be in a state of crisis, feeling as though they are incapable of making decisions about the management of their pregnancy, genetic testing options and/or life planning issues. The role of the genetic counselor is to assist a patient through this crisis state by increasing the patient's understanding and by helping to facilitate decision making and adjustment to those decisions. In this paper we present a clinical genetic counseling case that was complicated by numerous medical and psychosocial issues. The wide scope of this case required the involvement of both a prenatal and a medical genetic counselor. Working as a team we utilized a crisis intervention model. Our counseling focused on identifying and isolating the issues, providing factual information, setting a time frame for decisions to be made, and encouraging social support and emotion-focused coping strategies.     

Approaching Complex Cases With a Crisis Intervention Model and Teamwork: A Commentary

This article is a response to the case of SA presented by O'Daniel and Wells. In this response I support the approach used with the patient, and discuss and expand on the applicability of a crisis intervention model to genetic counseling. In addition, I explore the issue of autonomy and informed decision making for patients who are in crisis. I also discuss the surface contradiction between the mandate for nondirectiveness and the need to provide direction during crisis intervention are discussed and reframe the issue as one of process versus content directiveness. I argue that during times of crisis, genetic counselors may need to direct process in order for patients to be able to make autonomous decisions.     

血管介入治疗与自然力再平衡：从扶持到掣肘

自然力是组织维持稳态的自愈能力,完善的内皮及平滑肌功能构成血管自然力基础。损伤力为打破组织稳态的破坏力。自然力弱于损伤力时,负平衡形成,疾病发生发展,需外援医疗干预扶持恢复自然力平衡。经数代技术革新,介入治疗后的血管事件发生率显著下降,但异物引起慢性炎症及再狭窄问题凸显,介入治疗与血管自然力陷入再狭窄-再介入的"对抗平衡",如何避免这种"掣肘"状态成为血管介入治疗后续的核心问题。生物可吸收支架及可回收支架为适度干预介入理念的新生产物,有望在干预成功后恢复血管自然状态,真正意义上实现自然力再平衡。     

Coping With Vicarious Trauma in the Aftermath of a Natural Disaster

This study documents the vicarious psychological impact of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti on Haitians living in the United States. The role of coping resources—family, religious, and community support—was explored. The results highlight the importance of family and community as coping strategies to manage such trauma. Este estudio documenta el impacto psicológico vicario que tuvo el terremoto de 2010 en Haití sobre los residentes haitianos que viven en Estados Unidos. Se explora el papel de los recursos de afrontamiento—apoyo familiar, religioso y comunitario. Lo resultados destacan la importancia de la familia y la comunidad como estrategias de afrontamiento para superar un trauma de esas características.     

How Gene-Environment Interactions Shape Biobehavioral Development: Lessons From Studies With Rhesus Monkeys

Recent research has found marked individual differences in patterns of rhesus monkey biobehavioral development throughout the life span. Approximately 20% of monkeys growing up in naturalistic settings consistently display unusually fearful and anxious-like behavioral reactions to novel, mildly stressful social situations throughout development; another 5%-10% are likely to exhibit impulsive and/or inappropriately aggressive responses under similar circumstances. These distinctive behavioral patterns and their biological correlates appear early in life and remain remarkably stable from infancy to adulthood. Both genetic and experiential mechanisms are implicated not only in the expression of these patterns but also in their transmission across successive generations of monkeys. For example, a specific polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene is associated with deficits in infant neurobehavioral functioning and in juvenile and adolescent control of aggression and serotonin metabolism in monkeys that experienced insecure early attachments but not in monkeys that developed secure attachment relationships with their mothers during infancy (maternal buffering). Moreover, because the attachment style of a monkey mother is typically "copied" by her daughters when they grow up and become mothers themselves, similar buffering is likely to occur for the next generation of infants carrying that specific polymorphism.     

Ethics Lessons From Seattle’s Early Experience With COVID-19

Abstract

Ethics consultants and critical care clinicians reflect on Seattle’s early experience as the United States’ first epicenter of COVID-19. We discuss ethically salient issues confronted at UW Medicine’s hospitals and provide lessons for other health care institutions that may soon face what we have faced.     

Positive Metacognitions and Meta-Emotions as Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Growth in Survivors of a Natural Disaster

ABSTRACT

Exposure to natural disasters can lead to both negative and positive mental health consequences (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] and posttraumatic growth [PTG]). While there is evidence linking metacognition to these outcomes, the focus is mostly on maladaptive metacognitions. The present study investigated the role of positive metacognitions and meta-emotions (i.e., confidence in extinguishing perseveration [Extinguishing], confidence in interpreting emotions as cues [Interpreting], and confidence in setting flexible and attainable hierarchies of goals [Setting]) on PTSD and PTG among Filipino typhoon survivors. Findings supported a model wherein Extinguishing and Setting, but not Interpreting, predicted PTSD and PTG through posttraumatic cognitions.     

Diagnosing PTSD: Lessons From Neuropsychology

Problematic diagnostic issues related to neurocognitive conditions have been well documented in research using neuropsychological instruments. However, due to the nature of differing assessment methods, these issues have not been as clearly established in the diagnostic assessment of psychiatric disorders that rely on self-report. Nonetheless, they appear relevant. This article summarizes diagnostic-related lessons learned based on clinical neuropsychological research and how they are applicable to the practice of diagnosing psychiatric conditions, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in particular. Ignoring these lessons raises serious risk for misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment and services, and iatrogenic illness.     

Multicultural Counseling Competencies: Lessons From Assessment

This article addresses multicultural counseling competencies from the perspective of quantitative assessment. A conceptual review of the current measures identifies 4 relevant issues: (a) diverse factor structures, (b) the working definition of multicultural awareness, (c) test takers' frame of reference, and (d) the implications of an inclusive definition of culture for assessment. Este artículo se dirige aconsejar las capacidades multiculturales de la perspectiva de la evaluación cuantitativa. La revisión conceptual de las medidas actuales identifica 4 asuntos pertinentes: (a) factor de estruturas diversas, (b) preparaciones de la definición del conocimiento multiculturales, (c) tomadores de examenes marco de referencia, y (d) las implicaciones de una definición inclusiva de la cultura para la evaluación.     

重大自然灾害后快速心理危机干预

重大自然灾害后,使用心理危机干预的专业方法,利用心理危机快速反应专家服务组,给受灾者带来常规社会救援不能解决的紧急心理救护和进一步的心理援助,使不幸的人们在绝望中鼓起勇气、获得希望,并与他们一起共同度过人生中这段最艰难的时刻。面对灾难,危机干预是利国利民的重要事务,是政府对灾难后受灾人群进行人文关怀和构建和谐社会的直接体现。     

The psychological effects of Hurricane Andrew on ethnic minority and Caucasian children and adolescents: a case study

The impact of Hurricane Andrew on 212 African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic elementary and middle school children was examined at 6 months postdisaster. Using self-report instruments, this case study examined the predictive utility of several hypothesized mediators of children's reactions to disaster. Results showed higher levels of intrusive symptomatology for girls and for elementary school children as compared with their middle school counterparts. No differences were found with reference to race. The lack of findings concerning race is addressed, as well as implications for future studies.