Factors Impacting Resiliency
The first discussion question posed in this course is one that I, throughout my academic career, have wanted to study further. It essentially boils down to, why do some people exhibit great resiliency in the face of trauma while others do not? When I have studied this topic in passed classes, I spent most of my time reading studies involving biological, psychological, and social factors that appear to influence the process. However, I have found myself being more convinced by relatively newer arguments focusing on cultural and, most recently, socioeconomic theories of resilience.
Historically, the bulk of research on resiliency has focused on individual traits and psychological factors, including the search for perhaps certain genes that may contribute to one’s ability to exhibit resilience. More recently, however, system’s level factors have been the more frequent topic of research (Sippel, L., et al., 2015). Culture can affect the impact trauma has on an individual (Helms & Green, 2010). This makes a great deal of sense, as the ability to experience post traumatic growth is influenced by social factors like “positive social support, gratitude, strong family ties, [and] attachment” (Rousseau, 2018). If the shape of one’s social interactions are partially dictated by the culture they’re surrounded by, then they in turn are likely to impact how trauma is dealt with.
An example of how this might come into play comes to mind when considering outcomes for victims of sexual assault. Being assaulted or harassed is often an extremely traumatic experience. Simultaneously, these victims can also encounter a great deal of victim blaming in our culture, and this can often lead victims to delay reporting of the assault (Engel, 2017). Since early intervention can aid in increasing post traumatic growth (Rousseau, 2018), a delay in coming forward may make adaptation and resiliency more difficult. Furthermore, if the victims experience blame, especially from their family and friends, they may be cut off from social support, taking away yet another tool for getting passed trauma.
Culture is not the only factor influencing how social ties interact with the chances of resiliency. There is evidence to suggest that individual resilience has a two-way relationship with the resilience of the social units that individual is connected to. That is to say that trauma to an individual impacts, not only themselves, but their family unit, their romantic partnership unit, their friends unit, their community unity, etc. The resiliency of those bonds affects and is affected by the individual’s resilience. This bi-directional relationship brings socioeconomic factors into play. A family may have more difficulty handling a traumatic event if they are also facing financial stress, perhaps dealing with housing issues or unemployment. If the family unit is not able to communicate and cope due to these outside stressors, the individual’s resiliency will suffer, which in turn will negatively impact the family. The cycle then continues (Sippel, L., et al., 2015).
From what I have studied in this course and previously, it appears to be widely accepted that one’s ability to thrive after trauma is partially, if not heavily, dependent on strong social supports. In encouraging the strengthening of these bonds, perhaps socioeconomic remedies (like providing housing stipends to victims of trauma that are low-income) are as crucial to recovery as are more traditional interventions, such as family therapy. Whereas I was once drawn to neurobiological or psychological explanations for resiliency, I am feel strongly that socioeconomic and cultural factors are deserving of much greater study.
References:
Engel, B. (2017). Why Don’t Victims of Sexual Harassment Come Forward Sooner? Psychology Today.
Helms, J., & Green, C. (2010). Racism and Ethnoviolence as Trauma: Enhancing Professional Training. Traumatology, 16(4) 53-62.
Rousseau, D. (2018). Trauma and Crisis Intervention. Module 1, Lesson 2: Post Traumatic Growth. Boston University.
Sippel, L. M., Pietrzak, R. H., Charney, D. S., Mayes, L. C., & Southwick, S. M. (2015). How does social support enhance resilience in the trauma-exposed individual? Ecology and Society, 20(4). Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.azp1.lib.harvard.edu/stable/26270277