Associations between trauma exposure, religious coping, and psychiatric distress in a community sample in Nairobi, Kenya.

Adults (N = 703) in Nairobi, Kenya completed a screening survey in the aftermath of the postelection violence (PEV) of 2008. This study examined associations between exposure to PEV, prior trauma exposure, religious coping, and psychiatric distress. Results indicated a dose-response effect of the amount of PEV and prior trauma exposure on the severity of concurrent symptoms of psychiatric distress.

Trauma and spirituality: Empirical advances in an understudied area of community experience.

Trauma and spirituality represent an understudied area of community experience. As in introductory article for this themed issue for the Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, this article describes the importance of considering these topics together for individuals and communities across the world.

Exposure to violence, support needs, adjustment, and motivators among Guatemalan humanitarian aid workers.

Indigenous aid workers carry out the majority of humanitarian aid work, yet there is little empirical information available on their support needs in different contexts. Focus groups (N = 26: Study 1) and a survey (N = 137; Study 2) were conducted with Guatemalan aid workers to explore their exposure to violence, posttraumatic stress symptoms, burnout, support needs, and motivators. Participants reported experiencing an average of 13 events of community violence and 17% reported symptoms consistent with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).