That is, it, of course, heals, but not at all as quickly and not as effectively as even psychologists used to think. Those who have suffered a blow of fate should not hope that “everything will pass by itself.”
Recent years are generous with unpleasant and even tragic events. The economic crisis is leading to lower incomes and job losses for hundreds of thousands of people, and the increasing frequency of terrorist attacks and disasters claim hundreds of lives. This forces psychologists to actively look for an answer to the question of how we cope with traumatic experiences.
Previous studies painted an optimistic picture. Their authors noted that the majority of people who had suffered a serious psychological trauma recovered from the consequences fairly quickly and demonstrated a level of well-being and life satisfaction comparable to the period before the injury.1.
Psychologists Frank Infarna and Sunia Lutar from the University of Arizona (USA) decided to test these results. They examined a larger sample than in previous experiments. It included 1241 people who lost their spouses, 1579 who survived a divorce and 2641 who were left without work. This already allows us to consider the results of the new work more reliable.2.
Frank Infarna and Sunia Lutar improved the research methodology as well. Previously, it was assumed that conditional groups of people more and less resistant to tragic events demonstrate different rates, but at the same time the same dynamics of recovery after trauma. The mathematical model created this time made it possible to take into account the differences not only between these groups, but also between representatives within each of the groups.
The results obtained must be considered disappointing. The relatively fast self-recovery reported by previous studies was the rarest outcome. Moreover, both among the more persistent, and among those who react to adversity especially painfully. On average, the return to the pre-traumatic level of psychological well-being takes a few years for most people who have experienced difficult events.
However, even if we do not like the results of scientific research, this does not make them less useful. Frank Infarna believes that the data obtained should contribute to the revision of attitudes towards those with whom life treats cruelly. Previously, it was believed that one way or another, everything will return to normal by itself. Now it is clear that this path may be too long. And people who are faced with the blows of fate should not be left alone with their hardships. They need psychotherapeutic help, which the state can take care of in a situation of crises and dramas on a national scale.
1. G. Bonanno, E. Diminich «Annual Research Review: Positive adjustment to adversity — trajectories of minimal-impact resilience and emergent resilience». Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, April 2013.
2. F. Infurna, S. Luthar «Resilience to Major Life Stressors Is Not as Common as Thought». Perspectives on Psychological Science, March 2016.