Family Trauma Case #3

The elderly individuals have also encountered various forms of trauma in my family. Bob, 83 years old is my paternal grandfather. He is a veteran that returned home early before turning sixty years. He fought in the various wars in the Middle East during the terminal periods before the war ended. During his five years stay in the camp, he sustained various injuries and witnessed many traumatic incidents. He went into the war in his mid-forties and could story tell most of his war experiences and trauma. His case is unique because most veterans return home and undergo certain degrees of psychological complications. Most war veterans during his time would be neglected as he recalls. However, he was well taken being assessed by the psychologists regularly courtesy of his eldest son, my father. Just like Riley, my cousin, he was diagnosed with mild symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Outcomes of the Trauma Bob’s case as opposed to earlier assessed cases, had positive outcomes. His case was an eye-opener to the family about mental health and post-traumatic mental health sequelae. The need for a prompt health assessment following suspected psychological complications of trauma was established by the family at that time. His trauma was, therefore, detected and managed in time. Just a few years after returning from the war, he started developing sleep problems. Viana Machado et al. (2020) associates sleep disturbances as early signs of impending posttraumatic sequelae. This was the only danger sign that prompted Bob’s psychiatric evaluation. Coping Strategies Bob was taken in by a psychologist who is now retired and has remained his personal friend to date. Bob’s coping structure was a direct one. He indirectly turned to the social system for support. He became a strong church member and would attend most church social gatherings regularly. Indirectly, bob sought social and religious interventions before his posttraumatic sequelae worsened. According to Stanisławski (2019), special systems have been adopted indirectly by various victims of trauma with aim of surviving their foreseen mental deterioration. The belief in divine intervention and family care confers them some comfort from the traumatic events. He loves storytelling and opening up to his family about his personal life and this has made it easy for family members to intervene and provide the necessary support.