CURRENT APPROACHES

Research of trauma and resiliency has increasingly incorporated theories regarding collective susceptibility to and recovery from trauma as well as culturally dependent moral, ethical and spiritual conceptions of reconciliation such as justice and forgiveness. On a socio-cultural level, healing from trauma includes not only reestablishing trust in social institutions and cultural practices, but some form of acknowledgment, justice and even reparations, symbolic or monetary (Suarez-Orozco & Robben, 2000). Theories regarding collective memory, the ‘nonconscious’ and injury to assumptive world beliefs have expanded the literature of trauma and resiliency to more fully incorporate communities or groups suffering from the after-effects of wars and mass violence. Utilizing new techniques in neuroscience, biological mechanisms mediating resilience in social groups are being investigated. Masten and Narayan (2011) examine pathways of risk and resilience in mass violence experiences of children and youth and in a seminal study regarding the role of changed personal world view as a mechanism for social reconstruction following war, while Muldoon (2013), as mentioned earlier, identified the deleterious, multi-generational effects of politically sanctioned violence, particularly on children. Building on the ‘shattered assumptions’ theory, Biruski et. al (2014) studied social reconstruction in adult trauma survivors of the 1991-1995 Croatian/Serbian war using reconciliation processes of “intergroup rapprochement, intergroup trust and need for apology” finding that restoring beliefs about benevolence and the world as a safe place mediates community recovery.
In their review of more than fifty English language peer-reviewed studies investigating resiliency of child sexual assault (CSA) survivors (Marriott et al. 2014) noted that internal factors promoting resilience included interpersonal features such as self-esteem, attribution, and spirituality. Control, inclusion, equality and empowerment were also noted as significant to resiliency in CSA survivors in a evaluation of psychotherapy/counseling services from the survivor’s perspective (Chouliara et al., 2012). While much or even most research regarding survivors of CSA focus on internal factors, Marriott et al. (2014) also suggested that peers, a stable, supportive family environment, school and other community and social groups can also promote resiliency. Indicating that further research regarding the efficacy of community-based efforts was a worthy topic Marriott et al. noted that most clinical efforts do not fully consider the external support system of survivors for improving resilient outcomes (Marriott et al., 2014). Publications available through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through their Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) consolidating the most current treatment approaches for survivors of trauma including CSA in addition to psychotherapy reinforce the importance of external community-based effects involving pastoral counselors, teachers, as well as peer-support groups. Increasingly, holistic approaches such as mindfulness, relaxation techniques, guided imagery, narrative work and art therapy are used to promote improved self-esteem and self-control, build trust and lessen anxiety symptoms.