Survivor Coping: Theories and Research About Reactions to All Types of Victimization

Abstract

After experiencing an assault, accident, natural disaster or other stressful event, people show evidence of posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Symptoms include anxiety, sleep and eating disorders, anger, and other reactions that may last for months, or even years. Repeated trauma and victimization caused by another person, as occurs in family violence, can be especially stressful. Once one has been exposed to a traumatic event, the person may no longer feel safe in his or her daily life, which adds to stress levels, and elevates risk for trauma reactions from future stressful events.