The master's thesis called The Care of the Holocaust Survivors and its Specifics is divided into a theoretical and practical part. The theoretical part is based on a premise that the specifics of the Holocaust survivors' care have three resources: the Holocaust trauma, the age of the elderly survivors, and Judaism. This part of the thesis discusses the Holocaust aspects and its impacts on the psyche of the survived victims, especially focusing on post-traumatic stress disorder as well as the consequences for the next generation, the children of survived Jews. Moreover, the following issues are examined: Judaism and the community life, the system of the special care of those survived, with regard to social and psychological services. The next chapter concentrates on the specification of this care differences and also of the elderly needs. The second, practical part of the thesis is based on the qualitative research conducted by the method of interviews with experts working with the target group of the survivors. The half- structured interviews imply that the survivors form a group of clients whose needs are partly different from the common elderly population and for whom the care reacting to their needs is preferable by most experts. However, it is impossible to generalise; each elderly who has not...

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Psychology University of Zululand, 2004. / This report presents the findings of a study conducted in 2003-2004, involving eight members of emergency services in Stanger, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. The emergency personnel included five firefighters and three paramedics. The aim of the study was to develop and evaluate a mutual aid group programme in order to prevent symptoms of trauma, with special reference to anxiety and depression, and promote psychological well-being in emergency personnel. Emergency personnel are exposed to traumatic events during the line of duty. The study investigated stressors, which were identified as organizational, management style, ineffective communication, stressors relating to patient care (personal loss, traumatic stimuli, high expectations) and low job and high workloads. The study also investigated psychological, physical and social effects of emergency work. Psychological effects that were identified were mental illnesses such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Symptoms included irritability, anger, frustration, hopelessness, helplessness, fear and anxiety. Physical effects included fatigue, difficulty breathing, startle response, nausea, trembling and racing heart. Social problems such as conflicts with family, friends and colleagues were also identified. The study provided group members with the ability to identify symptoms of trauma and accept vulnerability, which served as important preventative measures for mental illness. The group created a safe atmosphere where members were able to share their feelings without the fear of being judged. It also provided members with new coping strategies for dealing with their feelings. Regarding further support systems the group members identified an ongoing need for help via psychologists, psychological debriefing and support from management, family as well as the community. / National Research Foundation

People experiencing mental health illnesses such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who do not receive mental health treatment services (MHTS) are at a higher risk of committing crimes. The research problem of this study was to fill the gap in the literature concerning gender, sex at birth, and gender identity differences as predictors of attitudes toward perceived stigma in help-seeking behavior (HSB) and use of MHTS. The sample size included 5,000 participants in the de-identified secondary data set of students from 26 universities and colleges across the United States. The Healthy Minds Study collected these data in 2016-2017 using the Patient Health Questionnaire. To address the research questions guiding the study, one-way ANOVA was used to test for differences in groups based on sexual orientation and gender identity for measures of perception of stigma, use of MHTS, and HSB regarding receiving mental health services. Between groups, MANOVA was used to assess differences in groups based on gender identity and sexual orientation on a linear combination of the dependent measures of perception of stigma in use of MHTS and HSB. There were directional differences between groups based on independent variables gender and sexual orientation on measures of the dependent variables perception of stigma in use of MHTS and of HSB. However, a closer examination of the results indicated that the effect size associated with the directional differences was weak. The results from this study may help clinicians to identify treatment challenges related to biological sex and gender identity and help to influence future interventions to better accommodate the contemporary population of men and women experiencing symptoms of PTSD.

Symptom severity among veteran survivors with partial or full posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) continues to increase, with approximately 40% of U.S. veterans reporting significant symptomology 10 years after initial onset of the condition. Veteran survivors often struggle to find therapeutic interventions that meet their specific needs and have a difficult time maintaining a therapy that is both equitable and evidenced based. Grounded in the Rogerian, client-centered theory, the purpose of this qualitative collective exploratory case study was to explore the effects of equine-facilitated psychotherapy with 3 veteran survivors with partial or full PTSD. A 4-stage process was used to collect data, including initial semistructured interviews, observations, photo-interviews, and researcher interpretations of photo-interviews. Data were transcribed, analyzed, and coded into within-case themes and cross case-themes. The principle findings revealed that veteran survivors with partial or full PTSD engaged in an equine-facilitated psychotherapy program had both here-and-now experiences and relational connection experiences with the horse. Many other significant details provided insight into the veteran participants' experiences with equine-facilitated psychotherapy, such as trust, connection, nonverbal communication, awareness, peace, decompression, communication, empathic reflection, congruence, reciprocity, concern, respect, and selflessness. These findings provide social change implications that may inform mental health professionals and counselor educators about the benefits of equine-facilitated psychotherapy with veteran survivors with partial or full posttraumatic stress disorder; the findings also provide structure to the use of equine-facilitated psychotherapy as an adjunct and/or alternative to traditional posttraumatic stress disorder treatments.

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The diploma thesis deals with psychotherapy of victims of violent relationships (primarily victims of sexual violence). The work aims to look at individual experiences with these clients through interviews with experts on the issue and to examine the influence of therapeutic effects on client's personality. The theoretical part is divided into two basic chapters: Sexual Violence and Psychotherapy, it provides readers with professional information on both topics and provides key literary resources on issues in academia. Due to research goals, a qualitative methodology was chosen in the form of semi-structured interviews. The research group consists of five respondents (psychologists, therapists, social workers with psychotherapeutic education) who specialize in the issue of sexual or domestic violence. The interview was primarily about capturing and understanding the uniqueness of each respondent's professional experience. Furthermore, an analysis of the therapeutic process was performed on individual respondents, when the positive effects of the therapeutic effect appeared in their client. Respondents were asked about cases where the therapist himself does not perceive a positive change in the personality of his client after the therapeutic intervention (provided that he has encountered such a case...

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Refugees who have fled from the ongoing civil war in Syria that arrived in Germany often develop post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). The aim of this study was to determine health care services utilization (HCSU), health care costs and health-related quality of life (HrQoL) of Syrian refugees with mild to moderate PTSS without current treatment in Germany. The study was based on the baseline sample of a randomized controlled trial of a self-help app for Syrian refugees with PTSS (n = 133). HCSU and HrQoL based on the EQ-5D-5L and its visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) were assessed with standardized interviews. Annual health care costs were calculated using extrapolated four-month HCSU and standardized unit costs. Associations between health care costs, HrQoL and PTSS severity were examined using generalized linear models. Overall, 85.0% of the sample utilized health care services within four months. The mean total annual health care costs were EUR 1920 per person. PTSS severity was not associated with health care costs. The EQ-5D-5L index score and the EQ-VAS score was 0.82 and 73.6, respectively. For Syrian refugees with higher PTSS severity, the EQ-5D-5L index score was lower (−0.17; p < 0.001). The HCSU and the resulting health care costs of Syrian refugees with mild to moderate PTSS without current treatment are low and those with a higher PTSS severity had a lower HrQoL.