Trauma experiences of natural disaster survivors in Aceh, Indonesia

• Main Author: Jemaru, Antonius
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2010
• Subjects: Disaster victims—Indonesia—Aceh—Psychology; Post-traumatic stress disorder—Indonesia—Aceh; Clinical Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/6470; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etd_masteral/article/13168/viewcontent/CDTG004815_P.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

The aim of the study was to describe the experiences of trauma of the Acehnese survivors of the natural disaster on December 26, 2004, their coping strategies, the outcomes, and the contributors to the outcomes which were experienced by survivors after few years of disaster. The qualitative method study was conducted among six Acehnese survivors (N=6) using the semi-structured interview. The data was analyzed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The findings showed seven main themes: (a) the typical life before the disaster; (b) the experiences and reactions during the disaster; (c) the experiences of trauma after disaster; (d) coping strategies in dealing with trauma; (e) outcomes; (f) the contributors to the survivors’ outcomes; and (g) the present life situation and future plans. The implications of the study were discussed in relation to the literature on trauma and on posttraumatic growth.