Describe the Triple Trauma Paradigm.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The Triple Trauma Paradigm describes three phases of traumatic stress that apply to torture survivors in exile who may or may not enter the United States with refugee status. The first phase is preflight. This period covers the series of events, sometimes occurring over years, that results in the person’s decision to flee. This period deals with events in the survivor’s life as well as the broader sociopolitical context within his or her country that created a climate of fear. Typically, harassment and intimidation threats, brief arrests, and monitoring take place over a period of time. These incidents are usually followed by the infliction of suffering, the disappearance of friends or relatives, public display of atrocities, loss of job or property, detention, and torture. The next phase is the flight period. It entails the refugee’s escape and flight to the country of desired refuge. It lasts from one day to years. At the psychological level, the refugee may experience profound uncertainty and fear of being caught and a deep sense of insecurity. They may live in refugee camps that have conditions of squalor, crime, unemployment, and malnutrition. The postflight is composed of the period of resettlement. The challenges of postflight include cultural shock, cultural acculturation, and assimilation. Survivors may feel marginalized, and they may experience poverty, racism, or anti-refugee or anti-immigrant prejudice. Torture survivors encounter barriers to accessing health-care services. Some find that they are ineligible for assistance services due to lack of insurance, and they may face psychological misdiagnosis and the stigma of needing mental health care.