Background of the Study

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2. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder PTSD is a mental disorder related to a trauma. The inability of an individual to cope with traumatic events in life is the trigger of the development of PTSD. It is an extreme reaction to traumatic events. Scott and Straddling 2001 distinguished PTSD from an immediate reaction to traumatic events. When the reaction is immediate, an individual will return to normal several hours after the traumatic event. On the contrary, PTSD causes disturbances in an individual‟s cognition, behavior, and moods for more than one month after the exposure of the traumatic event. APA 2013 proposes eight diagnostic criteria as guidelines on the identification of PTSD pp. 270-271. The diagnostic criteria are: a. Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. b. Presence of one or more intrusion symptoms associated with the traumatic events. c. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the traumatic events which begins after the traumatic events occurred. d. Negative alterations in cognitions and mood associated with the traumatic events which begins or worsens after the traumatic events occurred. e. Marked alteration in arousal and reactivity associated with the traumatic events which begins or worsens after the traumatic events occurred. f. Duration of disturbances is more than one month. 8 g. The disturbance caused clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. h. The disturbance is not attributable to the psychological effects of a substance or other medical condition. According to APA 2013, a PTSD patient may develop the dissociative symptom as well. An individual may be diagnosed as a PTSD patient by referring to the diagnostic criteria. This study identifies the diagnostic criteria of PTSD that are shown in Geraldine.

3. Trauma

A trauma, as the trigger of PTSD, is a shape of an individual‟s inability to cope with particular events in life. Events in life that cause a trauma are called traumatic events. Harvey 2002 defines a trauma as an “extreme psychological and physiological reactions to major losses” p. 23. He limits the traumatic events on major losses only. According t o Harvey 2002, major losses are “the deterioration of one‟s own body due to aging and disease, the loss of a loved one in quick, violent way” p. 2. Harvey argues that major losses in life are the only cause of a trauma. Apart from Harvey, Giller 1999 defines a trauma as an “unique individual experience of an event or enduring conditions in which the individual‟s ability to integrate his or her emotional experience is overwhelmed” p. 1. Giller‟s definition considers a trauma as an experience where an individual‟s emotional or psychological condition is overwhelmed. The definition PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 9 of a trauma used in this study is the combination of Harvey‟s and Giller‟s. A trauma is an extreme reaction to traumatic events or experiences.