"Danger is Everywhere": Experiences of Continuous Traumatic Stress in Gunshot Survivorship and Their Family

• In Event: Gun Violence Victimization

Abstract

Gun violence is a leading cause of premature death in the United States. For many residents living in neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by gun violence, the threat is not in the past as PTSD would suggest, instead, it’s experienced as omnipresent and future based. PTSD arises from past trauma, whereas Continuous Traumatic Stress (CTS) focuses on the ongoing anticipation of future threats and traumas, rather than those from the past. Understanding community gun violence through CTS may provide a new perspective of its psychological and social impact. Based on 23 qualitative interviews from Brooklyn based gunshot survivors and chosen family members, this study draws from and applies CTS to excavate insights into the continuous psychological and social ramifications of gun violence on survivors and family members. Thematic analysis yielded insights related to 1) Absence of protection: Highlights a failure of just and effective systems to promote safety. 2) Present and Anticipated Trauma: Describes the fixation on current and expected traumatic threats. 3) Necessary Adaptive Symptoms: Suggests that individual responses and behaviors evolve as coping mechanisms to manage ongoing threats. The study demonstrates the use of CTS to understand gun violence survivorship and exposure and presents practice and policy recommendations.

Authors

• Nathan Aguilar, Columbia University

• Gabrielle Andrade, Columbia University

• Owyn Guinnip, Columbia University