People experience trauma after an act of terrorism because of the dangers associated with terrorism. Terrorism is an act that is known to destroy life and property. After a terrorist attack, victims would probably develop psychological complications knowing that they might have fallen prey to terrorist acts. However, it should be noted that terrorist actions lead to extreme distress but they do not cause chronic psychological problems. Scholars note that victims of terror actions usually recover within a short time, given that terrorist actions are considered moderate stress reactions. One of the effects that are common to all victims of terror actions experience resilience. In one of the terror attacks that is, tornado, Ohio, some of the victims underwent psychological distress because of the severity of the disaster. After the 9/11 terror attack, victims were able to recover fast because they counted themselves lucky, considering that many individuals perished (Schlenger, Caddell, Ebert, Jordan, Rourke, Wilson, 2002).
Unlike another response mechanism, terrorist attacks are highly unpredictable hence calling for improvised techniques and skills. Scholars argue that existing techniques and skills are not enough when it comes to addressing matters related to terrorism. In this case, it is recommended that crises workers adopt networked structures. Therefore, the community needs to be empowered to come with new strategies that would help counter all forms of terrorism. In case the government and other disaster response organizations rise to the occasion to provide the necessary knowledge, the community would organize itself and respond to a crisis even before other organizations come in to help. This is because terrorism is a planned disaster that can cause massive destruction of property and life if not addressed urgently (Pham, Weinstein, & Longman, 2004).
References
Pham, P. N., Weinstein, H. M., & Longman, T. (2004). Trauma and PTSD symptoms in Rwanda: Implications for attitudes toward justice and reconciliation. Journal of American Medical Association, 292(5), 602-612.
Schlenger, W. E., Caddell, J. M., Ebert, L., Jordan, B. K., Rourke, K. M., Wilson, D. (2002). Psychological reactions to terrorist attacks: Findings from the national study of Americans’ reactions to September 11. Journal of American Medical Association, 288(5), 581-588.