Hobfoll and his colleagues formulated five empirical interventions as remedial measures for the early or mid-term psychological effects caused by traumatic experiences. Traumatic effects can be caused by events or experiences such as pandemics, natural disasters, abuse, and war. The long-lasting adversative effects of the experiences are the primary causes of trauma in the victims (SAMHSA, 2014) . Examples of these effects include depression, anxiety, and stress. In response, Hobfoll and colleagues developed a set of five evidence-based principles consistent with the elements of mental health and treatment interventions that can bolster efforts to facilitate recovery from the adverse psychological effects (Tuma, 2007) . The five principles are safety, calmness, efficacy, hope, and connectedness. Each of the five principles is accustomed to addressing and treating various psychological symptoms in distinctively various ways.
Safety and calmness are closely related and are feasible approaches in yielding psychological well-being for the victims of a post-traumatic incident. In a commentary on the five principles, Norris and Stevens (2007) noted that though anxiety is a natural response to trauma, it can interfere with the physical and psychological well–being of the victim if it remains uncontrolled. They further noted that safety provision plays an important role in providing a sense of protection or safety in the victim from the threat. On the other hand, calmness relies on accurate, timely, and reliable communication of the events under consideration (Lundgren, 2018). The latter interventions are collectively critical in controlling the victims' anxiety level in the aftermath of traumatic events.
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Subsequently, efficacy and hope are two other closely related principles that effectively address post-traumatic psychological symptoms in the victims. The belief that the recovery measures will result in positive outcomes is key in victims' psychological well–being post-traumatic events (Norris & Stevens, 2007) . As a result, hope enables the victims to subjugate psychological emotions, such as despair and dysfunction. On the other hand, self-efficacy intervention is an important element in determining victims' psychosocial responses after traumatic experiences. The component of hope and efficacy is important in increasing the victim's competence level or the group of people to take proactive measures such as counseling that will directly help recover from the traumatic incident.
Finally, the fifth intervention of connectedness is a key psychosocial element critical in handling the victim's post-traumatic psychological symptoms. As a concept, it refers to a sustained network between people relating to each other for a given reason. In his commentary on the five principles, Tuma (2007) noted that collaborative congruence creates a range of supportive possibilities that can effectively facilitate the recovery or management of psychological impacts on the victim from a traumatic event. He further concludes that a few trauma victims turn to professionals for assistance if they have an integrated and supportive social connection.
While the five interventions' effectiveness in addressing post-traumatic psychological symptoms is compelling, they are significantly inaccurate and incomprehensive in the practical perspective. Perceivably, the five principles are not inclusive of everyone in the society, and their efficacy is the only representative of a limited number of post-traumatic cases. Norris and Stevens (2007) noted that the immediate response after a traumatic event should be to provide the resources necessary to partly or fully facilitate the restoration of the victim's livelihood. The five principles do not involve providing such material support needed to restore the livelihood of the victims of the trauma. As a result, some individuals' post-traumatic psychological conditions, such as those suffering from abject poverty, cannot be effectively treated or addressed using the approach. Based on the shortcoming, I would recommend that the five principles approach include helping actions such as stabilization and practical assistance to trauma victims.
References
Lundgren, O. G. (2018). A journey through chaos and calmness: experiences of mindfulness training in patients with depressive symptoms after a recent coronary event - a qualitative diary content analysis. BMC Psychology, 6 (1), 1-10.
Norris, F. H., & Stevens, S. P. (2007). Community Resilience and the Principles of Mass Trauma Intervention. Psychiatry: Interpersonal & Biological Processes. Psychiatry, 70 (4), 322. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1521/psyc.2007.70.4.320
Pappas, S. ( 2020, April). Quickly calming distress and improving mental health . American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/distress-mental-health
SAMHSA. (2014). SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. Rockville, MD.: HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4884.
Tuma, F. (2007). Mass Trauma Intervention: A Case for Integrating Principles of Behavioral Health with Intervention to Restore Physical Safety, Order, and Infrastructure. Psychiatry, 70 (4), 358. https://doi.org/10.1521/psyc.2007.70.4.358
