Exposition aux événements traumatogènes et coping : analyse lexicométrique du discours de patients en service de victimologie

Abstract

Aim

Exposure to traumatic events is a common phenomenon in the general population. Indeed, according to international epidemiological studies, 80% of individuals have been exposed to at least one traumatic event during their lifetime. Traumatic events can lead to post-traumatic (post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) specific symptoms) and dissociative symptoms (PTSD nonspecific symptoms). However, few French studies in the field of the epidemiology and psychopathology of traumatic events take into account the emotional experience in individuals exposed to a traumatic event. Our research focus on (1) the characteristics of traumatic events and (2) the strategies to cope with it.

Method

Fourteen patients met at a victimization service participated in this study. The sample includes three men and eleven women aged between 21 and 54 (mean age = 37.07 years-old; standard deviation = 10.10). For the recruitment of patient, each patient was approached by the psychiatrist, head of the unit, to participate in the study during a consultation. An individual appointment was scheduled with patients for conducting the interview. Interviews were transcribed and we produced a lexicometric analysis with the software Iramuteq, based on the Alceste method. The Alceste method is a technique that consist in a modeling of the distribution of words in a speech and language patterns to identify the most words used by the subjects.

Results

Results demonstrated, (a) four types of traumatic events to which the patients were exposed (car accidents, interpersonal violence, domestic and intra-family violence), but the intensity of the subjective experience of the event does not appear in a specific class, and (b) that among the strategies used to cope with it, the use of active and problem-centered coping strategies appears explicitly in two specific classes: seeking for social support (18.40% of the corpus) and searching for information and understanding (19.10% of the corpus).

Discussion

We categorized the traumatic events to which the patients were personally exposed, nevertheless, as an event has a different impact on victims, the intensity of the subjective experience of the traumatic event was not clearly highlighted in the patient's speech. This finding suggests the need to focus on the potentially traumatic nature of the event in order to better understand the psychopathological repercussions. We described the use of adapted strategies (i.e., social support, the search for information and solutions) that may mediate the negative effects of the experience of traumatic events on the physical and mental health of victims. The use of emotional-related strategies may increase the conditional risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder.