Post-Traumatic Growth and Terrorism

Literature Review: A systematic review was conducted examining factors that positively influenced post-traumatic growth (PTG) following direct exposure to a terrorist attack. A systematic search was carried out across 10 databases and eleven studies were selected for inclusion. Eight studies used quantitative methodology and three used qualitative methodology. The findings revealed six themes that emerged from the eleven studies covering the specific factors that positively influenced PTG. Further research is needed to understand better how these factors interact with terrorism exposure to experience PTG and how actual growth differentiates from perceived growth. Research Project: The current study explored the experiences of recovery for adult, Ismaili Muslim survivors of the Westgate Mall terrorist attack which took place in September 2013, in Nairobi, Kenya. The study also sought to understand how the Ismailis made meaning of their experiences following the attack. Six participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview topic guide and the data was analyzed using the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach. The findings suggested that Ismaili adults can largely experience positive changes following an attack but are also able to experience negative changes. Based on these findings, clinical implications, suggestions for further research and limitations are discussed. Service Evaluation: The current study was conducted in the context of the Ismaili community in Nairobi, and within the Community Counselling Services (CCS). CCS is an Ismaili service that provides voluntary counselling for Ismailis and carries out frequent psycho-social interventions for Ismaili adults with physical disabilities. The current study explored the experiences of Ismaili adults with physical disabilities and of CCS members of partaking in the psycho-social interventions, and evaluated the extent to which the interventions met their objectives. The findings indicated that only two out of the three CCS objectives were being met. These findings were reviewed in light of existing literature.