Mother’s Concern in the Family about Her Child with Post-Traumatic Due to the Tornado in Central Java, Indonesia – A Qualitative Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Natural disasters continue to occur worldwide, influencing the economy, finances, and psychological problems. Traumatic on children is an impact of the catastrophe likely a burden on the family, especially mothers who accompany their children as caregivers. AIM: The purpose of the study was to explore children’s traumatic experiences from mothers in a family in a rural community in Indonesia. METHODS: We conducted six focus groups with mothers to explore their traumatic children’s experiences using a qualitative research design. Thirty mothers with children 3−10 years old contributed to the focus groups across all sites. We formed focus groups with six mothers and continued in-depth interviews, including nine mothers. RESULTS: The mothers had similar experiences understanding their children’s trauma due to natural tornado disasters. This study revealed three overarching themes shaping the mothers’ experience: anxiety in children, trauma trigger, and lingering distress. All themes lead to the main theme is psychological distress in the face of a child suffering from PTSD. From the hermeneutical perspective, topics can be identified as terms, including being-thrownness, being-fallenness and being-alongside. CONCLUSION: Children with post-traumatic stress disorder may impact family physiological problems, especially the mother. The study found that may place the burden of care for children on the person’s families.