中華心理衛生協會

Purpose: Major disasters occur frequently around the world. How to provide psychological reconstruction programs after a disaster is a topic in need of investigation. However, only a few studies have investigated the post-trauma psychological reactions of ethnic minorities. This study explores the differences between coping styles and adaptation strategies after the typhoon Morakot disaster from aboriginal and Han cultural perspectives. Methods: A total of 116 Han (58 males and 58 females) and 116 aboriginals (58 males and 58 females) after age balances controlled were surveyed one-on-one by trained volunteers 3 to 4 months after typhoon Morakot to assess their coping style, PTSD, depression, and life satisfaction by well-constructed scales. Results: Aboriginals tended to use a ”self-becoming” coping style to alleviate their negative feelings. Effective self-becoming coping was related to positive adaptation. Han tended to use an ”external-change” coping style to try to recover their life as before the disaster. Only humor was related to positive adaptation. Avoidance and emotional coping were related to negative adaptation for the Han. Aboriginals after the disaster had fewer depression reactions than Han, implying that the cultural archetype and past negative life experiences may be a protective factor for aboriginals. It may activate their resilience and help them to heal after the disaster. Conclusions: The ”self-becoming” of the aboriginals and the ”external-change” of the Han represent transformative resources reserved and lost respectively during the disaster. Second, mechanisms of spirituality that coexist with posttraumatic adaptation require further exploration in future research.