Post Traumatic Stress, An Indiscriminate Affliction Or A...

Post Traumatic Stress, Northern Ireland and the legacy of ‘The Troubles,’ an indiscriminate affliction or a degree of susceptibility? Abstract Northern Ireland is a country with a turbulent past. Thirty years of political unrest has left a legacy of trauma with its people. As a result Northern Ireland has one of the highest rates of Post Traumatic Stress in the world. Can this be directly explained by the violence or were there other factors at work? In order to assess this we must look at the socioeconomic conditions in the country during the violence. Did Northern Ireland already host an ideal environment to leave its people more susceptible to Post Traumatic Stress? Looking at previously researched risk factors such as lack of social identify and low family income, this paper attempts to shed light on just how vulnerable the population was, prior to outbreak of violence. Can this explain why the prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress that is higher in Northern Ireland than other countries that are war torn who suffer continuing violence? Thirty years of unrelenting conflict in Northern Ireland provided a unique situation w here a large proportion of the population were continually exposed to traumatic events. However the risk factors and socioeconomic conditions in Northern Ireland did indeed make some residents more susceptible to developing Post Traumatic Stress after experiencing trauma therefore exacerbating the dire effect of violence. . By looking post peace treaty,