Rósíka Gestsdóttir1,2

Margrét Ólafía Tómasdóttir2,3,4

Sigrún Sigurðardóttir1

1University of Akureyri, 2Primary Health Care of the Capital Area of Iceland, 3Department of Family Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland, 4Centre of Development in Iceland, Primary Health Care of the Capital Area, Reykjavik, Iceland

Correspondence: Rósíka Gestsdóttir,
rosika.gestsdottir@heilsugaeslan.is

Key words: Psychological trauma, trauma focused approach, health-related problems, primary health care, health-promoting services, nursing in primary health care, phenomenology.

INTRODUCTION: Accumulating evidence shows that those having experienced psychological trauma have increased risk of complex health problems. In primary health care health-promoting services are offered to individuals with complex health problems, based on an individualized approach. Trauma focused approach in healthcare help individuals increase quality of life after psychological trauma. Trauma focused services are important to help improve quality of life after psychological trauma.

To examine the experience of psychological trauma and health-related problems in individuals receiving health-promoting services.

METHOD: Qualitative research based on the Vancouver School of phenomenology. Participants were ten, five male and five female, selected through health-promoting services. Two interviews were taken with each participant. The ACE questionnaire was used, as a screening tool for childhood psychological trauma, combined with interview-frame with open questions.

RESULTS: The results were divided into six main themes: Experience of trauma; Repeated trauma; Childhood neglect; Health-related problems in child- and adulthood; Psychiatric problems in child- and adulthood; Processing and trauma-focused approach. Participants had experienced conciderable trauma as well as complex health problems in child- and adulthood.

CONCLUSIONS: It is of importance that healthcare professionals pay attention to psychological traumas in relation to complex health problems to provide support for recovery. Primary health care is the first place of contact within the health care system and therefore it is important that patients‘ experience of trauma is taken into account. It is key to identify the signs of lifetime trauma in relation to health problems and focus the care according to the individual needs of the patient.