Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertation Projects DMin Graduate Research 2013 Coping Strategies For Members Of The Zion Seventh-Day Adventist Church Who Experienced Multiple Losses And Complex Grief After A Major Crisis Jean-Renaud Joseph Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin Part of the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Joseph, Jean-Renaud, "Coping Strategies For Members Of The Zion Seventh-Day Adventist Church Who Experienced Multiple Losses And Complex Grief After A Major Crisis" (2013). Dissertation Projects DMin. 359. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin/359 This Project Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertation Projects DMin by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT COPING STRATEGIES FOR MEMBERS OF THE ZION SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH WHO EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE LOSSES AND COMPLEX GRIEF AFTER A MAJOR CRISIS by Jean-Renaud Joseph Adviser: Peter Swanson ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Project Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: COPING STRATEGIES FOR MEMBERS OF THE ZION SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH WHO EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE LOSSES AND COMPLEX GRIEF AFTER A MAJOR CRISIS Name of researcher: Jean-Renaud Joseph Name and degree of faculty adviser: Peter Swanson, Ph.D. Date completed: January 2013 Problem This dissertation explored the prevalence of trauma exposure, complicated grief, and related symptoms among survivors and members of Zion Seventh-day Adventist Church who had lost family members in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Method The sample included participants who were members of Zion Seventh-day Adventist Church (n =39) who had either personally witnessed the 2010 Haiti earthquake and/or had lost family members in this traumatic event. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to explore the relations between the scale items of the IES (Impact of Event Scale) as well as between the subscales and other variables of interest. Results There were no participants in the subclinical or mild range, 71.8% in the moderate range, and 28.2% in the severe range. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between the intrusive and avoidant subscales, r (37) =.48, p=.002. Conclusions These findings suggest that 9 months after the Haiti 2010 earthquake, significant amounts of post-traumatic stress symptoms were observed among members of the Zion Seventh-day Adventist Church who had lost family members in this disaster. This study also suggests that grief symptoms among this bereaved population have a significant correlation with PTSD symptoms. Further research using additional methodologies and measurement techniques is needed to determine whether or not these patterns remain consistent. Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary COPING STRATEGIES FOR MEMBERS OF THE ZION SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH WHO EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE LOSSES AND COMPLEX GRIEF AFTER A MAJOR CRISIS A Project Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Jean-Renaud Joseph January 2013 © Copyright by Jean-Renaud Joseph 2013 All Rights Reserved COPING STRATEGIES FOR MEMBERS OF THE ZION SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH WHO EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE LOSSES AND COMPLEX GRIEF AFTER A MAJOR CRISIS A project dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Ministry by Jean-Renaud Joseph APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE: Adviser, H. Peter Swanson Skip Bell __ :___________ Laren Kurtz Dean, SDA Theological Seminary Denis Fortin David Sedlacek Date approved Dedication To my Dad, even though he didn’t live to see this work, To the trauma survivors who inspire me with their courage and will to survive, To the 250,000 Haitians, and some of my friends who died in the 2010 Haiti earthquake, May they rise again. To the survivors, in the words of Bell and Danticat (2001), may you be resilient like bamboos, bent, but not broken and able to straighten up and stand. in TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES........................................,............................................................ vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......................................................................................... viii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem.................................................................... 1 Statement of the Task ......................................................................... 2 Justification for the Project................................................................. 2 Description of the Dissertation Process.............................................. 3 Expectations for the Project................................................................ 4 Limitations.......................................................................................... 5 Delimitations................................................................. 5 Definition of Terms............................................................................. 6 2. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION.............................................................. 9 Kinds of Suffering in the Old Testament............................................ 10 Retributive Suffering.................................................................... 10 Educational or Disciplinary Suffering.......................................... 11 Vicarious Suffering....................................................................... 11 Empathetic Suffering.................................................................... 12 Evidential or Testimonial Suffering..............;............................... 12 Revelational Suffering..................................................................... 12 Doxological Suffering................................................................... 13 Eschatological or Apocalyptic Suffering...................................... 13 Suffering and the Biblical Creation Narrative .................................... 14 The Sin of Adam and the Fall....................................................... 16 Summary........................................................................................ 19 Suffering in the Book of Job............................................................... 19 Eliphaz’s View of Suffering......................................................... 21 Bildad’s View of Suffering........................................................... 21 Zophar’ s View of Suffering.......................................................... 22 Elihu’s Speeches........................ 22 Job’ s Personal View of Suffering ................................................. 23 IV Yahweh’s View of Suffering in the Book of Job .......................... 24 Summary........................ 25 Suffering in the New Testament......................................................... 26 Luke’s View of Suffering ............................................................. 26 Summary....................................................................................... 30 John’s View of Suffering.............................................................. 30 The Man Bom Blind (John 9:1-41)........................................ 30 Summary................................................................................. 35 God’s Mercy and Suffering in the New Testament............................ 36 Spirituality and Coping with Posttraumatic Situations....................... 37 Summary............................................................................................. 40 3. LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................... 42 Historical Perspectives of Posttraumatic Stress Reactions................. 46 Definition and Prevalence of PTSD According to DSM-IV.............. 50 Secondary PTSD................................................................................. 53 Complex PTSD................................................................................... 54 Grief and Complicated Grief.............................................................. 55 Loss, Disaster and Complicated Grief................................................ 57 Avoidance................... 59 Numbing....................................................................................... 59 Intense Sadness and Extreme Anxiety.......................................... 59 Sleep Difficulties.......................................................................... 60 Flashbacks and Intrusive Thoughts ............................................... 61 Stages of Grief.............................................................................. 61 Grief and Haitian Culture.................................................................... 62 Brief History of Haiti............... 62 Haitian Cultural Values................................................................. 66 Haitian Family’s Structure............................................................ 66 Haitian Culture and Mental Health ..............................................