Psychological debriefing (PD) of trauma: a proposed model for Africa

Abstract

Africa is a continent with severe trauma. Traumatic events include experiences of child soldiers, people living in war and conflict zones, and people struggling with the HIV/AIDS pandemic. These events cause high levels of trauma. The trauma causes psychological disorders like post traumatic stress disorder, acute stress disorder and combat stress reaction, specific in the military environment. This article focuses on a better understanding of the implications of trauma for military people and civilians. It discusses the different theories and models of psychological debriefing. Lastly the article discusses psychological debriefing models for military forces and the civilian population to prevent severe psychopathology after traumatic incidents in Africa.