Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1517916
Matthew Vella MaltaToday STRESS in life comes aplen- ty. But how long does it take for us to realise that the deci- sions that conditioned so many of life's turns might have been conditioned by past, unresolved traumas? In a far-reaching survey of the different traumas that can affect human beings, the Fac- ulty for Social Wellbeing has tracked a host of life events that caused stress at childhood or in adulthood, and asked respond- ents to which degree this had affected their lives. The study provides data on stressful life events that con- cern schooling, problems at work, troublesome relation- ships, death, addictions, abuse, abortion, miscarriages, experi- ences in Court and imprison- ment, to mention just a few. The survey for example finds shocking statistics for bullying, evidence of a pervasive issue that continues to plague com- munities. 13.8% said they had experience bullying "that led to making an official complaint or changing schools", of which one in two respondents sustained such stressful events well over three times. Stress levels were rated high (5) for 30%, with 45% adding these events caused psychological problems in their present-day life. "While physical scars may fade over time, the social and particularly the psychologi- cal effects of bullying can lin- ger, leaving deep emotional wounds," said Prof. Ruth Falzon (Department of Counselling). "The findings are a stark re- minder of the prevalence of bul- lying in our society and how, as a community, we do not seem to be able to stop it. Whether in schools, workplaces, and in our new reality online, bullying re- mains a persistent problem that demands urgent attention." Unity PRINTED WITH MALTATODAY 24 MARCH 2024 EDITION 3 A SPECIAL EDITION FROM THE FACULTY FOR SOCIAL WELLBEING UNIVERSITY OF MALTA PAGE 6 Faculty for Social Wellbeing's latest data on the stressful events that can define our life shows how our future decisions can be conditioned by traumatic moments experienced from an early age The stress of the past, lives on Inside... Saga Broderson Groomed into sex exploitation as a child, now campaigns for women's safe exit from prostitution INTERVIEW PAGES 14-15 From retirement dreams to corporate schemes The business of ageing and public funding PAGE 18 THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY, SALVADOR DALĂ, 1931