Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1517916
6 Unity SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2024 Cover story Trauma and stress CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The data particularly illustrates the profound impact bullying can have on individuals' mental well-being and social interactions. "The emotional trauma inflicted by bullying can last a lifetime. Victims often experience feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, and depression, which can significant- ly affect their relationships, academic and work/career performance, and overall quality of life." PhD candidate in criminology Gail Debono, a psychologist, however points out that many people before the current generation, probably did not report their bullying, nor would they have changed school because of it. "Had they been asked whether they had been bullied, the result would be reversed. Also, from the ones who ad- mit to being bullied, the percentage of people affected 'somewhat' or 'very strongly' are very high, most especial- ly when you see that respondents who said the bullying had not affected them at all, are also a large number who nev- er made the connection between their personality traits and the bullying they suffered. "Sometimes people only realise this when they go to therapy, even if they're in their 60s," Debono says – she men- tions as example, people who are mis- trustful of friends or colleagues. "Some go through their entire lives not know- ing that bullying affected their life the way it did. The percentage of 'some- what' and 'very strongly' is much high- er, I can assure you!" Prof. Falzon adds that the data shows that society cannot afford to ignore the damaging effects of bullying. "We must take proactive measures to cre- ate safer and more inclusive environ- ments where bullying is not tolerated. This requires a concerted effort from policymakers, educators, parents, and communities to implement robust an- ti-bullying policies, promote empathy and respect, and foster a culture of kindness and acceptance. Restorative justice may be the way forward here. "Ultimately, by confronting the issue of bullying head-on and providing ad- equate support to those affected – bul- ly and victim – we can work towards building a society where everyone feels valued, respected, and safe. Only then can we truly mitigate the devastating social and psychological consequences of bullying and create a brighter future for generations to come." Addiction Addiction is another of the stressful life events traced by the Faculty's sur- vey, which shows concerning insights into addiction's grip on the communi- ty, affecting 3.9% of respondents – no- tably among those who finished with secondary and post-secondary educa- tion. "This challenges the assumption that higher education guards against ad- diction, suggesting instead that educa- tional attainment does not immunise individuals from such struggles," says Dr Maris Catania. "With addiction events averaging three occurrences per person and a stress level of 3.24 out of 5 during the most impactful instance, the data re- veals a troubling cycle of stress and addiction." Nearly 30% of participants reported strong physical and social impacts, while a significant 47.1% experienced severe psychological consequences, highlighting addiction's pervasive and enduring harm. "This pattern suggests a deep-seated issue within the Maltese community, cutting across educational lines and demanding a revaluation of preven- tion and support strategies," Catania adds. Catania said the findings call for a nuanced approach to addiction, rec- ognizing its complexity beyond educa- tional achievement. "The stark data on its long-term physical, social, and psy- chological repercussions emphasises the need for comprehensive public health initiatives and targeted inter- vention programmes, aiming to break the cycle of addiction and mitigate its widespread impacts in Malta." Abortion The same survey also finds an aver- age 3.7% of respondents saying they had experienced the stressful event of an abortion – 4.2% of the female respondents had experienced the ter- mination of a pregnancy, while 3.2% of male respondents were presumably partners. While the percentage appears very small, the finding comes as no surprise to Prof. Marcelline Naudi (Depart- ment of Gender of Sexualities), who says the social taboo of abortion – still a criminal offence in Malta – means people are not comfortable disclosing information about such events. The data for the stress levels experi- enced by this cohort however requires a more illustrative picture, Prof. Nau- di says. "If we look at the stress levels experienced in this sample, we see about a quarter who felt no stress at all; something between 1/7th to 1/8th felt a lot of stress, with the rest some- where in between… what we can say is that for some people, terminating a pregnancy is stressful, and for others it isn't." Termination of a pregnancy is obvi- ously a very gendered experience: in this case the data is not broken down by gender. "We also do not have a gen- der breakdown in relation to the phys- ical, social or psychological impact on their lives today," Prof. Naudi says. "What we can note however is that in each area – physical, social, psycho- logical – the largest group felt no im- pact. Unfortunately, whilst it does give us some information in relation to age, education and locality of those who felt comfortable disclosing that they or a partner had terminated a pregnancy, in relation to experiencing stress as a result of termination, this study tells us very little." "Many ignore the connection between stressful life events and their later traumas" "The emotional trauma inflicted by bullying can last a lifetime. Victims often experience feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, and depression, which can significantly affect their relationships, academic and work/ career performance, and overall quality of life." FRONT COVER 'The Persistence of Memory' is a 1931 painting by artist Salvador Dalí and one of the most recognisable works of Surrealism. In a public lecture Dalí had declared that he did not know the meaning of his own work, so viewers should not worry if they could not decipher it themselves. His melting-clock imagery mocks the rigidity of chronometric time, inspired by hallucinations he experienced from the process he called "paranoiac critical method," in which he deliberately provoked hallucinations as a path to his own subconscious.