Mental Health Resources from USU’S Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress Translated for Global Audiences

Nearly 30 resources developed by the Uniformed Services University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress have been translated into various languages, expanding accessibility to global audiences in need of mental health support during disaster response efforts.

January 17, 2024 by Hadiyah Brendel

Disasters can strike anywhere, anytime in the world. Whether a natural catastrophe like hurricanes or earthquakes, or a human-made tragedy such as terrorism and war, these events leave an emotional as well as physical impact. The Uniformed Services University (USU) Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) is committed to providing clear and actionable resources to enable individuals, families, healthcare professionals, first responders and community leaders to navigate the emotional aftermath of a disaster.

Since CSTS's research encompasses a wide range of traumatic events, examining the commonalities and
nuances of each experience, they are able to develop evidence-based interventions and resources. Their resources cover a wide range of topics including, psychological first aid, grief and loss, stress management, and building resilience.

CSTS works with a non-profit organization that leverages a team of professionals from around the world to translate emotional health content to support disaster relief. The translated resources allow survivors, relief workers, and medical and mental health practitioners to focus more attention on providing emotional support to those in need.

While a portion of CSTS's materials are geared toward service members, Dr. Joshua Morganstein, deputy director of CSTS and professor of Psychiatry and Military and Emergency Medicine at USU, says CSTS designs resources to address different populations "since different groups need different things, at different times, during different disasters." For instance, for the war in Ukraine when civilians, including children, experienced extreme stress and trauma the CSTS created resources specific for their needs.

"We developed small brief pocket cards with five simple actions. Each with only a few words on how to help calm an acute stress reaction," says Morganstein. "Brief psychological first aid is a framework for early interventions that can help protect mental health and wellbeing and foster resilience. Helping someone in the moment who is having an acute stress response can be very protective," he adds.

With a focus on accessibility, materials the CSTS provide emphasize the importance of providing practical, actionable advice. "Our resources are focused on brief, easy to understand actions," says Morganstein. "The first question people have is: 'What do I do?' They want to know 'is my family ok?' 'Am I ok?' 'Ok. Then, what do I do about it?'"

"What do I do now?" is the question answered by nearly 30 documents from the CSTS selected for translation. The briefness of each resource ensures that even in moments of crisis, when cognitive abilities are limited due to high levels of stress, people can find the information they need quickly and easily.

While the CSTS works hard to have their resources translated quickly into applicable languages, the additional translations completed by the non-profit organization further extends their resources to a global audience. The Center offers fact sheets in other languages including Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, Japanese, Spanish, and simplified Chinese. Now through the additional translations, resources are also available in Arabic, Romanian, French, and Turkish.

"Fostering global health security through public health education is a fundamental building block of effectively responding to and recovering from disasters," says Morganstein. The resources they develop are built through consultation with people who are on the ground and in the field. Furthermore, when the resources are translated, both by CSTS and the non-profit organization, care is taken to ensure culture relevance is taken into account.

Morganstein says he's glad the Center's resources continue to expand and are readily available online. "It's a testament that these are resources people want first and foremost, and is a reminder to us of the value that people continue to see in the resources we develop," he continues.

Resources created by CSTS are available for free and immediate use at https://www.cstsonline.org/.