Hindering Factors To Recovery

aid in the coping process of the survivors. Coronel et al. (2019) supported the data that the church was able to provide a safe space for the survivors to process their emotions and heal.

Figure 11

Hindering and Facilitating Factors to Coping

In summary, several factors present in the survivors’ micro, mezzo, and macro systems affected their holistic well-being, which in turn affected their coping process. The biological, psychological, social, and spiritual facets of their well-being and environment provide an explanation as to how and why the survivors struggled to survive after the incident and how and what made their coping process easier.

Hindering Factors To Recovery The research shows that there are several factors impeding and facilitating the recovery process of the EJK survivors. The researchers used Manitoba Trauma Information and Education Centre’s definition of recovery: “Recovery does not necessarily mean complete freedom from post-traumatic affects. Recovery is an individual experience and will be and look different for everyone. In general, recovery is the ability to live in the present without being overwhelmed by the thoughts and feelings of the past” (n.d.). Additionally, for the purpose of this study, the researchers defined recovery as the longterm process which facilitates healing from the incident such that they can reclaim their lives and become fully-functioning.

195

Thus, the hindering factors to be discussed refer to those that are present in the survivors’ internal and external systems—interpersonal, family-level, community-level, and societal-level—that disrupt their recovery process. These include elements that refrain the family from focusing on healing and recovery from the incident.

BIOLOGICAL FACTORS

Table 25

Biological Factors that Hinder Recovery

Main themes Lack of Body Wellness Sub-themes 1. 2.

Restless sleep

Comorbidities vis-a-vis the pandemic

196

Two out of 10 participants shared that their lack of body wellness affects their recovery process. “Lou” claims that she experiences restless sleep due to the fear for their safety. The smallest of sounds immediately wakes her up, resulting in unhealthy sleep quality. “Natalie” feels as if her comorbidities affect the way she lives her life, especially now that the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the country. Her family now feels anxiety over their health and is overly cautious every time one of them goes out. She shared,

Yung anak ko yung umikot-ikot palagi. Pagdating naghahanda na ako ng sabon sa timba, pinapabuhos ko siya bago pumasok kasi sabi ko wala na nga tayong pera, kung magkasakit pa tayo. Ayaw ko ng mabawasan pa… mawalan pa ng anak. (My child always goes out. When she comes back, I always prepare soap and a bucket of water, and I always make her clean herself up before she comes inside. I always say that we don’t have the money, especially if one of us gets sick. I already lost a child; I can’t bear to lose another).

PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS

Table 26

Psychological Factors that Hinder Recovery

Main themes Retraumatization Sub-themes 1. 2.

Experiencing another death in the family

Fear for the lack of home security

Perceived Internal weakness 1. 2. 3. Self-blaming Self-isolation Hopelessness over their situation

Two out of the 10 participants claimed that being retraumatized affects how they recover. The retraumatization they experienced includes one participant experiencing another death in the family. The other participant fears for the lack of their home security, as she thinks their window will not have enough protection to prevent a gun from being squeezed inside. Being exposed to yet another traumatic experience or being reminded of the abuse they were subjected to instills great fear and grief to the family. According to “Tina”, who experienced multiple deaths in their family on different instances:

Nangyari na sa panganay ko, nangyari pa sa apo ko. Bakit may ganon? Lahat ng panganay—panganay ng kuya ko, panganay ko, panganay ng anak ko. Bakit lahat ng panganay may nawawala? Anong klaseng sumpa? Yun yung tinanong ko eh. Kaya nung nagkumpisal kami, yun yung tinanong ko, ano bang klaseng sumpa yun? Ano bang klaseng pagsubok yun? (It happened to my eldest, then it happened to my grandchild too. Why? All the eldest—the eldest child of my brother, my eldest child, the eldest son of my child. Why do all the eldest leave? What kind of a curse is this? That’s my question. So, every time we go to Confession, I ask, ‘What kind of a curse is this? What kind of a predicament is this?’)

Five of the participants also shared that it was their perceived internal weaknesses that impede their journey to recovery. Two respondents shared that until now, they still have bouts of self-blaming. It is important to note that their self-blame, which started from the incident and continues to persist until the present, affected their coping process and continues to affect their recovery as they still feel responsible for the death of their loved ones. Meanwhile, two participants shared instances where their family members isolated themselves both from their family and their school. According to one respondent, her child refuses to talk about her feelings even after four years have passed since their loss. The other respondent shared that her child lost his motivation to continue with school. She shared,

“Yung anak kong panganay, dahil wala na ngang tatay, nagaaburido sa pagaaral.” (My oldest child, because he doesn’t have a father anymore, became bored with his studies).

One participant, meanwhile, expressed her feelings of hopelessness over their situation. The aforementioned factors affect the families’ social functioning especially regarding how they view themselves, relate to other people, and do their responsibilities and fulfill their roles.

197

198

SOCIAL FACTORS

Table 27

Social Factors that Hinder Recovery

Main themes Financial Instability Sub-themes 1. Lack of stable income brought by unemployment, unstable jobs, and low income

Pandemic 1. Lack of socialization

Stigma and Discrimination Security Issues 1. From the community/public

1. Active presence of policemen and police operations in their community

Five of the respondents claimed that financial instability affects their journey towards getting their lives back together. Their lack of income affects their holistic well-being, as it results from and to an unending cycle of poverty. The aforementioned, caused by either unemployment, an unstable job, or low income, thus results in their inability to afford their basic necessities, having a hard time paying off their debts, and having to take on multiple jobs. Because most of the participants lost an income-generating member, several of them have been left to provide for their family. This became harder to accomplish when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, as the quarantine protocols affected their mobility and sources of income. “Kristina” shared how the pandemic affected their finances and their capability to provide for their basic needs: as much as they wanted to buy rice, they could not because they could not work, and they could not work because of limited mobility brought by the quarantine protocols. It is important to note that financial instability, which started even before the incident, continues to persist until the present and was made worse by the violation they experienced and the pandemic.

Another factor that affects their recovery is the lack of socialization brought by the pandemic. Three of the families, especially the children, who used to rely on their neighbors, friends in SOW, and classmates for support, have become immobilized inside their houses. One shared that her travels with her friends—which helped her to have fun and live a normal life—were stopped because of the pandemic, while another claimed that her grandchildren had to stop playing with their playmates and were now feeling stuck inside their house. However, while some of the respondents receive community support, two out of the ten claimed that they still experience constant stigma and discrimination in their community. One of them shared that the negative branding on survivors whose families were killed by EJK continue to persist, and the

other respondent shared that the way their community negatively perceives them did not change over the years.

Two respondents shared that one hurdle to their recovery is the security issue they face, which includes the active presence of policemen and constant police operations in their community. “Adarna” narrated that she would often see policemen roaming around their neighborhood, while “Lou” shared an incident where policemen knocked on their house to ask questions.

Kapares nung dating punta sa amin ng mga pulis. Akala ko nakikipaglokohan lang kasi naka-lock pinto namin eh. May kumakatok ‘pulis ‘to, pulis to.’ Ayokong buksan yan, nanloloko lang yan sabi ko sa asawa ko. ‘Ay hindi nyo bubuksan pinto?’ sabi nya, Pupwersahin ko to’ sabi nung isang pulis. Ayun dun ko na[laman] na pulis na nga kasi iba na. (It’s similar to when the police came to our house. I thought they were just joking because our door was locked and they were knocking ‘This is the police.’ I did not want to open the door because my partner told me they were just joking. ‘You really won’t open the door?’ The police said, ‘We’ll break this door down.’ That’s when I realized they were really policemen).

SPIRITUAL FACTORS

Table 28

Spiritual Factors that Hinder Recovery

Main themes Spiritual Instability Sub-themes 1.

Questioning faith

199

Two of the participants shared that their spiritual instability affected their recovery. They shared that oftentimes, they could not help but question their faith. Despite how many years have passed, they still would try to find answers as to why the incident happened to them or would blame God.

Felbab-Brown’s article (2017) supports the finding that the social factor of financial instability greatly and negatively affects how the survivors recover. Unemployment and having an unstable income still persist even during the recovery period of the survivors. Boghani (2019) also support this research’s finding on the adverse effects of stigma and discrimination on the recovery process of the survivors, as they still feel the exclusion and the bullying from their communities and school. The negative branding of being a family member of a drug user or pusher that had been placed on their backs when the violation happened remains to this day. Philippine Human Rights Information Center