University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The political consequences of trauma

Usry, Kaye Candler

Content Files
USRY-DISSERTATION-2018.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/100985

Description

Title
The political consequences of trauma
Author(s)
Usry, Kaye Candler
Issue Date
2018-04-17
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Althaus, Scott
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Althaus, Scott
Committee Member(s)
  • Kuklinski, James
  • Wong, Cara
  • Canache, Damarys
Department of Study
Political Science
Discipline
Political Science
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Date of Ingest
2018-09-04T20:27:09Z
Keyword(s)
  • Political socialization
  • Political behavior
  • Political trust
  • Trauma
  • Military combat
  • Adverse childhood experiences
  • Intimate partner violence
Abstract
Traumatic life experiences can have profound and lasting effects on survivors’ brains, bodies, and minds. Although a handful of studies have considered the consequences of major events like wars, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters for political behavior, we lack a comprehensive understanding of how and why trauma affects one’s orientations toward government and their engagement with politics. This dissertation provides a framework for understanding the relationship between trauma and political attitudes and behavior, building on existing research about the psychological impact of trauma. Traumas that involve elements of betrayal from someone known to the victim have especially deleterious effects on their psychological and physical well-being. Using multiple data sources, I examine the political consequences of three traumas: military combat experience (Chapter 2), childhood maltreatment (Chapter 3), and intimate partner violence (Chapter 4). I find that each of these traumas is associated with reduced political trust, political efficacy, and engagement.
Graduation Semester
2018-05
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/100985
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2018 Kaye Usry

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Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois
Dissertations and Theses - Political Science