Crisis bonding

Crisis bonding is a term to describe the unique human bonding phenomenon that occurs among strangers in a crisis situation involving unexpected man-made or natural disaster.

Crisis and Trauma
"For crisis to be present, the individual's trauma perception must progress to a place of understood instability and disorganization due to an unresolved acute or chronic perceived stress". Intuitively, human bonding is a natural occurrence. In times of natural or man-made disaster, humans seek other humans for comfort, information sharing and to ultimately aid in the reduction of feeling pain and suffering from the unexpected event. While these ties are not necessarily chosen as a result of friendship and family kinship, they are however, experienced among complete strangers and motivated by mutual concern, compassion and help seeking/providing to cope with the crisis event.

Definitions
Susan M. Sutton Clawson, Ph.D, M.P.H developed the theoretical term Crisis Bonding through years of extensive research on man-made and natural  disaster using real-time measurement in a crisis setting to specifically identify and describe the “unique human bonding phenomenon that occurs in the moment of unexpected disaster”. This body of work is helpful to gauge where in the disaster timeline that  Psychological First Aid will have the most profound impact to aid coping mechanisms of the traumatically effected.

History
Dr. Sutton Clawson’s work tending to a myriad of trauma populations in real-time crisis at a Level 1 Trauma Center and through non-governmental organizations in the domestic and international arena necessitated formal research on this particular human bonding phenomenon. Her background in International Trauma Psychology and Public Health provides contextual richness to understanding the delicate experience of this human condition as it crosses class, race, ethnic and social barriers and creates solidarity. Her research findings provide social significance to qualify this unique human bonding phenomenon as the Crisis Bonding Theory. Dr. Sutton Clawson’s formal published articles on crisis bonding are forthcoming.

Other Sources

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 * Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
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 * Kuenzi, H.S., Fenton, M.V. (1975). Crisis intervention in acute care areas. American Journal of Nursing, 75(5), 830–834.
 * Sofaer, S. (1999). Qualitative Methods: What are they and why use them? Health Services Research, 34, 1101–1118.