Trauma after adversity affects an individual’s life, families and the entire community. Traumatized individuals experience hardship and distress. In conflict situations, people go through moments of turmoil and severe loss of loved ones and property. Social support is an important factor that can contribute to resilience after trauma. The importance of family, friends and community in contributing to resilience has been emphasized over time; today it still remains a key factor in building resilience. This study looked into the importance and effectiveness of social support in promoting resilience after trauma among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Kenya. The study focused on survivors from Kiambaa fire incident after the 2007 general Elections. The study adopted a mixed method design approach. The target population for this study comprised individuals who were victims of the fire tragedy at Kiambaa village. Respondents for this study were selected using purposive and snow ball sampling techniques. Questionnaire and unstructured interview schedule were the main tools of data collection. The study established that social support is a key element in building resilience in traumatized individuals. The results of a Pearson correlation analysis confirmed a strong positive correlation between social support and resilience of individuals (r=0.835, p<0.05). The study recommended that there is need for professionals working with traumatized individuals to be more familiar with social support and other factors that contribute to resilience. More emphasis should be put in incorporating awareness of these factors in the training of professionals working with traumatized individuals.
Keywords: Effect, Resilience Social Support, Trauma
