Meera's family home was destroyed in a fire eight months ago. She still feels anxious and keeps getting intrusive thoughts about that night. Identify the kind of stressor she faced and what follows for her.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Traumatic event; she will need professional help, as the symptoms have lasted for months
Option (1) Traumatic event; she will need professional help, as the symptoms have lasted for months — Correct. A fire is an extreme event, so it is a <strong>traumatic event</strong>. Its symptoms can persist, and <strong>professional help will be needed</strong> when they last many months after the event.
Option (2) Traumatic event; the symptoms will fade as she learns to cope with small, everyday changes — Incorrect. The stressor is named rightly, but the result is wrong. Learning to cope with small, everyday changes does not cover severe trauma whose symptoms have lasted for months.
Option (3) Major life event; the symptoms will ease, as life events are only weakly linked with illness — Incorrect. The weak link is between life events and any particular illness. It does not mean her symptoms will ease; symptoms that persist for months after a fire need professional help.
Option (4) Major life event; she will cope alone, as outsiders may not even be aware of it — Incorrect. Coping alone, unseen by outsiders, is a feature of <strong>daily hassles</strong>. A house fire is an extreme traumatic event that others know about.
NCERT (2026-27): “Traumatic Events |