Tusia: Monica Ve’ave’a
E tele ni auala e mafai ona tatou fesoasoani ai I le faaitiitia o le sauaina o matua.  O nisi nei o auala e mafai ona fai ma o tatou sao I le taofia o sauaga ma mea e mafai ona faatupula’ia pe fa’aititita ai le tulaga lamatia ole faia po’o le o’o I le sauaina o tagata matutua . A tatou mananao e taofia le sauaina o tagata matutua , e tatau ona tatou malamalama ma talanoa I mea e lamatia ai I latou ma taumafai e puipuia mai ai;

• Fa’alogo I tagata matutua ma latou tausi ma’i ia tatou malamalama I mea o lo’o faafaigata ia latou ma tatou taumafai e avatu ai se fesoasoani ma se lagolago

 

• A faapea ua e masalomiaina o I ai se tulaga o le sauaga o lo’o tupu, pe ua e vaai foi ua sauaina se tagata matua, faamolemole ripoti I auaunaga puipuia a tagata matutua po’o  leoleo foi mo se fesoasoani

 

• Faasoa le tomai o lo’o ia te oe I le tulaga ma auala e iloa ai faailoga ma le ripotiina o sauaga i tagata matutua

 

• Ia a’oa’o le tele o faailoga ma auala e ese mai ai le sauaina o tagata matutua mai le  faagasologa masani ole matua

 

• Ia faatulaga sou taimi e siaki ma asiasi ai nai tagata matutua ia e le toatele o latou aiga po’o ni uo

 

• Tu’uina atu I tausi ma’i o lo’o tele ni avega mamafa o lo’o latou feagai ai, se faamama avega pei o le fesoasoani mai o uo ma aiga , faufautua aemaise se lagolago faalelagona.

 

• Faamalosia ma fesoasoani I tagata tausi ma’i po’o tagata matutua , o lo’o I ai faafitauli I le faaaogaina o Fualaau faasaina , po’o le faaaogaina o le ava malosi mo se fesoasoani

Aua nei galo le taua o le fefaasoa’i o tatou manatu ma lagona e faatatau I auala eseese e mafai ona tatou galulue faatasi ai I le faaitiitia o le sauaina o tagata matutua, aemaise o tatou galue faale-faufautua o lo’o faatinoina mo le lagolagoina aemaise o le fesoasoani atu mo I latou ua aafia I sauaga.  Mo nisi faamatalaga atili e faatatau I sauaga o tagata matutua, faafesootai mai le ofisa o Le Mau I le 684-699-0272, po’o le asiasi atu I le upega tafailagi I le www.asalliance.co.
 

Written by:  Jennifer Tofaeono, MBA, Ex Director
Domestic Violence continues to be a serious problem in American Samoa.  New studies show there are links between suicidal thoughts and domestic abuse (Agenda, 2023).  An abused woman is three times more likely to have made a suicide attempt in the last year, and women living in poverty are at a high risk.
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Many local organizations focus on the risk factors of domestic violence, but we need to develop protective factors for our community, such as resilience.  Through resilience you can make connections to construct support networks, and the ability to change the tendency to view trauma as insurmountable challenges.  We want to nurture a positive of self and our abilities to respond to traumatic trials. Resilience is a tool “considered a positive personality characteristic enhancing individual adaptation (Tsirigotis, K, Luczak, J, 2017).

Resilience studies performed over the past 15 years suggest building resilience can help develop additional domestic violence and sexual assault prevention interventions.  Resilience is the capacity and dynamic process of adaptively overcoming stress and adversity while maintaining normal psychological and physical functioning[1]. For many years we have believed resiliency was everyone was born with, but we now know resilience can be taught and nurtured.  Communities, families need to invest in the importance of resilient thinking and managing emotions to develop their strengths.

As Survivors of domestic we can build our own protective factors.  We can increase our coping skills.   Encourage victims to remain connected with their support systems during challenging times of stress.  This looks different for everyone.  If you know a loved one who is being physically or sexually abused you can help to create safe spaces, to use in moments of high stress.  Using support from mental health care can help overcome difficult or different challenges. A licensed professional may make a big difference for individuals experiencing suicidal thinking, depression, or other mental health concerns.  For the Alliance over the next two years, you will find art classes, music classes, and story telling as tools to develop resiliency.  We recognize the limited resources on our island and hope to increase victims toolkits to get to wellness.
We also recognize walking the path of resiliency is not easy.  It is important to recognize there is no end in developing resiliency.  Our lives change.  There can be constant ebb and flow, a rhythmical pattern of decline and regrowth. Resiliency becomes a process of healing.  If you find yourself building resiliency here are some tips: 1) Identify or name your experience, 2) Tell your story, 3) Practice mindfulness 4) Ground yourself in your body 5) Seek Support.  Remind yourself at every step, we have the ability to improve our situation, mind body and soul.


[1] Sher L. Resilience as a focus of suicide research and prevention. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2019 Aug;140(2):169-180. doi: 10.1111/acps.13059. Epub 2019 Jun 20. PMID: 31150102.retried on 08/30/2021 from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31150102/
 
Tsirigotis, K. Luczak, J (2018)  Resilience in Women who Experience Domestic Violence. 2018 retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11126-017-9529-4