New York:
The ordinary miners are long gone, left behind in another lifetime.
The 33 men who are expected to emerge from Chile's San José Mine after more than two months trapped underground are now icons, national heroes, global media stars. And that mixed status -- celebrities as well as survivors, equal parts victors and victims -- will alter the usual trajectory of mental adjustment after trauma for many of them, experts said Tuesday.
"All the attention is likely to camouflage reactions to the trauma itself in some members of the group," said Dr Charles Marmar, a psychiatrist at New York University's Langone Medical Center. "It may resemble this honeymoon effect, like in the young kid who suffered some trauma in Iraq or Afghanistan and returns as a hero, wanting to drop right back into family and community as if nothing had changed."
After being swept up in a natural disaster like a hurricane or earthquake, about 15 percent to 30 percent of people suffer post-traumatic reactions for months afterward, studies suggest. About 5 percent go on to suffer from mood problems, nightmares or other symptoms for a year or longer. The same rates may very well turn up in the miners: the group lived in the shadow of near-certain death for 17 days before rescuers on the surface made contact with them.
"The outpouring of attention may delay those reactions, but that attention is not going to last forever," said John A. Fairbank, co-director of the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress and professor of psychiatry at Duke Medical Center. "I suspect that a few miners will have trouble adjusting to the new normal," he said, particularly in families where roles have changed since the ordeal started.
At least two things are likely to work very much in the miners' favor, experts said. One is the considerable upside of being a national treasure. Chilean officials have skillfully managed this crisis and are expected to monitor the survivors closely, providing support for them, if necessary. The government is not going to neglect the men after making a maximum effort to secure their rescue.
Another protective factor is the group itself. By all accounts, one of the miners, Mario Gómez, helped build a tightly organized hierarchy in which group members rationed food and work equally.
"Groups can be a positive influence or a negative one," said Lawrence Palinkas, a professor of social policy and health at the University of Southern California. "But here it appears that there were recognized leaders, shared goals, among men who came from similar background and were able to keep stress at a minimum."
As for physical challenges, once at the surface, the miners will receive wrap-around sunglasses to protect against sudden exposure to the bright sun, and then be treated with first aid at the site before being whisked by helicopters to a nearby hospital. Many of the miners have complained of dental pain and skin irritation that will require treatment, officials say.
Each of the 33 men will have his own tale, his own way of coping with a transformed identity and a life story forever stuck nearly half a mile below the earth.
Yet in the weeks and months to come, the support structure of the group is likely to become increasingly important, as the miners struggle with the demands of the media, family expectations and a question: What next?
"Except for a few miners who find reminders of the experience too painful, this group will become the most powerful social network these men have," Dr Marmar said. "They're bonded for life, like any group of cops or firefighters or war fighters who have shared a threat to life and united to survive it."