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Crisis support following the Herald of free-enterprise disaster: A longitudinal perspective
Tim Dalgleish,
Stephen Joseph, Sian Thrasher, Troy Tranah, William Yule,
Corresponding Author
Tim Dalgleish
Medical Research Council, Applied Psychilogy Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 2EF, U.K.
Medical Research Council, Applied Psychilogy Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 2EF, U.K.Search for more papers by this authorTim Dalgleish,
Stephen Joseph, Sian Thrasher, Troy Tranah, William Yule,
Corresponding Author
Tim Dalgleish
Medical Research Council, Applied Psychilogy Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 2EF, U.K.
Medical Research Council, Applied Psychilogy Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 2EF, U.K.Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Crisis support was assessed with survivors of the Herald of Free Enterprise ferry sinking at 3 and 6 years postdisaster. It was found that reported levels of support received from family and friends decreased over the first 3 years after the event but increased over the subsequent 3 years. In addition, higher retrospective ratings of crisis support received in the immediate aftermath of the disaster were found to predict lower levels of posttraumatic symptomatology as assessed by the Impact of Event Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory at a later period. The results replicate earlier findings following the Jupiter Cruise ship disaster and are thought to have implications for the assessment and treatment of survivors at high risk of disturbance.
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