Who Helps the Helpers? The Effects of a Disaster on the Rescue Workers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13628771 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Beverley Raphael (University of Newcastle Australia, corresponding author), Bhoopendra Singh (0000-0003-2079-6977, University of Newcastle Australia), Lesley Bradbury (University of Newcastle Australia), Francesca Lambert (0000-0003-0327-4325, University of Newcastle Australia) |
| Year | 1984 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 9-20 |
| Publication date | 1984-02-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0030-2228 • E-ISSN: 1541-3764 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2190/5j74-h2qm-fepm-jnep |
| OpenAlex | W2037006766 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 14 |
| References cited | 7 |
There is virtually no literature detailing the effects of a disaster on the rescue workers. This paper reports the results of a questionnaire survey conducted one month after the Granville rail disaster on ninety-five of the personnel involved in the rescue work and a follow-up on thirteen of them one year later. Seventy-seven of the ninety-five found the experience stressful; in particular, the feelings of helplessness engendered by the disaster, the magnitude of the destruction, the sight and smell of mutilated bodies, the anguish of relatives, and the need to work under pressure were items highlighted by the respondents. While only about 20 percent experienced specific psychological sequelae as a result of the disaster (depression, anxiety, insomnia), approximately 70 percent of the helpers showed evidence of being temporarily strained (half of them being over this by the end of one week). Thirty-five percent felt more positive about their own lives as a result of their involvement. The utility of debriefing sessions to assist workers to come to terms with and assimilate their experiences is discussed
Anguish · Anxiety · Debriefing · Depression (economics · Feeling · Learned helplessness · Psychiatry · Clinical Psychology · Disaster Management and Resilience · Disaster Response and Management · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Psychology · Social Psychology
Sinistres et intervenants
Compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and burnout in a national sample of trauma treatment therapists
Disaster Victims Speak
Professional Helpers in Disaster Situations
Psychological responses of rescue workers
Chronic Stress and Natural Killer Cell Activity After Exposure to Traumatic Death
Primary prevention in aircraft disasters
Teaching About Diversity and Oppression
Using prayer in psychotherapy
Research group as helpers due to the war in Ukraine
Nursing in the aftermath of disaster
Emergency Medical Workers' Responses to Death
Traumatic Stress and Death Anxiety among Community Residents Exposed to a Train Crash
Risk factors for long‐term post‐traumatic stress disorder among medical rescue workers appointed to the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake response in China
| Citations per year | 0.36 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1987 - 2023 (37) |
| Highly cited | No |