Effect of timing of critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) on posttraumatic symptoms

Seventy-seven civilian employees who were victims of robbery were randomly assigned to either an immediate (< 10 hr) or delayed (> 48 hr) debriefing group, using the J. Mitchell (1983) CISD protocol. Scores on the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale were obtained at 4 time intervals: debrief, 2 and 4 days post-debrief, and 2 weeks postrobbery. The number and severity of symptoms did not differ at debrief, but were lower for the immediate than for the delayed group at each subsequent time interval. The number and severity of symptoms declined across time intervals; however, although this reduction was pronounced for the immediate group it was minimal for the delayed group. The results supported use of immediate debriefing with this type of incident and victim.