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Viewing human remains following disaster: helpful or harmful?
P E Hodgkinson1, S Joseph, W Yule
1Centre for Crisis Psychology, Skipton, North Yorkshire.
Medicine, Science, and the Law
|July 1, 1993
Summary
Viewing the body after the Zeebrugge Disaster was associated with lower intrusive and avoidant symptoms for survivors. However, general psychological symptoms and bereavement measures remained unaffected by body viewing or recovery time.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Trauma Studies
- Disaster Management
Background:
- The Zeebrugge Disaster resulted in significant loss of life and psychological distress for survivors.
- Understanding the long-term psychological impact of mass casualty events is crucial for effective intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term psychological effects of viewing the body on survivors of the Zeebrugge Disaster.
- To examine the influence of body recovery timing on survivor symptomatology.
Main Methods:
- Seventy-four bereaved individuals from the Zeebrugge Disaster completed symptom measures approximately 30 months post-tragedy.
- Participants were categorized based on whether they viewed the body and the timing of body recovery (e.g., first night, ship righting).
Main Results:
- Survivors who viewed the body reported lower levels of intrusive and avoidant symptomatology compared to those who did not.
- No significant differences were found in general psychological symptoms or bereavement measures based on body viewing or recovery time.
Conclusions:
- Viewing the body may mitigate specific trauma-related symptoms (intrusive, avoidant) in disaster survivors.
- Findings suggest potential benefits of allowing body viewing in post-disaster psychological management strategies.