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Reactions of Police Officers to Body-Handling after a Major Disaster a Before-and-After Comparison

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

David A. Alexander  and
Andrew Wells
David A. Alexander*
Affiliation:
Medical School, University of Aberdeen; Honorary Consultant in Mental Health, Grampian Police
Andrew Wells
Affiliation:
Parkhead Hospital, Glasgow
*
∗Medical School, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, Scotland AB9 2ZD
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Abstract

This study reports the results of an unusual opportunity to follow up a group of police officers who were involved in body-handling duties following the Piper Alpha disaster, and for whom there were available data from pre-disaster assessments. In addition, after these duties, the officers were compared with a matched control group of officers who had not been involved in such work. The comparisons failed to demonstrate high levels of post-traumatic distress or psychiatric morbidity. The results are interpreted in terms of issues such as the officers' own coping strategies, and major organisational and managerial factors.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 159 , Issue 4 , October 1991 , pp. 547 - 555
Copyright
Copyright © 1991 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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