Health care providers and rescue workers are often the hidden victims
of trauma. To investigate the psychologic responses of these groups to
traumatic stress, we studied health care and rescue workers involved
in the 1989 air show disaster at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany. We
review reports from descriptive questionnaire data. The reports identi
fied two types of disaster experience that were prominent: exposure to
the grotesque, and no participation in the disaster relief efforts. R
esponses to debriefing are examined. The reports identified three char
acteristic responses: identification, sense of helplessness and inadeq
uacy, and psychologic distancing. Further empirical study of these are
as is needed.