Debriefing following trauma

In this paper we address three areas. First we review the literature on cli nical intervention using debriefing, second we examine who attends debriefi ngs by looking at a study of the 1989 plane crash at Ramstein, Germany and lastly we examine the effect of natural debriefing, i.e., talking to family and friends on psychiatric outcome in disaster workers by looking at a stu dy of the Sioux City, Iowa United plane crash, 1989. Our data suggest that those with high exposure and females were more likely to attend a debriefin g. People most likely to talk about the disaster with spouse/significant ot her, coworker and/or another person were: those with acute PTSD, higher tot al and intrusive Impact of Event symptoms, older, married, those with highe r levels of education and higher levels of disaster exposure. Better unders tanding of who attends formal debriefings will help identify potential high -risk groups. Similarly, whether balking about the disaster is associated w ith fewer or greater psychological symptoms is important to understanding t he outcome, mechanisms, and risks of debriefing.