@article{ref1,
title="Post-traumatic stress among rescue workers after terror attacks in Norway",
journal="Occupational medicine",
year="2016",
author="Skogstad, L. and Heir, Trond and Hauff, E. and Ekeberg, Ø",
volume="66",
number="7",
pages="528-535",
abstract="BACKGROUND: On 22 July 2011, Norway was struck by two terror attacks. Seventy-seven people were killed, and many injured. Rescue workers from five occupational groups and unaffiliated volunteers faced death and despair to assist victims. AIMS: To investigate the level of, and associations between, demographic variables, exposure and work-related variables and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). <br><br>METHODS: A cross-sectional study of general and psychosocial health care personnel, police officers, firefighters, affiliated and unaffiliated volunteers were conducted ~10 months after the terror attacks. The respondents answered a self-reported questionnaire. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist - specific (PCL-S) assessed PTSS. <br><br>RESULTS: There were 1790 participants; response rate was 61%. About 70% of the professional rescue workers had previous work experience with similar tasks or had participated in training or disaster drills. They assessed the rescue work as a success. Firefighters and unaffiliated volunteers reported more perceived threat compared with the other groups. Among the professional personnel, the prevalence of sub-threshold PTSD (PCL 35-49) was 2% and possible PTSD (PCL ≥ 50) 0.3%. The corresponding figures among the unaffiliated volunteers were 24% and 15%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, female gender (β = 1.7), witnessing injured/dead (β = 2.0), perceived threat (β = 1.1), perceived obstruction in rescue work (β = 1.6), lower degree of previous training (β = -0. 9) and being unaffiliated volunteers (β = 8.3) were significantly associated with PTSS. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: In the aftermath of a terror attack, professional rescue workers appear to be largely protected from post-traumatic stress reactions, while unaffiliated volunteers seem to be at higher risk.<br><br>© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0962-7480",
doi="10.1093/occmed/kqw063",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqw063"
}