A mixed methods study of satisfaction with justice and desire for revenge in survivors of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York City's World Trade Center

Abstract

Objective This study used mixed methods to investigate satisfaction with justice and desire for revenge in a sample of employees from New York City agencies affected by the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Methods A volunteer sample of 196 employees of eight affected agencies provided a short essay about what justice means to them in relation to the 9/11 attacks, followed by 20 quantitative questions covering personal experiences and perceptions of 9/11‐related justice. Wilcoxon rank sum tests were performed for bivariate comparisons of quantitative items and qualitative thematic codes. Mixed methods analysis was used to inspect the associations of the content of all text coded for themes with quantitative categories within and across domains. Results Only the revenge domain showed a significant association between the quantitative category and the qualitative theme. The quantitative revenge category was positively associated with the qualitative justice through safety theme. Examination of qualitative content provided insights into the relationships with quantitative constructs. Conclusion Qualitative and mixed methods research on justice and revenge in mass casualty settings add new findings to the existing literature and have the potential to contribute to the interpretation and potential expansion of topic areas assessed by quantitative scales.

Making meaning of disaster experience in highly trauma-exposed survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing.

“…Human reactions to disasters include many negative effects outside of psychopathology that have been widely studied, including nonspecific distress (Harada et al, 2015), grief and bereavement (Ekanayake et al, 2013; Forbes et al, 2015), and negative moral cognitions (Kroll, 2003) such as shame, guilt, remorse (Joseph et al, 1993), or desire for revenge (Ayvaci et al, 2019; Whitney et al, 2019). Considerably less research has focused on the potential positive aspects or outcomes of disaster experiences.…”

Changes in perceptions and attitudes toward self and others in survivors of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“…Negative changes are well-known, such as development of psychopathology, emotional distress, loss, hardship, and inconvenience. Mental health research on the 9/11 attacks, such as disaster mental health research in general, has largely focused on life changes related to PTSD and other psychopathology (Ayvaci et al, 2019; Galea et al, 2005; Goldmann & Galea, 2014; Johnson et al, 2017; Joseph et al, 1993; Neria et al, 2008; Norris et al, 2002; North, 2017; North, Barney, et al, 2015; North, Pollio, et al, 2015; Tang, 2006; Vázquez et al, 2005). Although research has indicated that although most individuals do not develop psychiatric illness, even after intense exposure to severe disasters, negative emotions and psychological distress are ubiquitous (Goldmann & Galea, 2014; Norris et al, 2002; North, 2017, p. 201; North et al, 1999; Schlenger et al, 2002; Schuster et al, 2001; Silver et al, 2002).…”