The effects of the Omagh bomb on adolescent mental health: a school-based study

Abstract

BackgroundThe main objective of this study was to assess psychiatric morbidity among adolescents following the Omagh car bombing in Northern Ireland in 1998.MethodsData was collected within schools from adolescents aged between 14 and 18 years via a self-completion booklet comprised of established predictors of PTSD; type of exposure, initial emotional response, long-term adverse physical problems, predictors derived from Ehlers and Clark’s (2000) cognitive model, a PTSD symptoms measure (PDS) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ).ResultsThose with more direct physical exposure were significantly more likely to meet caseness on the GHQ and the PDS. The combined pre and peri trauma risk factors highlighted in previous meta-analyses accounted for 20% of the variance in PDS scores but the amount of variance accounted for increased to 56% when the variables highlighted in Ehlers and Clark’s cognitive model for PTSD were added.ConclusionsHigh rates of chronic PTSD were observed in adolescents exposed to the bombing. Whilst increased exposure was associated with increased psychiatric morbidity, the best predictors of PTSD were specific aspects of the trauma (‘seeing someone you think is dying’), what you are thinking during the event (‘think you are going to die’) and the cognitive mechanisms employed after the trauma. As these variables are in principle amenable to treatment the results have implications for teams planning treatment interventions after future traumas.

Practitioner Review: Posttraumatic stress disorder and its treatment in children and adolescents

“…Several studies demonstrate associations between model-derived maintaining factors and PTSD symptoms. For example, peritraumatic processing style, memory quality, negative appraisals, cognitive avoidance, and rumination all show significant associations with PTSD symptoms in cross sectional and longitudinal studies in children and adolescents from the age of 8 to 18 years (Aaron et al 1999; Duffy 2015; Ehlers et al 2003; Ellis et al 2009; McKinnon et al 2008; Meiser-Stedman et al 2007, 2009a, 2014; Salmond et al 2011; Stallard & Smith 2007). The robust association between negative appraisals and PTSD symptoms has been replicated in a number of studies (Mitchell et al 2017).…”

Practitioner Review: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and its Treatment in Children and Adolescents

“…Several studies demonstrate associations between model-derived maintaining factors and PTSD symptoms. For example peritraumatic processing style, memory quality, negative appraisals, cognitive avoidance and rumination all show significant associations with PTSD symptoms in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies in children and adolescents from the age of 8-18 years (Aaron, Zaglul, & Emery, 1999;Duffy et al, 2015;Ehlers, Mayou, & Bryant, 2003;Ellis, Nixon, & Williamson, 2009;McKinnon, Nixon, & Brewer, 2008;Meiser-Stedman, Dalgleish, Glucksman, Yule, & Smith, 2009;Meiser-Stedman, Smith, Glucksman, Yule, & Dalgleish, 2007;Meiser-Stedman et al, 2014;Salmond et al, 2011;Stallard & Smith, 2007). The robust association between negative appraisals and PTSD symptoms has been replicated in a number of studies (Mitchell, Brennan, Curran, Hanna, & Dyer, 2017).…”

The psychosocial response to a terrorist attack at Manchester Arena, 2017: a process evaluation

“…1, #6,). Published and unpublished data from different mass casualty incidents were considered (Table 1, [3,[79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86]), especially those from Omagh [87,88], because of the number of children involved and the length of follow-up.…”