The neglected entity in air disaster planning: Psychological services.

Abstract

Psychological services for air disaster victims have been neglected in past airport and airline crash response programs. This article explores the psychological impact of air disasters on passengers and airline employees, highlighting the victims' emotional needs following a crash. Organizational efforts that have been implemented to address human problems resulting from air crashes are surveyed. The paucity of specific governmental and corporate initiatives to provide psychological aid to human survivors of air crashes is cited. Issues related to the development of volunteer crisis intervention services for airports are discussed.

Lessons from the aftermath of Flight 232: Practical considerations for the mental health profession's response to air disasters.

“…Like many cities, however, Sioux City's mental health disaster plan provided for little more than a commitment that mental health services would be provided (cf. Butcher & Hatcher, 1988).…”

“…Articles on disaster response have repeatedly addressed the need to prepare for and rapidly respond to air disasters. They have discussed which persons will require counseling in the aftermath, and they have described the interventions that would be appropriate (Black, 1987: Butcher & Dunn, 1989: Butcher & Hatcher, 1988: Johnston, Hons, & Kelly. 1988Popplow, 1984;Taylor & Frazer, 1982;Williams, Solomon, & Bartone.…”

“…Articles on disaster response have repeatedly addressed the need to prepare for and rapidly respond to air disasters. They have discussed which persons will require counseling in the aftermath, and they have described the interventions that would be appropriate (Black, 1987; Butcher & Dunn, 1989; Butcher & Hatcher, 1988; Johnston, Hons, & Kelly, 1988; Popplow, 1984; Taylor & Frazer, 1982; Williams, Solomon, & Bartone, 1988). The present article provides a discussion of some of the practical aspects of the mental health profession's preparation for and response to air disasters, based on the service provided following the crash of Flight 232.…”

A shooting incident in an elementary school: Effects of worker stress on public safety, mental health, and medical personnel

“…Withdrawal from social support, such as family and friends, has also been observed (Wilkinson, 1983). Emotional effects on emergency service personnel have been observed after airplane crashes (Butcher and Hatcher, 1988), building collapses or explosions (Wilkinson, 1983;Durham et al, 1985), a large brushfire (McFarlane, 1988), and identification of human remains (Jones, 1985).…”

Postdisaster psychosocial intervention: a field study of the impact of debriefing on psychological distress

“…(Am J Psychiatry 1997; 154:415-417) P sychological debriefing is a crisis intervention designed to relieve and prevent event-related distress in normal people experiencing abnormally stressful circumstances (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). Debriefing relies on three therapeutic ingredients: ventilation in a context of group support, normalization of responses, and education about postevent psychological reactions.…”