Directives

Psycho-social support in situations of mass emergency - European Policy Paper concerning different aspects of psycho-social support for people involved in major accidents and disasters [EN]

This document offers decision-makers a methodological guide and a coherent model for psychological and social support in situations of mass emergency. Recommendations are the result of a series of exchanges of ideas and discussions between professionals from a wide range of backgrounds, coming from all over Europe. They include professionals with a psychological or social work training, public health physicians, medical emergency services staff, rescuers, academic experts, independent consultants, volunteers, local and central government civil servants. This European Policy Paper also reflects the actual state of scientific consensus on this subject, and builds on the conclusions of earlier European Workshops and Conferences in Arras-Lille (France), Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and Vienna (Austria), and the two most recent working conferences that were organised in Brussels (Belgium) (...).

Expériences

Psychosocial resilience in the face of a mediated terrorist threat [EN]

After 9/11, studies concerning psychological and psychiatric effects of terrorism have greatly multiplied. Media exposure to terrorism has been shown to be a vital factor in these effects. However, there is a lack of pre-trauma research assessing the resilience of the civilian population in the face of a ‘mediated’ terrorist threat. This article discusses an eight-dimensional conceptual model of terrorism-related issues central to psychosocial resilience to terrorism. Survey results (N = 1040) are provided which present an index of these terrorism-related issues for Flanders (Belgium) in December 2004 and January 2005 and their correlations. They are also related to media use in the case of television, radio and the internet. The results clearly indicate the psychological repercussions of this terrorism threat in terms of media informationseeking behavior, risk perception and fear levels. Furthermore, the important role of government communication, the ambiguity of social support and the opposing outcomes of television and internet use are demonstrated (...).