Traumatic Stress and Its Risk Factors Among Peripheral Victims of the M/S Estonia Disaster

In: European psychologist, Band 1, Heft 4, S. 255-270

Abstract

This study explores short- and long-term traumatic stress and the related risk factors among peripheral victims of the M/S Estonia disaster. The participants, characterized as fourth- and sixth-level victims, were 135 crew members (50 males and 85 females) of one of the Finnish ferries that took part in the rescue operation. The participants retrospectively filled in a wide-ranging questionnaire including items for 44 stress symptoms 1 week, 1 month, and 8 months after the disaster. A factor analysis produced three orthogonal symptom types: general traumatic stress symptoms, fear, and somatic symptoms. In addition, behavioural changes, changes in world view, and the impact of several risk factors (e.g., past traumas, avoidance behavior, appraisal of symptoms, social support) were analyzed. The results indicated that fourth- and sixth-level disaster victims suffer from traumatic stress at least as much as third-level victims (professional helpers), that women experience more psychological problems than men, and that different symptom types progress in different ways and stem from different risk factors.