NCJ Number
117708
Journal
Journal of Community Psychology Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1988) Pages: 228-240
Date Published
1988
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study describes and evaluates a school community-based primary and secondary crisis intervention program.
Abstract
This crisis intervention program dealt with 415 children in the seventh grade and their teachers during an acute bereavement reaction to the death of 19 schoolmates and the critical injury of 14 others in an Israeli school bus accident. A case report is provided. Four interventions principles that were originally proposed for dealing with combat stress reactions - immediacy, proximity, expectancy, and community - were reinterpreted and applied in dealing with the stress reactions of these children and their teachers. Crisis management during the first week is described in some detail. The intervention principles used were short-term treatment encouraging the ventilation of feelings, development of a support system, and individual counseling. Two case illustrations of individual counseling are presented. A followup questionnaire administered nine months after the accident to all eighth graders indicated a marked decline in symptoms and no evidence of delayed stress reaction. 31 references. (Author abstract modified)