Psychosocial functioning after losing a close friend in an extreme terror incident

Johnsen, Iren; Laberg, Jon Christian; Matthiesen, Stig Berge; Dyregrov, Atle; Dyregrov, Kari

doi:10.15714/scandpsychol.2.e5

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Our findings are only partly consistent with studies that have reported strong associations between trauma-related disorders, cognitive dysfunctions and a wide-range of physical and psycho-social dysfunctions, e.g. work-related problems (Johnsen, Laberg, Matthiessen, Dyregrov, & Dyregrov, 2015 ; Ogle et al, 2013 ; Sanderson & Andrews, 2006 ; Sandström et al, 2011 ; Wilson et al, 2006 ). Especially in settings of war and conflict, impairments in psycho-social functioning may aggravate poverty and lack of prospect.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

PTSD symptom severity relates to cognitive and psycho-social dysfunctioning – a study with Congolese refugees in Uganda

Ainamani

Elbert

Olema

et al. 2017

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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Background: In the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), civilians have been heavily exposed to traumatic stressors. Traumatizing experiences cumulatively heighten the risk for trauma-related disorders, and with it affect cognitive and psycho-social functioning. Objectives: We aimed at investigating the association between trauma-related disorders and cognitive and psycho-social functioning and hypothesized that PTSD symptom severity would negatively correlate with executive functioning, working memory and psycho-social functioning in everyday life. Method: In total, 323 Congolese refugees (mean age: 31.3 years) who arrived in the Ugandan Nakivale refugee settlement after January 2012 were assessed regarding their exposure to traumatic events, PTSD symptom severity (posttraumatic symptom scale interview), executive functioning (Tower of London), working memory performance (Corsi block tapping task) and psycho-social dysfunctioning (Luo functioning scale). Results: Hierarchical regression analyses indicated a significant negative association between PTSD symptom severity and working memory (β = –0.32, p < 0.001), as well as executive functions (β = –0.19, p = 0.003). Furthermore, the impairment of psycho-social functioning in everyday life was positively related with PTSD symptom severity (β = 0.70, p < 0.001), and negatively with executive functioning (β = –0.15, p = 0.003). However, working memory performance was not significantly related to psycho-social dysfunctioning (β = 0.09, p > 0.05). Conclusion: Trauma survivors not only suffer from the core PTSD symptoms but also from impaired cognitive functioning. PTSD symptom severity seems furthermore to be related to impaired psycho-social functioning. Our findings suggest that trauma-related mental health problems may heighten the risk for poverty and lack of prospect and further aggravate the consequences of war and conflict.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

PTSD symptom severity relates to cognitive and psycho-social dysfunctioning – a study with Congolese refugees in Uganda

Ainamani

Elbert

Olema

et al. 2017

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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“…The severity of the friends’ reactions is also evident when compared with the scores of bereaved parents and siblings after the killings at Utøya, where 19 months after the killings equal high scores were found among the friends, especially on complicated grief (K. Dyregrov, Dyregrov, & Kristensen, 2014; Johnsen et al., 2015). Servaty-Seib and Pistole (2006–2007) found in their study that adolescents experienced higher grief intensity for friends’ versus grandparents’ deaths.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The nature of girls’ relationships might also imply that they might be especially at risk for complicated reactions (Coleman, 2011; Malone, 2012). The risk factors are well documented for family members, but may also apply for bereaved friends (Johnsen et al., 2015). Prolonged grief disorder is a common form of complicated grief, characterized by marked and chronic separation distress (i.e., searching and longing for the deceased), loneliness, preoccupation with thoughts of the deceased, and traumatic distress such as feelings of disbelief, mistrust, anger, shock, detachment from others, and somatization (Prigerson et al., 1995; Stroebe, Schut, & Stroebe, 2007).…”

Section: Long-term Effects Of Loss and Traumamentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Reactions to the Loss of a Close Friend in an Extreme Terror Incident

et al. 2018

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This article presents results from one of the first longitudinal studies exploring the effects of losing a close friend to traumatic death, focusing on complicated grief over time and how this is affected by avoidant behavior and rumination about the loss. The sample consists of 88 persons (76% women and 24% men, mean age = 21) who lost a close friend in the Utøya killings in Norway on July 22, 2011.Quantitative data were collected at three time-points; 18, 28, and 40 months postloss. Main findings are that bereaved friends are heavily impacted by the loss and their grief reactions are affected negatively by avoidant behavior and rumination. This indicates that close bereaved friends are a group to be aware of and that there is a need for better strategies for identifying individuals in need for follow-up.

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“…Vi har undersøkt etterlattes nivå av psykologisk stress og traume-og sorgreaksjoner etter terroren, for å se om, og eventuelt hvordan, det påvirker skoleprestasjoner, arbeidsfunksjon og sosialt liv (Dyregrov, Dyregrov & Kristensen 2014a;Dyregrov & Kristensen 2015;Johnsen, Laberg, Matthiesen, Dyregrov & Dyregrov 2015). Videre har vi studert hvilket offentlig hjelpetilbud etterlatte har fått, og om det tilfredsstiller føringene i den proaktive modellen og etterlattes behov for hjelp (Dyregrov, Kristensen & Johnsen 2014b).…”

Section: Innledningunclassified

De berørte etter 22. juli

Dyb¹,

Dyregrov²,

Eikeland³

et al. 2016

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Psychosocial functioning after losing a close friend in an extreme terror incident

Abstract: Scandinavian Psychologist, 2(2015)e5http://dx.doi.org/10. 15714/scandpsychol.2.e5 This is an open access journal available at http://psykologisk.no/sp/ Articles can be deposited in the institutional repository provided its original source is cited clearly.

Cited by 9 publications

References 49 publications

PTSD symptom severity relates to cognitive and psycho-social dysfunctioning – a study with Congolese refugees in Uganda

PTSD symptom severity relates to cognitive and psycho-social dysfunctioning – a study with Congolese refugees in Uganda

Long-Term Reactions to the Loss of a Close Friend in an Extreme Terror Incident

De berørte etter 22. juli

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