Psychological symptoms of 21 therapists who provided counseling to
individuals affected by the crash of a commercial airliner were compared
with those of 20 therapists from the same mental health center who did not
participate in the disaster relief efforts. A symptoms checklist instrument
was completed by both groups at four, eight, and 12 weeks after the crash.
At four and eight weeks, the trauma counselors experienced significantly
more symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression than the
therapists in the control group. At 12 weeks the only significantly
increased symptom among the trauma counselors was avoidance behavior.
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