© 2001 Oxford University Press
Crisis Debriefing Groups for Emergency Responders: Reviewing the Evidence
The Centre for Applied Social Research at the University of Toronto
Contact author: Cheryl Regehr, PhD, Faculty of Social Work, Director, Centre for Applied Social Research, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario M5A 1A1, Canada. E-mail: cheryl.regehr{at}utoronto.ca.
Rescue workers who are exposed to mutilated bodies, mass destruction, multiple casualties, and life threatening situations may become the hidden victims of disaster. In response to concerns about the mental health implications of exposure to work-related trauma in emergency service personnel, the crisis debriefing model has arisen as an early intervention strategy designed to mitigate stress reactions. Recently however, controversy has arisen about the efficacy of the crisis debriefing group model. Initial reports supporting the efficacy of crisis debriefing groups have relied on anecdotal evidence, client satisfaction surveys, and clinical impressions of group leaders. Subsequent research has suggested that the model fails to reduce and may in fact exacerbate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This article reviews the crisis debriefing model as it has been applied to workers in various emergency fields and discusses the conflicting data surrounding efficacy. It concludes that there is some empirical support for the social support and psychoeducational components of the model. However, the component of the model that reviews graphic details of the event may increase intrusion symptoms through a process of vicarious traumatization.
KEY WORDS: crisis debriefings, emergency responders, critical incident stress, trauma
