Impact of Bereavement-Oriented Group Psychotherapy for School Mates of Air Crash Victims

Psychological debriefing is widely applied for victims who encounter overwhelming trauma. This study aimed at assessing the anxiety levels and psychiatric morbidity of class mates of the victims of a plane crash and also to carry out bereavement-oriented group psychotherapy to alleviate observed psychopathology in the study group. Participants were assessed with Hamilton anxiety rating scale and the 12th version of the general health questionnaire before and after the application of one single bereavement-oriented group psychotherapy. The pre-application of the Hamilton anxiety rating scale and general health questionnaire had significantly elevated scores as compared to the post psychotherapy scores. Bereavement-oriented group psychotherapy was found to be effective in lowering psychopathology associated with bereavement and may further prevent post traumatic stress disorder.