Abstract
The Boston Marathon bombing of April 15, 2013 involved the detonation of pressure cooker bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Three people died at the scene and more than 200 others required medical attention. Many survivors received serious injuries including head injuries, hearing loss and severed limbs as a direct result of the blasts and 14 survivors required amputations. The media reports included graphic images of severely injured runners and spectators that were shown repeatedly and continuously for months thereafter. This intentional, human caused mass violence at an event attended by hundreds of thousands and accompanied by graphic, gruesome, and extensive media exposure exacerbated the behavioral health risks in the affected community as well as those who observed the events in the media. The Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance provided an immediate response and continues to provide victim assistance, behavioral health counseling and other supports through a Department of Justice/Office for Victims of Crime Antiterrorism Emergency Assistance Program grant to help those most affected. Many lessons were learned about the need for preparation, close working relationships and an understanding of the powerful psychological impact of terrorist and mass violence events. This article shares what we currently know about traumatic stress reactions related to human caused mass violence events and provides program details, lessons learned and recommendations from the Marathon Bombing Victim Assistance program.
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Notes
MOVA is aware that many people who have experienced a trauma prefer to use the term ‘survivor’ rather than ‘victim’ in referring to themselves, thus we interchange the terms as ‘victim’ remains in the language of our federal and state scope of services.
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Acknowledgements
The MA Office for Victim Assistance Marathon bombing response program services are offered for free and are (partially) supported by the MA Office for Victims Assistance through an Antiterrorism Emergency Assistance Program cooperative agreement number 2014-RF-GX-K002 from the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice (OVC/OJP/DOJ). The article reflects the opinions of the authors and does not reflect the opinion of the OVC/OJP/DOJ. This project was (partially) supported by the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance through and Antiterrorism Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP) cooperative agreement number 2014-RF-GX-K002 from the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the State of Massachusetts or the Office of Justice Programs.
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Naturale, A., Lowney, L.T. & Brito, C.S. Lessons Learned from the Boston Marathon Bombing Victim Services Program. Clin Soc Work J 45, 111–123 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-017-0624-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-017-0624-7