Abstract
Air disasters are considered sudden and catastrophic events. In these contexts, coping strategies, characterized as cognitive and behavioral resources, are important resources that moderate psychological responses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between coping strategies and emotional symptoms related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and stress in people exposed to air disaster, through a cross-sectional, quantitative, and explanatory study. The sample was composed by 194 people who witnessed the air disaster involving the soccer team Chapecoense. The instruments used were: Sociodemographic Data Questionnaire, Stress Scale Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale and the Coping Strategies Inventory. The results indicated that the strategy confrontation, acceptance of responsibility, escape and avoidance, and social support showed significant associations with the emotional symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and stress. However, the positive reassessment resources have shown to reduce the odds of triggering the symptoms of PTSD and depression. It is concluded that the coping strategies contribute to both in increase and decrease of the symptomatology evaluated. It is expected that such information will indicate adaptive coping strategies and formulate intervention protocols to minimize emotional problems and provide people with a better post-disaster recovery.
Resumo
Os desastres aéreos são considerados eventos súbitos e catastróficos. Nesses contextos, as estratégias de coping caracterizadas por esforços cognitivos e comportamentais, revelam-se importantes recursos que moderam as respostas psicológicas. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar as associações entre as estratégias de coping com os sintomas emocionais do transtorno de estresse pós-traumático (TEPT), depressão, ansiedade e estresse em pessoas expostas a um desastre aéreo, através de um estudo transversal, quantitativo e explicativo. Participaram 194 pessoas que testemunharam o desastre envolvendo o time de futebol da Chapecoense. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: Questionário de Dados Sociodemográficos, Stress Scale Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale e o Inventário de Estratégias de Coping. Os resultados indicaram que as estratégias confronto, aceitação da responsabilidade, fuga e esquiva e suporte social apresentaram associações significativas com os sintomas emocionais de TEPT, depressão, ansiedade e estresse. Conquanto, o recurso reavaliação positiva demonstrou reduzir a probabilidade em desencadear os sintomas de TEPT e depressão. Conclui-se que as estratégias de coping contribuem para o aumento ou diminuição das sintomatologias avaliadas. Espera-se com essas informações indicar as pessoas estratégias de enfrentamento adaptativas e formular protocolos de intervenções, a fim de minimizar os problemas emocionais, proporcionando uma melhor recuperação pós-desastre.
Resumen
Los desastres aéreos se consideran eventos repentinos y catastróficos. En estos contextos, las estrategias de afrontamiento caracterizadas por esfuerzos cognitivos y conductuales son recursos importantes que moderan las respuestas psicológicas. El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar las asociaciones entre estrategias de afrontamiento con síntomas emocionales del trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT), depresión, ansiedad y estrés en personas expuestas a un accidente aéreo, a través de un estudio transversal, cuantitativo y explicativo. Participaron 194 personas que presenciaron el desastre que involucró al equipo de fútbol del Chapecoense. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron: Cuestionario de Datos Sociodemográficos, Escala de Estrés Trastorno por Estrés Postraumático, Escala de Depresión, Ansiedad y Estrés y el Inventario de Estrategias de Afrontamiento. Los resultados indicaron que la confrontación, la aceptación de la responsabilidad, el escape y la evitación y las estrategias de apoyo social mostraron asociaciones significativas con los síntomas emocionales del TEPT, la depresión, la ansiedad y el estrés. Sin embargo, se ha demostrado que la característica de reevaluación positiva reduce la posibilidad de desencadenar los síntomas del trastorno de estrés postraumático y la depresión. Se concluye que las estrategias de afrontamiento contribuyen al aumento o disminución de los síntomas evaluados. Con esta información, se espera indicar las estrategias de afrontamiento adaptativo de las personas y formular protocolos de intervención con el fin de minimizar los problemas emocionales, proporcionando una mejor recuperación post desastre.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
We declare that we agree with the submission and possible publication in full in the Revista Temas em Psicologia, on the journal's website, of the article entitled: "Air disaster: coping strategies, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and stress", having as Corresponding Author Mrs. Gabriela Lenhardt, who will be responsible for its processing and correction. We further declare that data supporting the results of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
References
American Psychiatric Association. [APA]. (2002). DSM-4 – Manual diagnóstico e estatístico de transtornos mentais. Porto Alegre: Artmed.
American Psychiatric Association [APA]. (2014). DSM-5 – Manual Diagnóstico e Estatístico de Transtornos Mentais. Porto Alegre: Artmed.
Apóstolo, J. L. A., Mendes, A. C., & Azeredo, Z. A. (2006). Adaptação para a língua portuguesa da Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS). Revista Latino-Americana De Enfermagem, 14(6), 863–871. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692006000600006
Arnberg, F. K., Michel, P. O., & Lundin, T. (2015). Posttraumatic stress in survivors 1 month to 19 years after an airliner emergency landing. PLoS ONE, 10(3), e0119732. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0119732
Austenfeld, J. L., & Stanton, A. L. (2004). Coping through emotional approach: A new look at emotion, coping, and health-related outcomes. Journal of Personality, 72(6), 1335–1364. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2004.00299.x
Berger, W., Mendlowicz, M. V., Souza, W. F., & Figueira, I. (2004). Equivalência semântica da versão em português da Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist - Civilian Version (PCL-C) para rastreamento do transtorno de estresse pós-traumático. Revista De Psiquiatria Do Rio Grande Do Sul, 26, 167–175. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-81082004000200006
Bonanno, G. A., Brewin, C. R., Kaniasty, K., & Greca, A. M. L. (2010). Weighing the costs of disaster: Consequences, Risks, and resilience in individuals, families, and communities. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 11(1), 1–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100610387086
Buckle, P. (2005). Mandated definitions, local knowledge and complexity. In R. W. Perry & E. L. Quarantelli (Eds.), What is a disaster: New answers to old questions (pp. 173–200). Xlibris Publishers.
Câmara Filho, J. W. S., & Sougey, E. B. (2001). Transtorno de estresse pós-traumático: Formulação diagnóstica e questões sobre comorbidade. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 23(4), 221–228. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-44462001000400009
Cai, W., Ding, C., Tang, Y. L., Wu, S., & Yang, D. (2014). Effects of social supports on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: Moderating role of perceived safety. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 6(6), 724–730. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036342
Chang, C., Lee, L. M., Connor, K. M., Davidson, J. R., Jeffries, K., & Lai, T. (2003). Posttraumatic distress and coping strategies among rescue workers after an earthquake. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 191(6), 391–398. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nmd.0000071588.73571.3d
Chung, M. C., Farmer, S., Werrett, J., Easthope, Y., & Chung, C. (2001a). Traumatic stress and ways of coping of community residents exposed to a train disaster. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 35(4), 528–534. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1614.2001.00922.x
Chung, M. C., Easthope, Y., Chung, C., & Clark-Carter, D. (2001b). Traumatic stress and coping strategies of sesternary victims following an aircraft disaster in Coventry. Stress and Health, 17(2), 67–75. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.881
Conselho Nacional de Saúde (Brasil). Resolução no 510, de 07 de abril de 2016. Diário Oficial da União, Brasília, 2016.
Dai, W., Chen, L., Tan, H., Wang, J., Lai, Z., Kaminga, A. C., Li, Y., & Liu, A. (2016). Association between social support and recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder after flood: A 13–14 year follow-up study in Hunan. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-2871-x
Doley, R. M., Bell, R., & Watt, B. D. (2016). An investigation into the relationship between long-term posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and coping in Australian volunteer firefighters. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 204(7), 530–536. https://doi.org/10.1097/nmd.0000000000000525
Folkman, S., & Lazarus, R. S. (1985). If it changes it must be a process: A study of emotion and coping during three stages of a college examination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48(1), 150–170. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.48.1.150
Fritz, C. E. (1961). Disaster and community therapy. National Research Council-National Academy of Sciences.
Galea, S., Nandi, A., & Vlahov, D. (2005). The epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder after disasters. Epidemiologic Reviews, 27(1), 78–91. https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxi003
G1. (2016, November 29). Avião com equipe da Chapecoense cai na Colômbia e deixa mortos. São Paulo. Recovered on September 20, 2018 from http://g1.globo.com/mundo/noticia/2016/11/aviao-com-equipe-da-chapecoense-sofre-acidente-na-colombia.html
Hibberd, R., Elwood, L., & Galovski, T. (2014). Risk and protective factors for posttraumatic stress disorder, prolonged grief, and depression in survivors of the violent death of a loved one. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 15(5), 426–447. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2010.507660
Kristensen, P., Weisæth, L., & Heir, T. (2014). Bereavement and mental health after sudden and violent losses: A review. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 75(1), 76–97. doi: https://doi.org/10.1521/psyc.2012.75.1.76
Laugharne, J., Van der Watt, G., & Janca, A. (2011). After the fire: The mental health consequences of fire disasters. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 24(1), 72–77. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0b013e32833f5e4e
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer.
León-Amenero, D., & Huarcaya-Victoria, J. (2019). Salud Mental en Situaciones de Desastres. Horizonte Médico (lima), 19(1), 73–80. https://doi.org/10.24265/horizmed.2019.v19n1.12
Loo, G. T., DiMaggio, C. J., Gershon, R. R., Canton, D. B., Morse, S. S., & Galea, S. (2016). Coping behavior and risk of post-traumatic stress disorder among federal disaster responders. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 10(01), 108–117. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2015.141
Martins-Monteverde, C., Padovan, T., & Juruena, M. (2017). Transtornos relacionados a traumas e a estressores. Medicina, 50(1), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2176-7262.v50isupl1.p37-50
Nagaoka, C., & Uchida, Y. (2014). Preliminary study on the relation between the coping patterns and the mental health of radiation control personnel and non-destructive inspectors engaged in the periodic inspections of nuclear plants. Journal of Occupational Health, 56(3), 169–177. https://doi.org/10.1539/joh.13-0065-fs
Neria, Y., Nandi, A., & Galea, S. (2008). Post-traumatic stress disorder following disasters: A systematic review. Psychological Medicine, 38(4), 467–480. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291707001353
North, C. S. (2016). Disaster mental health epidemiology: Methodological review and interpretation of research findings. Psychiatry, 79(2), 130–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.2016.1155926
Otto, K., Boos, A., Dalbert, C., Schöps, D., & Hoyer, J. (2006). Posttraumatic symptoms, depression, and anxiety of flood victims: The impact of the belief in a just world. Personality and Individual Differences, 40(5), 1075–1084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2005.11.010
Park, C. L. (2016). Meaning making in the context of disasters. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 72, 1234–1246. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22270
Perry, R. W. (2006). What is a disaster? In H. Rodriguez, E. L. Quarantelli, & R. R. Dynes (Eds.), Handbook of disaster research (pp. 1–15). Springer.
Pfefferbaum, B., Newman, E., Nelson, S. D., Nitiéma, P., Pfefferbaum, R. L., & Rahman, A. (2014). Disaster media coverage and psychological outcomes: Descriptive findings in the extant research. Curr Psychiatry Rep, 16(9), 464. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-014-0464-x
Quarantelli, E. L. (1987). Disaster studies. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, 5(3), 285–310.
Ricea, V. J., & Liu, B. (2016). Personal resilience and coping with implications for work. Part i: A Review. Work, 54(2), 325–333. https://doi.org/10.3233/wor-162300
Rodríguez, H., Quarentelli, L. E., Dynes, R. R. (2006). Handbook of disaster research Nova York: Springer.
Sampieri, R. H., Collado, C. F., & Lucio, M. P. (2013). Metodologia de Pesquisa. Porto Alegre: Artmed.
Savoia, M. G., Santana, P., & Mejias, N. P. (1996). Adaptação do inventário de estratégias de coping de Folkman e Lazarus para o Português. Revista De Psicologia USP, 7(1), 183–201. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-51771996000100009
Stevens, J. S., & Jovanovic, T. (2019). Role of social cognition in post-traumatic stress disorder: A review and meta-analysis. Genes Brain and Behavior, 18(1), e12518. https://doi.org/10.1111/gbb.12518
Stratta, P., Capanna, C., Dell’Osso, L., Carmassi, C., Patriarca, S., Di Emidio, G., & Rossi, A. (2015). Resilience and coping in trauma spectrum symptoms prediction: A structural equation modeling approach. Personality and Individual Differences, 77, 55–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.12.035
Vignola, R. C., & Tucci, A. M. (2014). Adaptation and validation of the depression, anxiety and stress scale (DASS) to Brazilian Portuguese. Journal of Affective Disorders, 155, 104–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.10.031
Wadsworth, M. E., Santiago, C. D., & Einhorn, L. (2009). Coping with displacement from Hurricane Katrina: Predictors of one-year post-traumatic stress and depression symptom trajectories. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 22(4), 413–432. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615800902855781
Wilson, L. C. (2015). A systematic review of probable posttraumatic stress disorder in first responders following man-made mass violence. Psychiatry Research, 229(1–2), 21–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2015.06.015
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
All authors contributed to the conception and design of the study. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Gabriela Lenhardt and Ilana Andretta. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Gabriela Lenhardt and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethical statements
I declare that I am not subject to any type of conflict of interest with the participants or any other direct or indirect collaborator for the development of the article entitled “Air disaster: coping strategies, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and stress” whose researchers involved are: Gabriela Lenhardt and Ilana Andretta. I further declare that the study was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of the Psychology Course at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos—Brazil, under opinion number 2.762,254 and CAAE: 88500218.3.0000.5344. In addition, all ethical principles in research with human beings were followed, in accordance with Resolution no. 510/2016 of the CNS (National Health Council). All people who agreed to participate fulfilled the Informed Consent Form.
Informed Consent
Dear participant: You are being invited to participate as a volunteer in a survey that will contribute to the understanding of the relationship between coping strategies and emotional symptoms after the air disaster involving Associação Chapecoense de Futebol. We hope that this study will provide important information about the impact of air accidents on people's lives and how they face this situation in Brazil. In the future, these data may contribute to the planning of intervention programs with populations affected by other disasters, providing better recovery for victims during and after trauma. If you are a fan, friend, family member or person close to the club, you can be a collaborator. To participate you only need to be over 18 years old. We inform you that this study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of UNISINOS and that it is an anonymous research, where the participant does not need to identify himself. Thus, we guarantee you all ethical precautions, striving for the confidentiality of your privacy, during all phases of the study. As a benefit, you will be able to receive a copy of the final report of this study, which will allow you to understand your contribution to the construction of scientific knowledge. To participate, just fill in the questionnaires individually at the time and place of your choice, with an average duration of 20 min. Remember that honest and complete answers are crucial to making the survey effective. In order to participate, you must agree with the Informed Consent Form—TCLE—which will be displayed below. Your contribution will be of great value and we appreciate your support. Feel free to share this link with others who may be interested in taking part in this survey. If you have any questions or would like more information about this project, you can contact us at the following email: firewoodrdtgabriela@gmail.com. Note: For clarification purposes, this research has no link with the Chapecoense Football Association. She is independently idealized and funded.
Consent for Publication
The contribution is original and unpublished and is not being evaluated for publication by another journal.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lenhardt, G., Andretta, I. Air Disaster: Coping Strategies, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress. Trends in Psychol. 30, 528–548 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-021-00126-7
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-021-00126-7
Keyword
- Disasters
- Coping
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Desastres
- enfrentamento
- Transtornos de estresse pós traumático
- Depressão
- Ansiedade
- Desastres
- Afrontamiento
- Trastorno de estrés postraumático
- Depresión
- Ansiedad
Palavras-chave
- Desastres
- enfrentamento
- Transtornos de estresse pós traumático
- Depressão
- Ansiedade
- Desastres
- Afrontamiento
- Trastorno de estrés postraumático
- Depresión
- Ansiedad