{"title":"Awareness and use of support services following mass violence incidents","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.10.001","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mass violence incidents (MVIs) result in significant psychological distress for survivors and the broader community. Support services (mental health services, support groups, religious support) can buffer negative effects of MVIs and facilitate recovery. However, the extent to which community members are aware of and use support services post-MVIs is unknown. A probability sample of 5991 adults (M<sub>ean</sub> <sub>age</sub> = 45.6, SD = 17.6), mostly female (53%) and White (71%), were recruited from six communities that had experienced an MVI. Participants answered questions on their awareness and use of support services after the MVI and completed measures assessing predisposing, enabling, and need factors that may influence service use. Approximately 20% of participants reported they were aware of mental health services, 20% reported awareness of support groups, and 16% reported awareness of religious support. Younger participants with higher income (predisposing factors), high social support (enabling factor), and direct MVI exposure and psychological distress (need factors) were more likely to report awareness of support services. Of those aware of services, approximately 21% reported using support services. Those with direct MVI exposure and psychological distress were more likely to use each type of service. Otherwise, use of mental health services, support groups, and religious support varied across predisposing factors (race, age, income). Overall, findings suggest there is limited awareness of support services post-MVI, despite the well-documented mental health burden after these incidents. This suggests the need for improved communication about available services after MVIs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16868,"journal":{"name":"Journal of psychiatric research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of psychiatric research","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395624005776","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHIATRY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Mass violence incidents (MVIs) result in significant psychological distress for survivors and the broader community. Support services (mental health services, support groups, religious support) can buffer negative effects of MVIs and facilitate recovery. However, the extent to which community members are aware of and use support services post-MVIs is unknown. A probability sample of 5991 adults (Meanage = 45.6, SD = 17.6), mostly female (53%) and White (71%), were recruited from six communities that had experienced an MVI. Participants answered questions on their awareness and use of support services after the MVI and completed measures assessing predisposing, enabling, and need factors that may influence service use. Approximately 20% of participants reported they were aware of mental health services, 20% reported awareness of support groups, and 16% reported awareness of religious support. Younger participants with higher income (predisposing factors), high social support (enabling factor), and direct MVI exposure and psychological distress (need factors) were more likely to report awareness of support services. Of those aware of services, approximately 21% reported using support services. Those with direct MVI exposure and psychological distress were more likely to use each type of service. Otherwise, use of mental health services, support groups, and religious support varied across predisposing factors (race, age, income). Overall, findings suggest there is limited awareness of support services post-MVI, despite the well-documented mental health burden after these incidents. This suggests the need for improved communication about available services after MVIs.
期刊介绍:
Founded in 1961 to report on the latest work in psychiatry and cognate disciplines, the Journal of Psychiatric Research is dedicated to innovative and timely studies of four important areas of research:
(1) clinical studies of all disciplines relating to psychiatric illness, as well as normal human behaviour, including biochemical, physiological, genetic, environmental, social, psychological and epidemiological factors;
(2) basic studies pertaining to psychiatry in such fields as neuropsychopharmacology, neuroendocrinology, electrophysiology, genetics, experimental psychology and epidemiology;
(3) the growing application of clinical laboratory techniques in psychiatry, including imagery and spectroscopy of the brain, molecular biology and computer sciences;