Chronic emotional processing in survivors of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster: the relationship of intrusion and avoidance at 3 years to distress at 5 years

Abstract

Thirty-seven survivors completed the Impact of Event Scale (IES), a measure of intrusive and avoidant activity, at around 3 yr following the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between scores on the IES to scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y1) at around 5 yr subsequent to the event. Higher scores on the IES were able to predict higher scores on the BDI and the STAI-Y1 over and above scores on the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) which was also administered at around 3 yr on from the event. Implications for cognitive-behaviour therapy are discussed.