Increased substance use in survivors of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster.

Full Abstract

Cross-sectional data are reported on 73 survivors of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster. Many reported an increase in their consumption of alcohol, cigarettes, sleeping tablets, antidepressants and tranquillizers at six and 30 months. The level of increased use was, however, lower at 30 months than at six months, although this was less evident for alcohol and cigarettes than the other substances. In addition, self-reports of increased substance use are associated with higher levels of psychological distress as measured by the General Health Questionnaire and the Impact of Events Scale. It is suggested that substance use might help to maintain subsequent psychological distress.

Author information

Author/s: Joseph, S (S); Yule, W (W); Williams, R (R); Hodgkinson, P (P);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: The British journal of medical psychology (Br J Med Psychol), published in ENGLAND. (Language: eng)

Reference: 1993-Jun; vol 66 ( Pt 2) (issue ) : pp 185-91

Dates: Created 1993/09/17; Completed 1993/09/17; Revised 2004/11/17;

PMID: 8353111, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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