Grief and group recovery following a military air disaster

• Published in: Journal of Traumatic Stress
• Main Authors: Bartone, Paul T., Wright, Kathleen M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1990
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jts.2490030405; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fjts.2490030405; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jts.2490030405

Abstract Of the 248 soldiers killed in the 1985 crash of a chartered Army jetliner at Gander, Newfoundland, most (189) came from a single Army battalion. In order to gain a better understanding of psychological aspects of group adjustment to collective traumatic loss, a naturalistic case study was made of this battalion over the 6‐month period following the crash. Of special interest was the problem of integrating new replacements, and the role of these replacements in helping or impeding group recovery. Extensive interview and observational data were collected at approximately monthly intervals. Results suggest four relatively distinct psycho‐social phases of unit recovery, each lasting about 4–6 weeks: (1) Numb Dedication; (2) Anger‐Betrayal; (3) Stoic Resolve; and (4) Integration. A reconstitution plan that intermixed replacements with veterans facilitated integration and unit recovery; veterans quickly accepted newcomers as allies in adversity. Despite some individual differences, the general response pattern indicates a group‐level phenomenon of adaptation to collective trauma that includes both intrusion and denial. This model of group recovery from trauma calls attention to social aspects of the grief process, and suggests interactions between individual and social factors that may influence adjustment to traumatic loss.