Psykologiske senreaksjoner etter terroren 22. juli 2011: En sammenligningsstudie av etterlatte etter angrepet på Utøya og et utvalg av den norske normalpopulasjonen

The associations between exposure to terrorism and symptoms of PTSD and general psychological distress, both for directly and indirectly exposed individuals have been repeatedly established. This study aims to compare the psychological symptoms of a group of bereaved individuals who lost someone close to them during the 22nd of July 2011 terror attack on the Island of Utøya, with a group of individuals from the general Norwegian population. The study also aims to see whether experiencing media exposure or court trial process against the terrorist as an emotional strain, or attending the courtroom during the trial can predict levels of trauma symptoms and general psychological distress. The results indicate an overall significantly higher symptom level in the bereaved sample. The results indicate that an experienced emotional strain does to some extent predict levels of trauma symptoms and psychological distress for both samples. In the bereaved sample having attended the court trial was associated with lower levels of experienced psychological distress. Courtroom attendance did not seem to affect levels of trauma symptoms. Further research is needed to understand more about the psychological processes in both directly and indirectly exposed individuals after terror attacks