Summary
"Psychological debriefing (PD) is a widespread and commonly relied upon crisis intervention technique used to help individuals post-critical incident. However, the acceptance of PD has outpaced scientific research, as attempts to summarize PD literature have yet to determine its effectiveness. The current thesis represents the most comprehensive empirical summary o f the literature. A total of 24 studies on PD were examined using a meta-analytic approach. Results indicate that there was a small effect supporting the use of PD, especially for reducing anger and improving general health and functioning. Furthermore, the moderator analysis showed that PD is most effective when using Mitchell’s CISD model, when targeting occupational personnel in group settings who were exposed to occupationally-related traumatic events, and when sessions are mandatory. Given the limitations of this thesis, the most appropriate suggestion is to use PD with caution in the settings that have been identified as promoting PD effectiveness."--Abstract.