The Effectiveness of Early Crisis Intervention Model with Families in Alleviating the Psychological Symptoms after Experiencing Traumatic Event Dr. Mahmud Said
Abstract
This study assessed the effectiveness of early intervention model on preventing the development of psychological symptoms among family members experienced a traumatic event. The study included four family members after loss of five children from the family resulted from missile attack during the Israeli escalation during May 2022. The researcher used in vivo early exposure-focused intervention approach within the first week of the trauma event. Severity of symptoms were measured by using Early Intervention Model and PTSD Symptom Scale – Interview (PSS-I). Assessment of clients was conducted on four phases (before intervention, immediately after intervention, at one month after intervention, and at three months after intervention). The results showed significant reduction in PSS-I score at one month (P, 0.002) and at three months (P, 0.010) compared to pre-intervention scores, which indicated significant reduction in psychological symptoms. The study concluded that in vivo early exposure-focused intervention model was effective in reducing the psychological symptoms among family members who witnessed or experienced a traumatizing event.
Keywords: Traumatic event, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Early intervention, Gaza Strip.
