- Disasters, terror and stress management
The terror attack: Experience and reactions among Utøya survivorsThe project manager for this project is Dr. Grete Dyb (PI) and Dr. Synne Stensland is the co- Principle Investigator (PI).
22 July 2011: politically engaged young people and youth leaders on Utøya became victims of the most serious terrorist attack in Norway in peacetime. Based on the horrifying stories told by the young people who were there, the number of those killed and injured, victims’ young ages, and the fact that the youths were targeted for attack, these events are considered to constitute stresses of extremely serious character.
Contact the research group
Kate Louise Porcheret
Monica Baumann-Larsen
Andrea Barsnes Undset
Santhia Selvasri
Facts about the project
Period
2011-2029
Project description
The Utøya massacre is considered a severe trauma due to the scope of injuries and fatalities, the young age of those affected, and the fact that they were designated targets. How individuals cope after extreme stress depends on a number of factors and will vary over time. The study will provide new and important knowledge about the impact of terrorism on young survivors and their families, as well as the course of the trauma and risk factors. This knowledge is essential for planning early interventions and treatment after disasters and other traumatic events.
The overall aim of this study is to identify factors associated with long-term health development and everyday functioning in adolescent and young adult victims of a terrorist attack. The study will also provide knowledge about how young people and their next of kin experienced their encounter with the support system, and how they were met in local communities and schools.
The Utøya study started a few months after the terror attack at Utøya Island on July 22nd 2011. The study has since then become a reputable study which has produced a large number of publications.
The study is a prospective, longitudinal interview study, in which data collection has been conducted at four points: 4-5 months, 14-15 months, 30-31 months and 8,9 years after the terror attack. All survivors of the mass-shootings on the Utøya island have been invited to participate in the study. Additionally, the survivors’ parents were invited to participate. Survivors, as well as parents of youth 20 years or younger, were interviewed face-to-face separately. Parents of older survivors received a questionnaire.
Through four rounds of data collection, the research project has had a participation of 79 percent (398 survivors), with approximately equal numbers of girls/women (194; 49%) and boys/men. Participation counts by wave were T1: 332, T2: 291, T3: 266, T4: 289. We had good participation from parents (T1: 463, T2: 435, T3: 377, T4: 318).
In addition to interview and questionnaire data, the study has access to other data sources (e.g., hospital records, information from police interviews) and national registries (e.g., the Education Registry, KUHR, the Norwegian Patient Registry, the Prescription Database, FD Trygd). These administrative data sources have provided very valuable information about what support measures were provided and how education was affected.
The study is funded by the Norwegian Directorate of Health, the Research Council of Norway, ExtraStiftelsen and the University of Oslo, and is carried out by the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies (NKVTS).
After each data-collection wave, reports summarizing the results have been sent to participants. See summaries from Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV of the study.
The study has a highly valuable and close collaboration with the July 22 Support Group (Støttegruppen 22. juli — 22juli.info). The support group has provided input to the design and conduct of the study, and we have a mutual exchange of information and initiatives that concern our informants.
The study was approved by the Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics in Norway.
Dr. Synne Stensland is the PI and Dr. Grete Dyb and Kristin Alve Glad are the co-PIs for Utøya 5.
Publications
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Insomnia in survivors 8.5 years after the Utøya Island terrorist attack: transition from late adolescence to early adulthood – the Utøya study
- Disasters, terror and stress management
SURVIVORS AND THE AFTERMATH OF THE TERRORIST ATTACK ON UTØYA ISLAND, NORWAY Report for the Mass Casualty Commission
- Disasters, terror and stress management
The Terrorist Attack on Utøya Island: Long-Term Impact on Survivors’ Health and Implications for Policy
- Disasters, terror and stress management
«Slitsomt» «Ubehagelig» «Plagsomt» Slik beskriver Utøya-overlevende møtet med mediene etter 22. juli.
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Déjà vu – Recalling being hit by terror
- Violence and abuse
The association of PTSD symptom severity with amygdala nuclei volumes in traumatized youths
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Does event centrality mediate the effect of peritraumatic reactions on post-traumatic growth in survivors of a terrorist attack?
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Early Pain and Other Somatic Symptoms Predict Posttraumatic Stress Reactions in Survivors of Terrorist Attacks: The Longitudinal Utøya Cohort Study
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Å leve videre etter katastrofen: Stressreaksjoner og oppfølging etter traumer
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Caregiver-reported positive changes in young survivors of a terrorist attack
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Chronic pain among the hospitalized patients after the 22 july 2011 terror attacks in Oslo and at Utøya Island
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Persons injured in the 2011 terror attacks in Norway – Relationship between post-traumatic stress symptoms, emotional distress, fatigue, sleep, and pain outcomes, and medical and psychosocial factors
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Clinical characteristics and physical functioning in persons hospitalized following the Norwegian terror attacks in July 2011: A follow-up study
- Forced migration and refugee health
Veien fra ankomst til bosatt
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Kroppen reagerer på fare
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Å oppleve et overveldende traume – Hvordan blir livet etterpå?
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Foreldreskap – Å være forelder når barnet ditt er i livsfare
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Å skape mening i det meningsløse. Ungdoms erfaringer fra deltakelse i egne rettsprosesser
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Sosiale medier etter katastrofer
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Pedagogisk oppfølging av traumatiserte elever – Hva kan skolen lære i etterkant av massakren på Utøya?
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Positive endringer etter traumatiske opplevelser
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Sosial støtte, svik og sosiale barrierer
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Cross-Lagged Association Between Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Perceived Centrality of a Terrorist Attack
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Trust after Terror: Institutional trust among young terror survivors and their parents after the 22nd of July terrorist attack on Utøya island, Norway
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Endrede identiteter – hvem er jeg nå?
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Tidlig intervensjon og behandling
- Violence and abuse
Objektivitet i avhør: Avhør av fornærmede i straffesaker i Norge
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Survivors Report Back. Young people reflect on their media experiences after a terrorist attack
- Disasters, terror and stress management
The headache of terror: A matched cohort study of adolescents from the Utøya and the HUNT Study
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Five reasons for using social media among young terror survivors: Results from the Utøya study
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Returning to school after a terror attack: a longitudinal study of school functioning and health in terror-exposed youth
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Psychosocial care for hospitalized young survivors after the terror attack on Utøya Island: A qualitative study of the survivors’ experiences
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Utøya-filmen er ikke nok for å gi forståelse
- Disasters, terror and stress management
‘I couldn’t tell such things to others’: Trauma-exposed youth and the investigative interview
- Disasters, terror and stress management
A longitudinal study of psychological distress and exposure to trauma reminders after terrorism
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Trauma-exposed young victims: possibilities and constraints for providing trauma support within the investigative interview
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Post-disaster follow-up of the Utøya survivors. Experiences with measures implemented by public health care services.
- Disasters, terror and stress management
PTSD or not PTSD? Comparing the proposed ICD-11 and the DSM-5 PTSD criteria among young survivors of the 2011 Norway attacks and their parents
- Violence and abuse
Er det skadelig å delta i politiavhør? Å bli avhørt kort tid etter en traumatiserende hendelse kan gi utslag både i positiv og negativ retning
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Identity at risk: Students’ identity configuration in the aftermath of trauma
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Physical Injury and Somatic Complaints: The Mediating Role of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Young Survivors of a Terror Attack
- Disasters, terror and stress management
The Las Vegas Shootings—Underscoring Key Features of the Firearm Epidemic
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Emotional reactions in parents of the youth who experienced the Utøya shooting on 22 July 2011; results from a cohort study
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Does posttraumatic stress predict frequency of general practitioner visits in parents of terrorism survivors? A longitudinal study?
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Healthcare to parents of young terrorism survivors: A registry-based study in Norway
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Turning the Witness Stand into a Speaker’s Platform: Victim Participation in the Norwegian Legal System as Exemplified by the Trial Against Anders Behring Breivik
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Parents of terror victims. A longitudinal study of parental mental health following the 2011 terrorist attack on Utøya Island
- Disasters, terror and stress management
But what are they actually meant for?” The Utøya Survivors’ Experiences with the State Compensation Scheme
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Research participation after terrorism: An open cohort study of survivors and parents after the 2011 Utøya attack in Norway
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Who can I trust? Extended fear during and after the Utøya terrorist attack
- Disasters, terror and stress management
The relationship between posttraumatic stress symptoms and narrative structure among adolescent terrorist-attack survivors
- Disasters, terror and stress management
- Violence and abuse
Negotiating a new day: Parents’ contributions to supporting students’ school functioning after exposure to trauma
- Violence and abuse
Personlig vekst eller økt sårbarhet? Posttraumatisk vekst fra et utviklingsperspektiv
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Posttraumatic stress disorder and exposure to trauma reminders after a terrorist attack
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Etter Utøya-angrepet – hvem fikk tidlig hjelp?
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Following the Utøya attack – who received early assistance?
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Utøya-studien: Forskningsetiske betraktninger
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Healthcare needs, experiences and satisfaction after terrorism: A longitudinal study of survivors from the Utøya attack
- Disasters, terror and stress management
School performance after experiencing trauma: a longitudinal study of school functioning in survivors of the Utøya shootings in 2011
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Coping responses in the midst of terror: The July 22 terror attack at Utøya Island in Norway
«Opplevelser og reaksjoner hos de som var på Utøya 22. juli 2011». En oppsummering av tredje intervjurunde
Physical injury and posttraumatic stress reactions. A study of the survivors of the 2011 shooting massacre on Utøya Island, Norway
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Early postdisaster health outreach to modern families: a cross-sectional study
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Health service utilization after terrorism: A longitudinal study of survivors of the 2011 Utøya attack in Norway
Understanding terror and violence in the lives of children and adolescents
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Post-traumatic stress reactions in survivors of the 2011 massacre on Utøya Island, Norway
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Early outreach to survivors of the shootings in Norway on the 22nd of July 2011
PTSD prevalence and symptom structure of DSM-5 criteria in adolescents and young adults surviving the 2011 shooting in Norway
- Disasters, terror and stress management
”Have you experienced any unmet needs after the terrorist attack at Utøya?” The parents describe
Media Participation and Mental Health in Terrorist Attack Survivors
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Shame and guilt in the aftermath of terror: the Utøya Island study
Explaining the unexplainable: designing a national strategy on classroom communication concerning the 22 July terror attack in Norway
Lessons learned about psychosocial responses to disaster and mass trauma: an international perspective
- Disasters, terror and stress management
Opplevelser og reaksjoner hos de som var på Utøya 22. juli 2011. Deloppsummering nr. 2 fra prosjektgruppen
- Disasters, terror and stress management