Atle Dyregrov
University of Bergen, Clinical psychology, Faculty Member
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Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Psychometrics, China, Adolescent, and 14 moreEarthquake, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Disasters, Humans, Child, Earthquakes, Survivors, Female, Confirmatory factor analysis, Male, Translating, Children and Adolescents, Reproducibility of Results, and Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
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Early parental death is one of the most stressful childhood life events and may influence subsequent psychological health. We investigated the association between early parental loss and risk of hospitalization for an affective disorder... more
Early parental death is one of the most stressful childhood life events and may influence subsequent psychological health. We investigated the association between early parental loss and risk of hospitalization for an affective disorder in adulthood. Our nationwide register-based cohort study comprises 1,225,660 people born in Denmark in 1970-1990, of whom 138,893 experienced the death of a parent before the age of 30 years. Follow-up for hospitalization for an affective disorder in the period 1990-2009 yielded 15,261,058 person-years and 19,867 hospitalizations for affective disorder (bereaved n = 2,644; nonbereaved n = 17,223). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess hazard ratios (HRs) for hospitalization with an affective disorder according to early parental death. People who experienced early parental death had an increased risk of hospitalization for a unipolar disorder (men: HR= 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23-1.44; women: 1.23; 1.17-1.30). Stronger associations were observed for parental death caused by suicide than for other causes. For bipolar affective disorder, an increased risk of hospitalization was observed only after suicide. People who had lost a parent had an increased risk of hospitalization for unipolar affective disorder. Although this was particularly true for bereavement due to parental suicide, it was also found for parental death from other causes. In contrast, an increased risk of hospitalization for bipolar affective disorder was observed only after parental suicide.
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To assess the amount of stress exposure and reactions among children following a war situation, two comparative groups of non-displaced (N = 64) and displaced children (N = 70) from Croatia were administered a modified version of the War... more
To assess the amount of stress exposure and reactions among children following a war situation, two comparative groups of non-displaced (N = 64) and displaced children (N = 70) from Croatia were administered a modified version of the War Trauma Questionnaire as well as the Impact of Event Scale (IES). The results showed that a majority of the children had been exposed to armed combat, with displaced children significantly more exposed to destruction of home and school as well as to acts of violence, and loss of family members, than the non-displaced children. Regarding the IES scores, displaced children had significantly higher scores for the total score and for the intrusion and avoidance subscales. For girls the total score and intrusion score were significantly higher than for boys. Different exposure factors were significantly related to the IES scores, especially for the intrusion subscale of the IES.
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In this article, the psychological emergency mobilization process that takes place in threat situations is postulated. Mental mobilization is the increased mental capability of the mind in critical situations to process incoming and... more
In this article, the psychological emergency mobilization process that takes place in threat situations is postulated. Mental mobilization is the increased mental capability of the mind in critical situations to process incoming and stored information to enable adaptive survival responses. The processes that are mobilized in the service of survival are enhanced sensory awareness, focused attention, rapid processing of incoming data, and use of previous experience, enhanced memory, altered time perception, and temporary deactivation of emotional reactions. From a clinical standpoint, it is important that the survival value of these processes is understood, as survivors can be helped to feel a sense of accomplishment and empowerment when they are taken through a critical situation in a detailed way and discover that they have been able to function well and survive by use of their stored "experience," rapid processing of information or other aspects of their mental mobilization.
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Medical advances that save the lives of many seriously ill children have led to increased interest in the psychosocial consequences of childhood illness and have instigated programs to better the quality of life for all family members. A... more
Medical advances that save the lives of many seriously ill children have led to increased interest in the psychosocial consequences of childhood illness and have instigated programs to better the quality of life for all family members. A family-oriented program is described that aims to provide early psychological intervention. Besides information on social and psychological problems likely to arise from the hospitalization experience, parents are provided not only with an opportunity to place the illness in the context of their family history but also with practical advice as to how to cope with problems the illness creates, including schooling and financial pressures. To prevent later parental conflicts, the need for both parents to follow the child at the hospital for the 1st few weeks is stressed. (42 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Traumatized children struggle with intrusive images and thoughts, avoidance reactions and hyperarousal. Different practical guidelines and tools for helping children with these problems,are outlines. Several methods,are described such
Lack of trust in the health-care system after losing a child to suicide may prevent bereaved parents from seeking professional treatment when needed, thus diminishing their chances of recovery. This is the first large study to aim at... more
Lack of trust in the health-care system after losing a child to suicide may prevent bereaved parents from seeking professional treatment when needed, thus diminishing their chances of recovery. This is the first large study to aim at evaluating the incidence of lack of trust in the health-care system and associated variables in suicide-bereaved parents. This nationwide population-based survey included 569 parents who lost a child to suicide 2-5 years earlier and a matched comparison group of 326 nonbereaved parents. Using a study-specific questionnaire, we asked bereaved and nonbereaved parents if they trusted the health-care system and measured psychological and background variables. Prevalence of lack of trust in the health-care system differed between the bereaved (46.5%) and the nonbereaved parents (18.3%), giving a relative risk of 2.5 (95% CI = 2.0-3.3). After multivariable modeling, high scores of depression, living in big cities, and being single were identified as variables...
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Given the magnitude of the possible exposure and duration of distress evidenced by Iraqi children, there is strong reason to expect that this, in combination with malnutrition and reduced school attendance, will dramatically reduce their... more
Given the magnitude of the possible exposure and duration of distress evidenced by Iraqi children, there is strong reason to expect that this, in combination with malnutrition and reduced school attendance, will dramatically reduce their learning potential.
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In 1999, 69 people survived a maritime disaster on the Norwegian coast, during which 16 others died. Besides immediate psychosocial assistance, post-disaster intervention included psychological debriefings after one week, follow-up... more
In 1999, 69 people survived a maritime disaster on the Norwegian coast, during which 16 others died. Besides immediate psychosocial assistance, post-disaster intervention included psychological debriefings after one week, follow-up debriefing a month later, screening of those in need of individual help, and help for those returning to the scene of the disaster. The results of the psychometric tests showed that a considerable number of survivors scored above clinical cut-off points for extreme stress reactions. These results were compared with results from other studies of maritime disasters. Although the life threat and exposure in this disaster were extreme, the scores were lower than for the other studies, with one exception. The authors concluded the lower distress scores compared to other maritime disasters were probably impacted by the structured and caring system that was implemented to care for survivors. Almost all (93%) considered the debriefing meetings as helpful, and the...
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Meaning in misfortune? Parents' thoughts following the death of their child. Abstract. - Based on a retrospective survey con- ducted 1 to 4 years after the death of a child, and a prospective follow-up of parents that lose a child,... more
Meaning in misfortune? Parents' thoughts following the death of their child. Abstract. - Based on a retrospective survey con- ducted 1 to 4 years after the death of a child, and a prospective follow-up of parents that lose a child, parents' cognitive construction of mea- ning and sense into a meaningless event is pre- sented. It is shown that the
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Crisis interventions following exposure to traumatic events have become common in most western and in some non-western countries. The literature regarding early interventions, specifically the use of Psychological Debriefing (PD), is... more
Crisis interventions following exposure to traumatic events have become common in most western and in some non-western countries. The literature regarding early interventions, specifically the use of Psychological Debriefing (PD), is grounded in a western context. Little has been written of its use in different cultural settings. This article focuses on the use of PD in different cultural settings, as well as some of the conceptual issues related to cross-cultural trauma research and practice, which inevitably have implications for the use of early intervention. Ten key implications for practice are suggested.
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Stillbirth, neonatal death and Sudden Infant Death (SIDS): ... ATLE DYREGROV and STIG BERGE MAITHIESEN Univerziry of Bergen, Department of Pediatrics. Norway ... Dyregrov, A. & Matthiesen, S. B.: Stillbirth, neonatal death... more
Stillbirth, neonatal death and Sudden Infant Death (SIDS): ... ATLE DYREGROV and STIG BERGE MAITHIESEN Univerziry of Bergen, Department of Pediatrics. Norway ... Dyregrov, A. & Matthiesen, S. B.: Stillbirth, neonatal death and Sudden Infant Death (SIDS): parental ...
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Research Interests: Psychology, Traumatic Stress, Evolution, Comparative Study, Norway, and 16 moreHumans, Child, Personality Assessment Inventory, Female, Disaster, Male, Follow-up studies, Relief Work, Psychogenic, Middle Aged, General Health Questionnaire, Adult, Volunteers, Debriefing, Occupational Diseases, and Wounds and Injuries
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On October 29, 1998, around 400 young people were gathered in an old warehouse in Göteborg, Sweden, for a discotheque party. A fire erupted and spread explosively. Adolescents were exposed to dreadful scenes inside and outside the... more
On October 29, 1998, around 400 young people were gathered in an old warehouse in Göteborg, Sweden, for a discotheque party. A fire erupted and spread explosively. Adolescents were exposed to dreadful scenes inside and outside the building. In all, 63 young people were killed and 213 physically injured. An 18-month follow-up with 275 adolescents (126 girls) who survived the fire, regarding the effects of the fire on symptoms of posttraumatic stress, school adjustment and performance, is reported. Impact of Events Scale (IES), Clinician Administered Posttraumatic Stress Scale (CAPS) and an interview concerning background factors and issues of public and personal support. The level of posttraumatic stress was generally high, and highest among adolescents with an immigrant background. In all, 25% of the participants met DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. Twenty-three percent of the participants reported having either dropped out of school or repeated a class because of the fire. Students' ratings of how their own school handled the situation, and school absenteeism, were related to ratings of their own performance in school as well as to the level of posttraumatic stress. Traditional talking cures were more sought out by girls than boys. Broad-scale interventions must be complemented with special treatment opportunities for the most severely afflicted. Victims who suffer from high levels of posttraumatic stress need special support for a long period of time to minimise the effects on scholastic achievement and adjustment. Studies of the effects of traumatic events on child and adolescent development should measure school-related effects better than has hitherto been the case.