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. 2019 Feb 20:10:65.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00065. eCollection 2019.

Early Phase Psychiatric Response for Children and Adolescents After Mass Trauma: Lessons Learned From the Truck-Ramming Attack in Nice on July 14th, 2016

Florence Askenazy  1   2 , Morgane Gindt  1   2 , Lucie Chauvelin  1   2 , Michèle Battista  1 , Fabian Guenolé  3   4 , Susanne Thümmler  1   2
Affiliations

Early Phase Psychiatric Response for Children and Adolescents After Mass Trauma: Lessons Learned From the Truck-Ramming Attack in Nice on July 14th, 2016

Florence Askenazy et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Recent years have seen a multiplication of terrorist attacks in public places across European and North American countries, thus heightening the need for public mental health planning and response strategies focused on the special needs of children and their families. The present article retrospectively analyzes the early phase psychiatric response for children and adolescents after the truck attack in Nice on July 14th, 2016. In addition, lessons which can be drawn from it will be discussed, with a focus on organizational challenges in the early phase. During the first 2 weeks after the attack, 668 individuals have been registered at the medico-psychological emergency unit of the Children's Hospitals of Nice, including 365 (54.6%) children and adolescents of all ages. Overall, 146 child and adolescent mental health care professionals participated in this specific facility, including 75 psychiatrists and psychologists. The implementation of the medico-psychological emergency unit dedicated to the pediatric population has been an indispensable and unprecedented public health challenge in our country. Future studies are needed in order to evaluate and to improve the efficiency of the individual as well as collective impact of early phase psychiatric interventions dedicated for children and adolescents after mass trauma.

Keywords: CUMP; child and adolescent psychiatry; disaster; emergency psychological response; terrorism; trauma related disorders.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Organization of Specific Psychological Care for children and adolescents after the Nice terrorist attack of July 14th, 2016. CUMP, Cellule d'Urgence Médico-Psychologique; EPRUS, Equipe de Préparation et de Réponse Aux Urgences Sanitaires.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mental health professionals participating in the Pediatric Medico-Psychological Emergency Cell (CUMP) accross the period of July 15–28th, 2016.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Numbers of consultations for children and adolescents at the Pediatric Medico- Psychological Emergency Cell across the period of July 15–28th, 2016.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Sex differences according to age. Whereas boys slightly dominated (56 %) before the age of 6, female adolescents clearly constituted the majority of consultations after age of 12.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Professionals participating in eight group debriefing sessions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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