7 - Debriefing and body recovery: war grave soldiers

Summary

EDITORIAL COMMENTS

Combat and its effects are well established as stressors, but the particular aspects of the roles of certain groups of soldiers need further research. This chapter reviews what is known about the psychological impact of body recovery, and in particular the possible effects on soldiers whose role it is to recover the bodies of colleagues or those of the enemy. Deahl's research and understanding of this field is clearly heightened by his own experience of body recovery after the Kings Cross Underground Wre in London. The special issues faced by soldiers who may recover bodies in situations of ongoing threat and factors that may mitigate the impact are the subject of this chapter.

A fortuitous naturalistic opportunity for research arose when two groups of soldiers could be compared: one had had debriefing; the other for operational reasons had not. The study found that debriefing did not mitigate the psychological distress experienced, which was very similar in the two groups. Factors that predicted ongoing distress included the degree of perceived threat experienced by the soldiers, and this was negatively correlated with previous ‘real-life experience’ of handling body remains. Past psychological problems also increased vulnerability, and only a small number had sought specialist help. Negative impact of this psychological morbidity on personal relationships was also found, indicating the significance of the morbidity described.