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Malignant Memories

Effect of a Shooting in the Workplace on School Personnel's Attitudes

Northwestern University Medical School

JANICE M. KOWALSKI

Northwestern University Medical School

Because attitudes signify how an individual organizes and integrates perceptions of self and social context, effects of a man-made disaster in the workplace on attitudes toward self, family, workplace, community, and social issues were surveyed in school personnel 6 and 18 months after a shooting and intervention to extend understanding of human response to stress. Results showed that attitudes were more positive than negative in this study group. Additionally, specific attitudes were associated with specific preexisting personality and familial variables, as well as posttraumatic and associated symptoms. Positive attitudes toward the self were associated with fewer maladaptive personality and family characteristics. Positive attitudes toward family correlated with fewer maladaptive personality features and fewer posttraumatic symptoms. Positive attitudes toward community and workplace, especially coworkers, were associated with fewer posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated symptoms. Generally, the findings suggest that a variety of attitudes and their evolution in the wake of a disaster, some of which may be quite specific to the event, are associated with posttraumatic morbidity, subject variables, and with other attitudes. The authors discuss implications of these findings within the biopsychosocial framework of malignant memories.

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