Stress and resilience in military mortuary workers: care of the dead from battlefield to home

Death Stud. 2015 Jan-Jun;39(1-5):92-8. doi: 10.1080/07481187.2014.893463. Epub 2014 Oct 28.

Abstract

The death of a military service member in war provokes feelings of distress and pride in mortuary workers who process the remains. To further understand their reactions, the authors interviewed 34 military and civilian personnel to learn more about their work stresses and rewards. They review stresses of anticipation, exposure, and experience in handling the dead and explore the personal, supervisory, and leadership strategies to reduce negative effects and promote personal growth. These results can be applied to many other situations requiring planning, implementing, and supervising mortuary operations involving mass death.

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • Adult
  • Death*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interview, Psychological / methods
  • Life Change Events
  • Male
  • Military Personnel / psychology*
  • Mortuary Practice / methods*
  • Needs Assessment
  • Resilience, Psychological*
  • Reward
  • Social Support
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* / etiology
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* / psychology
  • Stress, Psychological / etiology
  • Stress, Psychological / prevention & control
  • Stress, Psychological / psychology
  • Warfare*