Losing a Family Member in an Act of Terror: A Review from the Qualitative Grey Literature on the Long-Term Affects of September 11, 2001

Abstract

Nearly 15 years following the attacks on September 11, 2001, much learning has been acquired regarding the psychological affects of mass violence. Less is known, however, about the long-term impact of 9/11 on those with family members who died in the attacks. A few quantitative studies were conducted specific to grief and terrorism and these findings suggest that symptoms may be more severe and persist over a longer period than for those facing death due to other violent circumstances. While only a few studies examined the long-term experiences of family members aggrieved by 9/11, several qualitative studies were conducted years following the attacks but these investigations are found in the grey literature. Therefore, this review included a sample of five qualitative studies, which met inclusion criteria, and had not been published in the peer-review literature. The purpose of this review was to understand if any common themes existed between investigations that were conducted from 3 to 12 years after 9/11/01. Ten noteworthy themes were found that were common across investigations. Several themes were endorsed by participants in three to four studies, and included, sharing the tragedy and personal grief publicly, taking action, and financial compensation. The remaining themes were endorsed by family members across all five studies and included discussions about bodily remains, persistent and comparative grief, relationship changes, support groups and services, remembering their family member, and healing and growth after loss. While the findings in this review cannot be generalized to all families affected by 9/11, given the nature of the data, there are a number of important implications from this review discussed that are relevant for shaping future research and having clinical awareness about the long-term affects of mass violence.