Abstract

Between 15% and 39% of people faced with a traumatic event will develop a post-traumatic stress episode and other mental health problems. These episodes have important repercussions on psychosocial functioning, the return to work, and quality of life.

In 1999, the Centre jeunesse de Montréal-Institut universitaire (CJM-IU, Montreal youth centre, University institute) established a prevention program, considering the high potential of exposure of its personnel to violent events: physical aggression, attempted murder, suicides, etc. Since it was established, the post-traumatic intervention protocol and associated management measures has been applied an average of 55 times per year.

The general objective of this project is to describe the CJM-IU intervention in the context of its application (phase 1) and to evaluate its effectiveness (phase 2). Phase I aims to describe the CJM-IU intervention in an actual application context, to identify the underlying theory, and to document alternative interventions. The aim of Phase II will be to evaluate the impact of the intervention on workers faced with traumatic events.

At the end of this two-phase project, the researchers will have probative data for formulating recommendations for organizations whose workers are exposed to violent events.