BeSeCu-S – a self-report instrument for emergency survivors

Abstract

Little intercultural research with standardised instruments has been conducted regarding survivors’ responses (i.e. their emotions, cognitions and activities) to emergency situations. Based on results from focus groups, with survivors and experts, as well as a pre-test, a standardised psychological instrument was developed: the BeSeCu-S (Behaviour, Security, and Culture – Survivor). The BeSeCu-S is a questionnaire for people who have experienced an emergency situation where lives and property were threatened and evacuation from a structure was a valid option. It is subdivided into four main stages of such an event: Beginning, Realisation, Evacuation and Aftermath. A total of 1112 survivors from eight different countries and five different emergency situations took part in the field study. The results indicate that the questionnaire can enable researchers to analyse survivors’ responses in relation to pre-, peri- and post-event factors (e.g. emergency knowledge, time to begin evacuating, injuries and post-traumatic stress symptoms). Additionally, analyses across different nationalities, event types and stages of an event appear possible.

Keywords:

• emergency
• behaviour
• survivors

Acknowledgements

The project BeSeCu (contract No.218324) is funded under the European Union Framework programme 7 – Security. The authors acknowledge the collaboration of their project partners: Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald, Germany; Hamburg Fire and Emergency Service Academy, Germany; University of Greenwich, UK; Institute of Public Security of Catalonia, Spain; Prague Psychiatric Centre, Czech Republic; MTO Säkerhet AB (MTO Safety AB), Sweden; Main School of Fire Service, Poland; Association of Emergency Ambulance Physicians, Turkey; University of Bologna, Italy; in undertaking this work and in allowing the project findings to be published.