The psycho-social follow-up after the terror of July 22nd 2011 as experienced by the bereaved

During the terror attack of 22nd July 2011, at Utøya, 69 mainly young people were killed, leaving more than 210 siblings and parents behind. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, the Norwegian Government initiated a proactive psychosocial follow-up for bereaved families, implying that the service system should initiate contact with those who had lost a family member. In a combined quantitative and qualitative study a year and a half after the terror attack, we describe the proactive model for psychosocial support and report on how bereaved parents (n = 67) and siblings (n = 36) evaluate different aspects of the model. In line with previous studies, bereaved parents and siblings applauded the proactive model for follow-up, but called for more empathic, stable and educated helpers.»/>