Londoners coped well with terror attacks
The majority of people in London coped well with the aftermath of the July 7th terror attacks in the capital, a report finds.
Two weeks after the attacks, a cross section of Londoners were asked about how their stress levels and travel intentions for a British Medical Journal survey.
The authors of the report, published today, say the results were “reassuring” and that there was “no evidence of a widespread desire for professional counselling”.
The interviews were carried out before the second, failed wave of attacks on July 21st.
Most people were able to rely on friends and relatives to support them psychologically in the aftermath of the attacks, the authors say. A majority, 71 per cent, had spoken to friends or relatives about the attacks, while only one per cent of people said they needed professional help.
Despite the majority apparently coping well, around a third of those asked, 31 per cent, said they felt substantial stress, and 32 per cent said they would use public transport less or try to avoid central London.
People who experienced difficulty contacting others by mobile phone, and believed they or a close friend or relative might have been injured or killed, were associated with higher levels of stress.
Muslims reported significantly more stress than people of other religions. In contrast, being white and having previous experience of terrorism (such as of IRA terrorism campaign) was associated with reduced stress.
“Despite some study limitations, these results are reassuring,” the authors said.
“Although the psychological needs of those intimately caught up in the attacks will require further assessment, we found no evidence of a widespread desire for professional counselling.”
The interviews, of 1,010 Londoners, took place between 18th and 20th July.
