Psychologists offer coping strategies for miners' families

Practical support may be the best way to help the anxious families of missing miners cope as they endure an agonising wait for news of the 29 men trapped in the Pike River coal mine, the New Zealand Psychological Society says.
There has been no communication with the miners since an explosion in the mine on Friday afternoon and police say the situation grows bleaker by the hour.
``When people are struggling with immediate shock they may need help with basic needs such as providing food, collecting clean clothes or taking care of children and pets,'' society spokeswoman Kerry Gibson said.
Many people would be experiencing feelings of helplessness but she said that could be counteracted with ``goal-directed activity''.
Action could include offering support to other people and organising teams to help address the practical needs of people and the West Coast community.
Social support was an effective way of helping people through a disaster, she said.
``It is fortunate that the Pike River community and the wider mining community is a close and cohesive one, which is likely to be a strong protective factor for those involved,'' she said.
Dr Gibson said psychological research suggested spending time with friends and family was more helpful than contact with professionals in the early stages of a disaster, although professional help might be needed at a later stage.
She also said people needed as much information as possible.
``In the Pike River explosion there are obviously practical impediments to finding out the facts of the situation, but it may still be helpful for people to be given updated information on a predictable timetable and to have clear channels for doing this,'' she said.
Regular updates, even when no new information was available, would also help and information about the range of services available could provide a greater sense of security.
``Because people often feel too shocked to take information in the midst of a disaster it is helpful to provide written information in the form of cards or pamphlets.''
Although parents might want to protect their children from knowledge about the Pike River coal mine situation, children usually picked up on adults' distress anyway, she said.
``It is often better to provide them with clear information which is appropriately adjusted to their level of understanding rather than leaving this to their imaginations,'' she said.
Children would benefit from a stable routine and being close to familiar adults to increase their sense of safety.
She said disasters challenged people's beliefs that the world was ``secure and predictable''.
The society's suggestions were only intended to help with ``immediate coping'' and other strategies would be needed for longer-term support, she said.
Meanwhile Skylight, a not-for-profit trust, has launched an Internet page to provide support for people affected by the disaster. The page can be found at the website www.skylight.org.nz.