9/11 Family Members Invited to Share Experiences to Help Others

To help families heal after losing a loved one to mass violence, it is critical to first recognize that the experience and needs of each family member are unique and continue to evolve for many years.

The nonprofit Voices of September 11th, or VOICES, embraces that mission. A partner of the 9/11 Memorial, the organization was formed to help families heal after 9/11. It continues to help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from other acts of mass violence and traumatic events.

VOICES is conducting a research study, “Investigating the Long-Term Impact of Bereavement Due to Terrorism: Factors That Contribute to Trauma, Grief, Growth and Resilience,” to identify and understand the immediate and ongoing needs of family members following a tragic loss. Family members of those lost on 9/11 are invited to participate in an anonymous online questionnaire. The questionnaire is open to all immediate and extended family members of the 2,977 individuals lost in the 9/11 attacks and the 329 individuals lost in the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182.

Participants must be related to a victim of one of these events, be at least 18 years of age, and understand English. Identifying information will not be collected. The questionnaire takes approximately 40-50 minutes to complete.

VOICES is working in collaboration with the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime and the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University to conduct the study, with Dr. Stephen Cozza as the Principal Investigator.

The research study is available at www.voicesofsept11research.org. The deadline to complete the questionnaire is Sunday, Jan. 17.

Click here for more information on the study. Please direct questions about the study to Voices of September 11th at (203) 966-3911 or email Mary Fetchet at mafetchet@voicesofsept11.org.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff