Adherence to Psychological First Aid after Exposure to a Traumatic Event at Work among EMS Workers: A Qualitative Study

Exploring the needs of healthcare workers receiving psychological first aid during the COVID19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Healthcare workers (HCW; e.g., nurses, social workers) work in stressful conditions, a situation that has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A review of the supportive role of Psychological first aid (PFA) suggested that it can protect HCW from psychological distress. Despite the growing interest of PFA among public health organizations, there is a dearth of literature on its potential impact for the psychological well-being of HCW and its implementation within organizations.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate whether PFA met the psychological needs of HCW in Montreal, Quebec.

METHODS

A sample of 15 HCW who received PFA by a peer within their organization were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Qualitative research using thematic analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

Five themes were identified: 1) PFA satisfied participants' psychosocial needs; 2) PFA provided by peers allowed participants to feel understood and supported; 3) High availability and multiple modalities facilitated PFA access; 4) Occupational and organizational cultures hindered PFA access; and 5) Recommendations to promote the use of the PFA service.

CONCLUSION

Results describe four psychosocial needs met by the PFA intervention: to have resources/strategies, to be validated, to obtain a better understanding of the psychological reactions they were experiencing, and to be guided and supported in their difficulties at work. Overall, these findings illustrate how PFA goes beyond the reduction of distress symptoms in the aftermath of a potentially traumatic event. The relevance to further the assessment of PFA's positive effects on psychological adaptation and/or recovery is also highlighted.

Evaluation of the Implementation of the NFFF Stress First Aid Intervention in Career Fire Departments: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Firefighting is inherently dangerous, though recently concerns have shifted from traditional fireground injuries (burns and asphyxiation) to a focus on mental and behavioral health. Although firefighters are remarkably resilient, research suggests many suffer negative psychological consequences from repeated exposures to trauma. While the Stress First Aid (SFA) model has gained increased attention and adoption among fire departments as a model for behavioral health training, it has not been formally evaluated. This cluster randomized controlled trial used a crossover design comparing the immediate SFA group to delayed SFA control to test the impact of the SFA on firefighters' mental and behavioral health changes after 10-12 months (n = 400; Mage = 37.6, 4.8% women). A convenience sample of 79 firefighters (Mage = 41.4; 8.7% women) provided evaluations on one or more of the training modules. Participants reported satisfaction with all training components (Peer team training 97.6%, Online SFA 94.9%, Curbside Manner 88.4%, After Action Review 89.4%) and reported success in changing personnel's perception of their department's ability to respond to behavioral health issues (SFA M = 3.93, Control 3.50; t = 2.52, p = 0.042). Future work should focus on additional resources and training to augment existing efforts to help departments continue their efforts.

A feasibility study of psychological first aid as a supportive intervention among police officers exposed to traumatic events

Introduction

Police officers are often exposed to traumatic events, which can induce psychological distress and increase the risk of developing post-traumatic stress injuries. To date, little is known about support and prevention of traumatic events in police organizations. Psychological first aid (PFA) has been promoted as a promising solution to prevent psychological distress following exposure to a traumatic event. However, PFA has not yet been adapted to policing reality, let alone to the frequent exposure to traumatic events faced by this population. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of PFA as an early intervention for the prevention of post-traumatic stress injuries among police officers in Quebec, Canada. Specifically, the objectives were to evaluate: (1) the demand. (2) the practicality, and (3) the acceptability of PFA in a police organization.

Methods

A feasibility study was conducted to evaluate the implementation of PFA among Quebec’s provincial police force. To do so, 36 police officers participated in semi-structured interviews between October 26th, 2021, and July 23rd, 2022. Participants were comprised of responders (n = 26), beneficiaries (n = 4) and managers (n = 6). Interviews were transcribed, coded, and evaluated according to a thematic analysis.

Results

Eleven themes emerged from participants’ responses. Results suggested that PFA met individual and organizational needs. References were also made regarding the impacts of this intervention. Moreover, participants provided feedback for improving the implementation and sustainability of a PFA program. All three groups of participants shared similar thematic content.

Discussion

Findings revealed that implementation of a PFA program in a law enforcement agency was feasible and could be accomplished without major issues. Importantly, PFA had beneficial consequences within the organization. Specifically, PFA destigmatized mental health issues and renewed a sense of hope among police personnel. These findings are in line with previous research.

Protocols and strategies to use emergency psychology in the face of an emergency: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Trauma survivors are at a high risk of developing mental health problems. Hence, mental help in the form of emergency psychology has to be availed in the aftermath of a traumatizing event. When studied in-depth, emergency psychology comprises protocols, strategies, and techniques that establish it as an interventional activity.

OBJECTIVE

The main of this review is to analyze how emergency psychology services are provided to people, to verify to what extent these interventions are homogeneous in the delivery methods and consequently, facilitate the creation of relevant measures. Consequently, the general view of emergency psychology is reviewed and analyzed to identify the protocols, guidelines, and strategies used.

METHODS

A search was done on the ScienceDirect, APA PsycINFO, Emerald, and Scopus databases for articles published from 1st January 2017 to 1st April 2022. The reference lists of the identified studies were also screened.

RESULTS

After the non-duplicate articles were removed and after filtering the articles according to inclusion criteria, 20 articles were included for the thematic analysis: nine research articles, 10 case study reports, and one randomized controlled trial (RCT). During the analysis, different aspects of emergency psychology were categorized: Responders, Crisis Management and Structure, and types of psychological interventions. This categorization led to the identification of protocols, guidelines, and strategies that can be placed in a sequence to give a general direction of how an emergency psychology intervention is supposed to be carried out.

CONCLUSIONS

The adopted protocols, guidelines and strategies may vary from one disaster management to another but the main goal will always remain the same.