The experiences of peer-facilitators delivering a physical activity intervention for emergency service workers and their families

Abstract Objective: Studies concerning the importance of spirituality on the negative and positive effects of traumatic experiences are very rare. Our study attempts to determine the role of spirituality in posttraumatic stress disorders, approached as a negative result of facing traumatic events, and profiting from such experiences in the form of posttraumatic growth. Method: The study covered 116 emergency service workers (only men), including 43 firefighters (37.1%), 43 police officers (37.1%) and 30 paramedics (25.8%), who experienced a traumatic event in their line of work. Those surveyed were between 21 and 57 years of age (M = 35.28; SD = 8.13). The Impact of Event Scale was used to assess the negative effects of traumatic experience, and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory for assessing the positive effects. Spirituality was measured using the Selfdescription Questionnaire. Results: 61.2% of the workers displayed at least moderate symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, whereas 38.8% displayed low intensity symptoms. Taking into consideration the positive effects of experienced traumatic events, it was discovered that almost 40% of those surveyed displayed low levels of posttraumatic growth, 34.5% average and 25.8% high. Correlation analysis was been performed to establish the relation between spirituality and posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth. Posttraumatic growth predictors were determined. Conclusions: Study results show that spirituality is not related to the intensification of posttraumatic stress symptoms, whereas it contributes to positive posttraumatic changes. Among different aspects of spirituality, harmony plays a major role.

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Conceptualizing secondary traumatic stress among emergency service workers in Madrid, Spain

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e518692011-005 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Eugenia Morante Benadero ◽

Bernardo Moreno Jimenez ◽

Alfredo Rodriguez Muñoz ◽

B. Hudnall Stamm

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Stress ◽

Secondary Traumatic Stress ◽

Emergency Service ◽

Service Workers ◽

Emergency Service Workers

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Work–family conflict and crossover in volunteer emergency service workers

Work & Stress ◽

10.1080/02678373.2010.532947 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 342-358 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Sean Cowlishaw ◽

Lynette Evans ◽

Jim McLennan

Keyword(s):

Family Conflict ◽

Emergency Service ◽

Work Family Conflict ◽

Service Workers ◽

Work Family ◽

Emergency Service Workers

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Trauma and Mental Health Awareness in Emergency Service Workers: A Qualitative Evaluation of the Behind the Seen Education Workshops

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18094418 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (9) ◽

pp. 4418

Author(s):

Andrea Fogarty ◽

Zachary Steel ◽

Philip B. Ward ◽

Katherine M. Boydell ◽

Grace McKeon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Emergency Service ◽

Organizational Context ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Critical Role ◽

Qualitative Evaluation ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Perceived Usefulness ◽

Service Workers ◽

Emergency Service Workers

Emergency service workers (ESWs) are at high risk of experiencing poor mental health, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Programs led by ex-service organizations may play an unrecognized but critical role in mental health prevention and promotion. Behind the Seen (BTS) is an Australian ex-service organization that runs workshops to raise awareness and facilitate conversations around the mental health of ESWs. The purpose of the study is to conduct a qualitative evaluation of workshop participants’ experiences, to understand the acceptability and perceived usefulness over the immediate- (within 1 month), intermediate- (6 months) and longer-terms (12 months). Participants (n = 59 ESWs) were recruited using purposive sampling across five fire and rescue services in metropolitan, regional, and rural locations. Focus groups methodology was used for data collection and data were analyzed using iterative categorization techniques. Participants reported (i) a high perceived need for education about PTSD, (ii) highly salient aspects of the presentation that made for a positive learning experience, including the importance of the lived experiences of the facilitators in the learning process, (iii) key features of changes to intentions, attitudes, and behavior, and (iv) major aspects of the organizational context that affected the understanding and uptake of the program’s key messages. BTS was perceived as an acceptable means of delivering mental health, PTSD, and help-seeking information to ESWs. The program is a promising candidate for scaling-up and further translation.

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The impact of emergency call taking on the mental health and wellbeing of ambulance call-takers: A systematic thematic narrative of qualitative research

Australasian Journal of Paramedicine ◽

10.33151/ajp.17.801 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Eileen Willis ◽

Sharon Lawn ◽

Louise Roberts ◽

Leah Couzner ◽

Leila Mohammadi Mohammadi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Peer Review ◽

Vicarious Trauma ◽

Emergency Service ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Workplace Culture ◽

Service Workers ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Emergency Service Workers ◽

The Impact

BackgroundOver the past decade there has been significant focus on the mental health and wellbeing of emergency service workers in Australia, evidenced by the 2018 Senate Inquiry into the role of Commonwealth, state and territory Governments in addressing the high rates of mental health conditions experienced by first responders, emergency service workers and volunteers. Call-takers as an occupational group within this domain are at risk of cumulative and vicarious trauma, yet there is little research on their work-related mental illness. This systematic thematic narative literature review of qualitative articles reports on the mental health and wellbeing of emergency call-takers. MethodsBoth published peer review (2000–2018) and grey literature (2009–2018) that examined the impact of emergency work on call-takers was retrieved. Papers that focussed on call-takers’ psychological and psychosocial health were selected. Databases included Ovid Medline, CINAHL, Ovid EMcare, PsychInfo, Scopus as well as Google Scholar. ResultsFourteen articles met the eligibility criteria; five peer review and nine grey literature studies. Thematic analysis identified issues around surveillance versus lack of supervision; role denial versus advocacy; and failure to acknowledge vicarious trauma. Suggestions for improvement required recognition of the stressful nature of the work, improvements in workplace culture and the provision of support and counselling services. ConclusionWorkplace stressors for call-takers arise from their work in dealing with trauma related communication with the public as well workplace culture, particularly the response of management to issues such as shift work, poorly managed rosters and long hours of work with little time for recovery. Compounding these issues is the invisibility of call-taker work.

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Association between probable posttraumatic stress disorder and quality of life in emergency service workers: a mediation analysis using a third potential model with both in parallel and in series effects; a cross-sectional study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-17468/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yoshikazu Noda ◽

Kenichi Asano ◽

Eiji Shimizu ◽

Yoshiyuki Hirano

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Mediation Analysis ◽

Emergency Service ◽

Potential Model ◽

Active Coping ◽

Stress Coping ◽

Service Workers ◽

Brief Cope ◽

Positive Reframing ◽

Emergency Service Workers

Abstract Background The present study used a third potential model with both in parallel and in series effects to identify mediators influencing the association between probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and quality of life (QOL). In addition, we sought to clarify how stress-coping behaviors influence components of QOL. Methods Participants were 220 emergency service workers. PTSD was assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). QOL was assessed using the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Mediation analysis and moderated mediation analysis of interaction effects with a third potential model were used to examine the effects of stress-coping (Brief COPE scores), social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support [MSPSS] scores), and resilience (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale [CD-RISC] scores) on the association between probable PTSD and QOL. Results The mediation analysis with confounders suggested an acceptable model fit. The moderated mediation analysis did not indicate differences in the moderators. IES-R scores were significantly positively associated with Active coping, Venting, and Positive reframing in Brief COPE scores and were significantly negatively associated with MSPSS scores. Active coping, Venting, and Positive reframing in Brief COPE and MSPSS scores was significantly positively associated with CD-RISC scores, which were significantly positively associated with SF-36 scores. A sensitivity analysis comparing the results between the full information maximum likelihood method and the list-wise deletion method indicated that the 95% confidence interval included zero and a good model fit was not maintained for indices of coping strategies in Venting and Positive reframing in Brief COPE scores. Conclusions Active coping in response to stressful situations is an important behavior for maintaining good mental health among emergency service workers. In addition, Active coping in stress-coping and social support may have strengthened participants’ resilience, and resilience may have improved QOL. However, Positive reframing and Venting might have confounded the results because they exhibited a Not Missing At Random data distribution. Screening of mental health and QOL should include simultaneous assessment of stress-coping, social support, and resilience. Although the present findings are suggestive, because this was a cross-sectional study, causal relationships between PTSD and QOL mediated by three mediators could not be confirmed.

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