Psychological First-Aid Experiences of Disaster Health Care Workers: A Qualitative Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun-Jung Choi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Community Mental Health Service ◽  
Disaster Mental Health ◽  
Psychological First Aid ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
First Aid Training ◽  
Disaster Trauma

ABSTRACTObjective:Disaster health care workers experience much greater stress providing psychological first-aid and suffer from the indirect experience of traumatic events. This study examines how disaster health care workers experience disaster mental health.Methods:Twenty-one disaster health care workers recruited from fire stations, community mental health service centers, and disaster trauma centers in Korea participated in this study. Data were collected via in-depth interviews and qualitatively analyzed according to Colaizzi’s phenomenological approach.Results:Disaster health care workers’ experiences of disaster mental health can be analyzed according to 4 theme categories: (1) commitment to one’s duty as a disaster health care worker; (2) powerlessness and lack of confidence; (3) incident shock and burnout; and (4) incomplete and inadequate healing.Conclusions:In order to prevent mental health problems and support the disaster health care workers, it is necessary to develop and provide effective, nationwide psychological first-aid training, as well as disaster trauma recovery programs that are tailored to Korean sociocultural context and use immersive digital health care/education technology.

scholarly journals Mental Health First Aid Training for Health Care Workers in the Primary Health Care Center in Surabaya

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 149-152
Author(s):  
Atika Dian Ariana ◽  
Tri Kurniati Ambarini ◽  
Dian Kartika Amelia Arbi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Primary Health Care Center ◽  
Mental Health First Aid ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
First Aid Training

The limitation of number of mental health professionals practicing at the primary health care center requires health care workers to be able to identify and intervene early in cases of mental disorders. Therefore, mental health first aid training for health care workers is needed. This research aims to examine the effectiveness of mental health first aid training to improve mental health literacy of the health care workers in the primary health care center. This was a simple randomized design with one group. The intervention was mental health first aid training which includes six sessions, namely mental health, mental health first aid, depression, anxiety, psychotics, and action plan. The training was attended by 58 health care workers and 1 staff from the Health Office of Surabaya. The instruments used were Mental Illness: Clinicians' Attitude Scale (MICA-4) to measure attitudes towards people with mental disorders and true-false questions to measure knowledge about mental health. The result of data analysis with paired-samples t-test showed that the mental health first aid training was effective in increasing the mental health literacy of health workers. Participants showed a significant increase in understanding of mental health (t = 3.575; p = 0.000). However, the limited opportunities for practice and direct interaction with mental patients affects the insignificant impact of training on changing attitudes towards people with mental disorders (t = -0.371; p = 0.753). Finally, this study recommends training methods that involve more practice in the future.

scholarly journals COVID-19 is having a destructive impact on health-care workers’ mental well-being

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Vanhaecht ◽  
Deborah Seys ◽  
Luk Bruyneel ◽  
Bianca Cox ◽  
Gorik Kaesemans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Sources Of Support ◽  
Mental Well Being

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may aggravate workplace conditions that impact health-care workers’ mental health. However, it can also place other stresses on workers outside of their work. This study determines the effect of COVID-19 on symptoms of negative and positive mental health and the workforce’s experience with various sources of support. Effect modification by demographic variables was also studied. Methods A cross-sectional survey study, conducted between 2 April and 4 May 2020 (two waves), led to a convenience sample of 4509 health-care workers in Flanders (Belgium), including paramedics (40.6%), nurses (33.4%), doctors (13.4%) and management staff (12.2%). About three in four were employed in university and acute hospitals (29.6%), primary care practices (25.7%), residential care centers (21.3%) or care sites for disabled and mental health care. In each of the two waves, participants were asked how frequently (on a scale of 0–10) they experienced positive and negative mental health symptoms during normal circumstances and during last week, referred to as before and during COVID-19, respectively. These symptoms were stress, hypervigilance, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, unable to relax, fear, irregular lifestyle, flashback, difficulty concentrating, feeling unhappy and dejected, failing to recognize their own emotional response, doubting knowledge and skills and feeling uncomfortable within the team. Associations between COVID-19 and mental health symptoms were estimated by cumulative logit models and reported as odds ratios. The needed support was our secondary outcome and was reported as the degree to which health-care workers relied on sources of support and how they experienced them. Results All symptoms were significantly more pronounced during versus before COVID-19. For hypervigilance, there was a 12-fold odds (odds ratio 12.24, 95% confidence interval 11.11–13.49) during versus before COVID-19. Positive professional symptoms such as the feeling that one can make a difference were less frequently experienced. The association between COVID-19 and mental health was generally strongest for the age group 30–49 years, females, nurses and residential care centers. Health-care workers reported to rely on support from relatives and peers. A considerable proportion, respectively, 18 and 27%, reported the need for professional guidance from psychologists and more support from their leadership. Conclusions The toll of the crisis has been heavy on health-care workers. Those who carry leadership positions at an organizational or system level should take this opportunity to develop targeted strategies to mitigate key stressors of health-care workers’ mental well-being.

scholarly journals Social support and mental health among health care workers during Coronavirus Disease 2019 outbreak: A moderated mediation model

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. e0233831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianya Hou ◽  
Taiquan Zhang ◽  
Wenpeng Cai ◽  
Xiangrui Song ◽  
Aibin Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Moderated Mediation ◽  
Mediation Model ◽  
Moderated Mediation Model ◽  
Care Workers

A comprehensive public mental health programme in Guinea-Bissau: a useful model for African, Asian and Latin-American countries

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joop T. V. M. De Jong
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Public Mental Health ◽  
Diagnostic Sensitivity ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Mental Health Programme ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Health Programme

SynopsisFrom 1983–1994 a community mental health programme was set up in Guinea-Bissau. The first part of the programme concentrated on epidemiological aspects: rural and urban study areas were selected on socio-economic level and participation in the liberation war. A two-stage design was used to screen 351 adult consecutive general health care attenders and 100 children in a rural and an urban area for mental disorder. Psychiatric disorders have a morbidity of 12% among adults seen in Primary Health Care. Disorders were mainly neuroses (74%), but more psychoses were found than in other countries. No statistically significant difference in morbidity was found between rural-urban areas or between previous war and non-war zones. The diagnostic sensitivity of the Primary Health Care workers was 31%, their diagnostic specificity 88%. Thirteen per cent of the children showed neuropsychiatric disturbances. There were no sociocultural impediments to this public mental health approach. During the following intervention programme 850 Primary Health Care workers were trained and supervised nationwide. The diagnostic sensitivity of major mental disorders and epilepsy increased from 31% to an average of 85%. Before the training, their knowledge of the treatment of these disorders was nil whereas after training 82% of the patients received appropriate treatment. Moreover, this model programme shows a profitable cost/benefit ratio and a high sustainability over the last 10 years.

scholarly journals Assessing mental health literacy of primary health care workers in Kenya: a cross-sectional survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elijah Marangu ◽  
Fethi Mansouri ◽  
Natisha Sands ◽  
David Ndetei ◽  
Peterson Muriithi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Primary Health Care Services ◽  
Care Workers

Abstract Aim To assess mental health literacy of health workers in primary health care services in Kenya. Background Mental illness is common in Kenya, yet there are fewer than 500 specialist mental health workers to serve Kenya’s population of over 50 million. The World Health Organization recommends the integration of mental health care into primary health care services to improve access to and equity of this care, especially in low and middle-income countries. An important step to integrating mental health care into primary health care services is to determine mental health literacy levels of the primary health care workforce. Method A cross-sectional survey using Jorm’s Mental Health Literacy Instrument (adapted for the Kenyan context) was administered to 310 primary health care workers in four counties of Kenya. Results Of the 310 questionnaires distributed, 212 (68.3%) were returned. Of the respondents, 13% had a formal mental health qualification, while only 8.7% had received relevant continuing professional development in the five years preceding the survey. Just over one third (35.6%) of primary health care workers could correctly identify depression, with even fewer recognising schizophrenia (15.7%). Conclusions This study provides preliminary information about mental health literacy among primary health care workers in Kenya. The majority of respondents had low mental health literacy as indicated by their inability to identify common mental disorders. While identifying gaps in primary health care workers’ mental health knowledge, these data highlight opportunities for capacity building that can enhance mental health care in Kenya and similar low and middle-income countries.

scholarly journals Correction to: Mental health status among family members of health care workers in Ningbo, China, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak: a cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuchen Ying ◽  
Liemin Ruan ◽  
Fanqian Kong ◽  
Binbin Zhu ◽  
Yunxin Ji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Mental Health Status ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Workers

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

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