IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i2p484-d307824.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Effect of Psychological First Aid Training on Knowledge and Understanding about Psychosocial Support Principles: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

Author

Listed:
  • Marit Sijbrandij

    (Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Rebecca Horn

    (Institute for Global Health and Development, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh EH21 6UU, UK)

  • Rebecca Esliker

    (Department of Counselling Psychology, University of Makeni, Freetown, Makeni PO Box 2, Northern Province, Sierra Leone)

  • Fiona O’May

    (Institute for Global Health and Development, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh EH21 6UU, UK)

  • Relinde Reiffers

    (ARQ International, ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, 1112 XE Diemen, The Netherlands)

  • Leontien Ruttenberg

    (International Medical Relief Services (IMRES), 8200 AE Lelystad, The Netherlands)

  • Kimberly Stam

    (ARQ International, ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, 1112 XE Diemen, The Netherlands)

  • Joop de Jong

    (Amsterdam University Medical Centre, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Alastair Ager

    (Institute for Global Health and Development, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh EH21 6UU, UK
    Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

Abstract

Psychological first aid (PFA) is a world-wide implemented approach to helping people affected by an emergency, disaster, or other adverse event. Controlled evaluations of PFA’s training effects are lacking. We evaluated the effectiveness of a one-day PFA training on the acquisition and retention of knowledge of appropriate responses and skills in the acute aftermath of adversity in Peripheral Health Units (PHUs) in post-Ebola Sierra Leone. Secondary outcomes were professional quality of life, confidence in supporting a distressed person, and professional attitude. PHUs in Sierra Leone ( n = 129) were cluster-randomized across PFA (206 participants) and control (202 participants) in March 2017. Knowledge and understanding of psychosocial support principles and skills were measured with a questionnaire and two patient scenarios to which participants described helpful responses. Professional attitude, confidence, and professional quality of life were assessed using self-report instruments. Assessments took place at baseline and at three- and six-months post-baseline. The PFA group had a stronger increase in PFA knowledge and understanding at the post-PFA training assessment (d = 0.50; p < 0.001) and at follow-up (d = 0.43; p = 0.001). In addition, the PFA group showed better responses to the scenarios at six-months follow-up (d = 0.38; p = 0.0002) but not at the post-assessment (d = 0.04; p = 0.26). No overall significant differences were found for professional attitude, confidence, and professional quality of life. In conclusion, PFA training improved acquisition and retention of knowledge and understanding of appropriate psychosocial responses and skills in providing support to individuals exposed to acute adversity. Our data support the use of PFA trainings to strengthen capacity for psychosocial support in contexts of disaster and humanitarian crisis. Future studies should examine the effects of PFA on psychosocial outcomes for people affected by crises.

Suggested Citation

  • Marit Sijbrandij & Rebecca Horn & Rebecca Esliker & Fiona O’May & Relinde Reiffers & Leontien Ruttenberg & Kimberly Stam & Joop de Jong & Alastair Ager, 2020. "The Effect of Psychological First Aid Training on Knowledge and Understanding about Psychosocial Support Principles: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-11, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:2:p:484-:d:307824
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/2/484/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/2/484/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. McCabe, O.L. & Everly Jr., G.S. & Brown, L.M. & Wendelboe, A.M. & Hamid, N.H.A. & Tallchief, V.L. & Links, J.M., 2014. "Psychological first aid: A consensus-derived, empirically supported, competency-based training model," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(4), pages 621-628.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Min Peng & Tao Xiao & Ben Carter & Pan Chen & James Shearer, 2022. "Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Mental Health Interventions Delivered by Frontline Health Care Workers in Emergency Health Services: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-20, November.
    2. Lennart Reifels & Michel L. A. Dückers, 2023. "Disaster Mental Health Risk Reduction: Appraising Disaster Mental Health Research as If Risk Mattered," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(11), pages 1-14, May.
    3. Marine Tessier & Josianne Lamothe & Steve Geoffrion, 2021. "Adherence to Psychological First Aid after Exposure to a Traumatic Event at Work among EMS Workers: A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-16, October.
    4. Holly Blake & Alisha Gupta & Mahnoor Javed & Ben Wood & Steph Knowles & Emma Coyne & Joanne Cooper, 2021. "COVID-Well Study: Qualitative Evaluation of Supported Wellbeing Centres and Psychological First Aid for Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-27, March.
    5. Ling Wang & Ian Norman & Tao Xiao & Yamin Li & Mary Leamy, 2021. "Psychological First Aid Training: A Scoping Review of Its Application, Outcomes and Implementation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-23, April.
    6. Hiroki Asaoka & Yuichi Koido & Yuzuru Kawashima & Miki Ikeda & Yuki Miyamoto & Daisuke Nishi, 2021. "Longitudinal Change of Psychological Distress among Healthcare Professionals with and without Psychological First Aid Training Experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-12, November.
    7. Julia Corey & Frédérique Vallières & Timothy Frawley & Aoife De Brún & Sarah Davidson & Brynne Gilmore, 2021. "A Rapid Realist Review of Group Psychological First Aid for Humanitarian Workers and Volunteers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-16, February.
    8. Lawrence A. Palinkas & Meaghan L. O’Donnell & Winnie Lau & Marleen Wong, 2020. "Strategies for Delivering Mental Health Services in Response to Global Climate Change: A Narrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-19, November.
    9. Tania Pearce & Lyndal Bugeja & Sarah Wayland & Myfanwy Maple, 2021. "Effective Elements for Workplace Responses to Critical Incidents and Suicide: A Rapid Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-17, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ling Wang & Ian Norman & Tao Xiao & Yamin Li & Mary Leamy, 2021. "Psychological First Aid Training: A Scoping Review of Its Application, Outcomes and Implementation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-23, April.
    2. Nelson Mauro Maldonato & Mario Bottone & Alessandro Chiodi & Grazia Isabella Continisio & Raffaella De Falco & Marzia Duval & Benedetta Muzii & Gerarda Siani & Paolo Valerio & Roberto Vitelli & Cristi, 2020. "A Mental Health First Aid Service in an Italian University Public Hospital during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-12, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:2:p:484-:d:307824. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.