دانلود رایگان مقاله انگلیسی اولین واکنش دهنده سالم بعد از زلزله 2011 در شهر کنتربر - امرالد 2017

Abstract

Purpose – The role of first responders in mitigating the effects of earthquakes is vital. Unlike other disasters, earthquakes are not single events, and exposure to dangerous and trauma-inducing events may be ongoing. Understanding how first responders cope in the face of such conditions is important, for both their own well-being as well as the general public whom they serve. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Using questionnaires, this study measured posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychological resilience, and reactive coping styles in a sample of first responders active during the 2011 Canterbury earthquake in New Zealand. Findings – The prevalence of PTSD was similar to that reported in the literature. Psychological resilience, but not disaster exposure, was found to be associated with PTSD. Maladaptive coping strategies best predicted resiliency, but there were significant gender differences. Originality/value – These findings can inform those managing first responder disaster workers through the consideration of preventive and treatment interventions.

5. Conclusion

The prevalence of PTSD in first responders active in the 2011 Canterbury earthquake was found to be comparable to previous studies. Psychological resilience is considered an index of PTSD, and in this study a signification negative relationship between the two was uncovered, and resilience explained more variability in PTSD scores than exposure scores. It was noted that a validated and standardised disaster exposure scale would aid future researchers active in this area. Coping was associated with both resilience and PTSD, though the current design did not afford conclusions about cause-and-effect relations, and suggested that future studies need to carefully consider gender differences. Furthermore, little research has gone into frontline workers who are not categorised as emergency workers but yet play important roles in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. School teachers and utility workers, for example, may be active during emergency situations, though may not have sufficient training to cope with the situation they find themselves.

In line with others (e.g. Ni et al., 2015), the present findings indicate the value of determining resilience in first responders to aid in the design of postdisaster therapy for this group, and in programmes that amplify resilience as part of ongoing training. As resilience involves an individual’s ability to cope with extreme stressors, then proactive coping skills training for first responders may offer an additional buffer to ward off, or treat, PTSD (Kirby et al., 2011). Noting that school teachers exposed to greater degrees of earthquake trauma was associated with increased emotion regulation, O’Toole and Friesen (2016) recommended increasing both emergency response training prior to disasters as well as assisting with emotional recovery postdisaster. The findings of our study reinforce the recommendations found in the disaster literature, pertinently that work-related trauma exposure can have a negative impact on first responders whatever their station, and that timely and appropriate interventions be put in place to treat psychological distress and enhance well-being.