Critical Incident, Mental Illness, Trauma
Conditions
Keywords
firefighters, mental resiliency, peer support
Brief summary
The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of a mental health training program in volunteer and career firefighters.
Detailed description
THE PROBLEM: Firefighters are frequently exposed to distressing events, or critical incidents such as motor vehicle accidents, burnt bodies, failed rescue attempts, threats to one's own life, and completed suicides that can trigger posttraumatic stress reactions. Previous research show that first responders and other public safety personnel report frequent exposure to traumatic events and are at increased risk for mental health illnesses. THE STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of a mental health training program in volunteer and career firefighters. THE STUDY SAMPLE: 600 firefighters: 300 Prince Edward Island volunteer or career firefighters, 300 Vancouver career firefighters INTERVENTION: Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services and the Canadian Mental Health Association-Vancouver Fraser co-developed a new program called, Resilient Minds-Building the Psychological Health of Fire Fighters. The Resilient Minds training will educate firefighters about the effects of trauma, how to recognize signs of mental health illness and how to access support after critical events. It also trains firefighters to recognize mental health and addictions in co-workers and how to facilitate their help-seeking. OUTCOMES: The impact of the program will be assessed by pre- and post-program surveys, 3-month, 6-month, 12-month follow-up surveys.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALResilient Minds
The program is designed: 1) to decrease the risk of developing a stress disorder or other mental illnesses due to workplace incidents and/or unhealthy stress; 2) to mitigate the negative impacts of mental illness and trauma through early recognition and early intervention; 3) to support the public while on the frontline; and 4) to improve the psychological health of fire staff while cultivating resilience and enhancing quality of life.
Sponsors
Canadian Mental Health Association, Prince Edward Island
Canadian Mental Health Association, British Columbia
Canadian Mental Health Association, Vancouver-Fraser
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
University of Western Ontario, Canada
McMaster University
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* 18 years and older * can read, understand, speak English * career or volunteer firefighters in PEI participating in Resilient Minds program
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mental Health Knowledge | 0-12 months | Survey on mental health knowledge (unit of measure = 5-point Likert Scale, Agree Strongly to Disagree Strongly) |
| Impact on support levels | 0-12 months | Survey on program's impacts on peer supports and organizational culture (unit of measure = 5-point Likert scale, No, it seems less supportive to Yes, it seems quite a bit more supportive) |
| Work Stress | 0-12 months | Survey on factors that contribute to work stress (unit of measure = 5-point Likert scale, Not at all to A Lot) |
| Knowledge Retention | 0-12 months | Survey on retention of program material (unit of measure = 5-point Likert scale, Not much to A Lot) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Helpfulness of training | 0-12 months | Survey of helpfulness of training (unit of measure = Yes or No response) |
| Self-perceived learning | 0-12 months | Survey on self-perceived learning about psychological trauma and/or mental health challenges (unit of measure = 4-point Likert scale, Very true to Not true) |
| Utilization of training | 0-12 months | Survey on intent and actual usage of information or skills learned from program (unit of measure = Yes or No response) |
| Critical incidents exposure and impact | 0 months | Survey on exposures to difficult or stressful things (unit of measure = ratings of frequency and impact on life) |
| Resilience | 0-12 months | Survey on mental resiliency (unit of measure = 5-point Likert scale, Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree) |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Public Safety Officer Stress | 0-12 months | Survey on stress from being first responder (past 6 months) |
| PTSD Checklst | 0-12 months | Survey on PTSD symptoms over past month |
| Depression | 0-12 months | Survey on mood symptoms (past 2 weeks) |
| Anxiety | 0-12 months | Survey on anxiety symptoms (past 2 weeks) |
| Traumatic Life Events Checklist | 3 months | Survey on lifetime experience with difficult or stressful things |
| Suicidal Behavioural | 0-12 months | Survey on suicidal behaviours |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed