What is it about?
A study designed to look a risk and protective factors for PTSD in first responders. The study base was a cross-sectional sample of traditional first responders, fire ambulance and police, also 'non traditional responders' those with a community response role. A self-completed questionnaire was distributed to workplaces at 6, 12 and 18 months after the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch. We measured PTSD with the PTSD checklist, civilian version (PCL-C) along with risk factors such as extent of traumatic exposure and protective factors such as social support and resilience.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
The sample included teachers, who have a community response role 'post-disaster'. They had a high level of distress at baseline, and this PTSD trajectory was maintained over time. Social support was not protective but associated with distress. We think that affected individuals may have been seeking support, but were not receiving it.
Perspectives
It is very difficult to do a study after an earthquake, this one was possible because on of the researchers, KL, recruited at workplaces. In retrospect, teachers would experience stress post-earthquake, not only dealing with their own problems, but those of pupils. We know that they were seeking social support and trying to cope, but this was not helping. The next steps are to find out what does. I had struggled with the analysis for some time, hence the delay, bur JB suggested a trajectory analysis, NP carried it out. Job done!
Dr David I McBride
University of Otago
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Risk and protective factors for the course of post-traumatic stress disorder in frontline workers after the Christchurch, New Zealand earthquake, Disaster Prevention and Management An International Journal, February 2018, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/dpm-09-2017-0226.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
