Critical incident stress debriefing.

Objective: This study aims to explore the traumatic experiences and to estimate prevalence and predictor factors for PTSD, depression and general psychiatric morbidity amongst Palestinian adults living in the Gaza Strip. Method: A total of 500 Palestinian adults were recruited from four areas of the Gaza Strip using a snowball sampling. The same sample was used for both quantitative studies. Four scales were employed to identify predictors for trauma, PTSD, depression and general mental health. Participants were divided into three age groups: young adults (18 to 25 years), adults (26 to 49 years) and older adults (50 to 65 years). The third qualitative study was aimed at exploring the traumatic experiences of adults living in the Gaza Strip to expand upon the outcomes from the quantitative studies. Results: For Studies 1 and 2, the prevalence rate of PTSD symptoms was 90% and 36.7% met the criteria of DSM-IV for PTSD. Study 2 found depression was 38.4%, and general mental health comorbidity was 67.1%. Study 2 revealed significant differences in PTSD between age groups. Novel results were found amongst adults and older adults on the reexperiencing subscale for PTSD. Participants who lived in Gaza City scored significantly higher on the PTSD subscale for hyperarousal compared to those living in the middle Gaza region. Study 3 expanded on the psychometric data through interviewing members of the Gaza community. When analysed five main themes were identified: Siege related stressors; war related trauma; psychological negative effects; re-experiencing initial event and coping strategies. Conclusions: The findings indicated that blockade was the predominant cause of the increased prevalence rate of PTSD. These studies found that the Palestinian adult participants in Gaza had been exposed to a variety of traumatic events on an ongoing basis that was having a detrimental impact on their mental health. Running Head: PTSD IN PALESTINIAN ADULTS

The experience and prevalence of PTSD in Palestinian adults living in the Gaza Strip

Objective This study developed a simulation program using standardized patients for the training of mental health practitioners in psychological first aid and evaluated its effect on learners' self-efficacy and psychological first aid performance competence and knowledge. The simulation used in this program was of a fire disaster. Methods Thirty participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group, a comparison group, and a control group. The experimental group participated in simulation training after attending a two-hour psychological first aid lecture. The comparison group was given only the two-hour lecture and the control group was given a psychological first aid handout to study individually. The results of pre- and post-intervention questionnaires were then statistically analyzed. Results The participants' self-efficacy, performance competency, and knowledge improved in all groups, and there were some statistically significant differences between the three groups. The experimental group showed a greater improvement in self-efficacy and performance than the other groups. Conclusions The psychological first aid simulation training program was effective in improving three qualities of mental health practitioners: self-efficacy, performance competency, and knowledge. Further research is required for the development of various learning scenarios for iterative psychological first aid education.

The Effect of a Simulated Fire Disaster Psychological First Aid Training Program on the Self-efficacy, Competence, and Knowledge of Mental Health Practitioners.

This qualitative interpretive description research study aimed to explore, interpret, and describe educators’ and support staffs’ experiences regarding the management of crises in their schools in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Informant educators (n = 7) and support staff (n = 1) from four schools (public, rural, and private) completed semi-structured interviews on their experiences. Following thematic analysis, findings revealed crisis-oriented themes regarding current policies within schools, certain crises experiences, languishing, management of these crises, and COVID-19 mitigation. Current policies needed improvement to ensure the physical, psychological, and emotional safety of school members which will in turn influence their well-being. These findings suggest a need for educators, support staff, and school learners to be trained within in-school crisis management practices to prevent avoidable trauma.

Exploring educators’ and support staffs’ experiences regarding crises containment management in South African schools

School learners and educators encounter several crises on a regular basis, which can lead to various maladaptive behaviours, leaving the individual feeling numb, overwhelmed, and hopeless with decreased energy levels. Therefore, it is vital for a team to be allocated in schools that are well prepared to intervene to create a safe and healthy school environment. This qualitative document analysis aimed to develop a model for crises containment management in South African schools by combining findings from two recently published research studies. The researchers focused on identifying themes and placing themes in logical order to ensure that the developed model is related to other models, transparent and easy to interpret, easily understand-able, and adaptable to various school contexts. The findings of this qualitative document analysis concluded the following themes: threats to school safety; impact of crises; management of crises; and Covid-19 mitigation. Based on these themes, steps were developed for the proposed model for crises containment management in South African schools. These steps include: assessing the safety and the situation; stabilising the environment; reflecting on facts, needs and support structure; referring (if needed); and checking-in on self and the individual in need. It is imperative that South African school learners, educators, and support staff need to be trained to handle various crises, for they are the first responders in most cases.

Developing a Model for Crises Containment Management in South African Schools

The efficacy of crisis intervention, such as critical psychological first aid, critical incident stress debriefing, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing and pharmacotherapy, were all evaluated and reviewed.

Lingjiang Li

Papers

Crisis Intervention in the Acute Stage after Trauma