Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T14:21:59.311Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Disaster Medical Assistance Teams: What Psychosocial Support is Needed?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Garry Stevens ,
Simon Byrne ,
Beverley Raphael  and
Richard Ollerton
Garry Stevens*
Affiliation:
Science of Mental Health and Adversity Unit, University of Western Sydney, Australia
Simon Byrne
Affiliation:
Science of Mental Health and Adversity Unit, University of Western Sydney, Australia
Beverley Raphael
Affiliation:
Science of Mental Health and Adversity Unit, University of Western Sydney, Australia
Richard Ollerton
Affiliation:
School of Computing and Mathematics, University of Western Sydney, Australia
*
SCIMHA Unit, University of Western Sydney Medical School Project Office, 1st Floor, Building EV Parramatta Campus Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South NSW DC 1797, Australia E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

The objective of this preliminary study was to evaluate the perceptions of internationally deployed Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) personnel regarding the psychosocial support needs of these teams.

Methods:

The DMAT questionnaire was sent to 34 members of Australian medical teams involved in deployments to the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami and the 2006 Java earthquake. Twenty personnel (59%) completed this survey, which reviewed key deployment stressors, specific support strategies, and the support needs of team members, their families, and team leaders. A key aspect of the survey was to determine whether the perceived psychosocial needs would be supported best within with existing provisions and structures, or if they would be enhanced by further provisions, including the deployment of mental health specialists.

Results:

There was strong support for brief reviews of stress management strategies as part of the pre-deployment briefing, and access to written stress management information for both team members and their families. However, more comprehensive provisions, including pre-deployment, stressmanagement training programs for personnel and intra-deployment family support programs, received lower levels of support. The availability of mental health-related training for the team leader role and access to consultation with mental health specialists was supported, but this did not extend to the actual deployment of mental health specialists.

Conclusions:

In this preliminary study, clear trends toward the maintenance of current mental health support provisions and the role of the DMAT leader were evident. A follow-up study will examine the relationship between teamleader, psychosocial support strategies and team functioning.

Keywords

disasterdisaster medical assistance teamfamilyoccupational mental healthpsychosocialrisk perceptionteam leadertsunami
Type
Brief Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 23 , Issue 2 , April 2008 , pp. 202 - 207
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Norris, F, Friedman, M, Watson, P, Byrne, C, Diaz, E, Kaniasty, K: 60,000 disaster victims speak, Part I: An empirical review of the empirical literature, 1981–2001. Psychiatry 2002;65:207–239.Google Scholar
2. Eriksson, CA, Foy, DW, Larson, LC: When the Helpers Need Help: Early Intervention for Emergency and Relief Services Personnel. In: BT, Litz (ed), Early Intervention for Trauma and Traumatic Loss. New York: Guilford Press, 2004, pp 241–262.Google Scholar
3. Ersland, S, Weisaeth, L, Sund, A: The stress upon rescuers involved in an oil rig disaster: “Alexander L Kielland”. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1989;355:38–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4. Marmar, C, Weiss, D, Meltzer, T, Ronfeldt, H, Foreman, C: Stress response of emergency services personnel to the Loma Pieta earthquake Interstate 880 freeway collapse and control traumatic incidents. J Trauma Stress 1996;9:63–85.Google Scholar
5. Weiss, D, Marmar, C, Metzler, T, Ronfeldt, H: Predicting symptomatic distress in emergency services personnel. J Consult Clin Psychol 1995;63:361–368.Google Scholar
6. Ozen, S, Aytekin, S: Frequency of PTSD in a group of search and rescue workers two months after 2003 Bingol (Turkey) earthquake. J Nerv Ment Dis 2004;192:573–575.Google Scholar
7. Guo, C, Chen, M, Lu, H, Tan, H, Lee, T, Wang, L: Posttraumatic stress disorder among professional and non-professional rescuers involved in an earthquake in Taiwan. Psychiatry Research 2004;127(1–2):35–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. Fullerton, CS, Ursano, RJ, Wang, L: Acute stress disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and depression in disaster or rescue workers. Am J Psychiatry 2004;161:1370–1376.Google Scholar
9. Armagan, E, Engindeniz, Z, Devay, AO, Erdur, B, Ozcakir, A: Frequency of posttraumatic stress disorder among relief force workers after the tsunami in Asia: Do rescuers become victims? Prehospital Disast Med 2006; 21(3):168–172.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10. Chan, AOM, Huak, CY: Emotional impact of 2004 Asian tsunami on Singapore medical relief workers. Int J Dis Med 2004;2(4):152–156.Google Scholar
11. Chan, AOM, Chan, YH: Influence of work environment on emotional health in a healthcare setting. Occup Med 2004;54:207–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12. Weisaeth, L: Briefing and Debriefing: Group Psychological Interventions in Acute Stressor Situations. In: Raphael, B & Wilson, J (eds), Psychological Debriefing: Theory, Practice and Evidence. London: Cambridge University Press, 2000, pp 43–57.Google Scholar
13. Robertson, AG, Dwyer, DE, Leclercq, MG:“Operation South East Asia Tsunami Assist”: An Australian team in the Maldives. Med J Aust 2005;182:340–342.Google Scholar
14. James Cook University and Health Protection Group, WA Department of Health. National Symposium: Workforce Models for Disaster Response Teams, 27–28 November 2006, Perth, Australia.Google Scholar
15. Personal Communication, Leggat P, August 2007.Google Scholar
16. Eriksson, CB, Vande Kemp, H, Gorusch, R, Hoke, S, Foy, DW: Trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms in international relief and development personnel. J Trauma Stress 2001;14(1):205–212.Google Scholar
17. Brewin, CR, Andrews, B, Valentine, JD: Meta-Analysis of risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder in trauma-exposed adults. J Consult Clin Psychol 2000;68(5):748–766.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18. Cetin, M, Kose, S, Ebrinc, S, Yigit, S, Elhai, JD and Basoglu, C: Identification and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in rescue workers in the Marmara, Turkey, earthquake. J Trauma Stress 2005;18 (5):485–489CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed