Psychological First Aid Flashcards
What are the basic principles of PFA?
Prepare:
Learn about the crisis event
Learn about available services and supports
Learn about safety and security concerns
Look:
Check for safety
Check for people with obvious urgent basic needs
Check for people with serious distress reactions
Listen:
Approach people who may need support
Ask about needs and concerns
Listen to people and help them to feel calm
Do not pressure people to speak about anything in particular
Link:
Help people address basic needs and access services
Help people cope with problems
Give factual information if you know it
Connect people with loved ones and social support
- Respect safety, rights and dignity
- Adapt what you do to the person’s culture
- Be aware of other emergency response measures
- Look after yourself + work within competencies
People who may need more advanced support immediately:
People with serious injuries that need emergency medical care
People who are so upset they cannot care for themselves or their children
People who may hurt themselves
People who may hurt others
Who is PFA for?
Some people who have become distressed due to a current/very recent crisis of any kind
What cultural considerations might be important?
Dress - anything particular to be respectful?
Language - what exactly?
Gender/age/power - should affected women only be approached by other women? Who should I speak to? (e.g. head of family, community)
Touching/behaviour - is it okay to touch someones shoulder or hold their hand? Are there other considerations around children/women/elderly?
Beliefs/religion - what beliefs/practices are common in those affected? How might they understand/explain what has happened?
Who is likely to need special attention in a crisis?
Children + adolescents - especially those separated from caregivers; will need basic needs managing for them too
People with established illness, the elderly, pregnant women
WHO Link to full document
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44615/9789241548205_eng.pdf;jsessionid=B5D065B1B8F65387C2444849D54E9C9E?sequence=1
Most of the content is self evident from a humanist perspective
What is the Yerkes-Dodson law?
An inverted U-shaped curve between the highlights the relationship between physiological/mental arousal and performance levels
This concept can also be extended to the concept of stress
A certain degree of stress is necessary to perform well and maintain enthusiasm for life; no stress at all can lead to boredom, while too much stress for too long will lead to exhaustion and burnout
What is the difference between pressure and stress?
Pressure:
- is universal and a ubiquitous part of everyday life
can give rise to a positive or negative outcome, depending on how the individual responds to it
can lead to adaptation or resilience whereby one becomes emotionally stronger and better able to handle future challenges
Stress:
- is seen as a negative imbalance in the system, where the perceived demands on the individual exceed that person’s ability to cope
Whether pressure becomes growth or stress may partially be mediated by coping mechanisms e.g. learning/reflecting, avoiding, craving substances etc
What is burnout?
Emotional exhaustion that results from chronic stress, leading to a depletion of resources and emotional and mental fatigue
The end stage of the arousal syndrome?
- Low DHEA, low cortisol
(DHEA is high in the early stages = fight/flight/flee/freeze, then cortisol takes over in the middle stage = adaptation, before depleting in the long run = exhaustion)
What are some behavioural features of burnout?
Frequent clock-watching
Increasing resistance to going to work
Postponing contact with patients
Pften late (run late and leave late)
Loss of creative problem-solving ability
Working harder and later but achieving less
Withdrawal and avoidance of colleagues
Stealing from the organisation
Increasing use of mood-altering drugs (including caffeine and nicotine)
Inability to pursue recreational and recovery needs
Accident-proneness
What are some emotional features of burnout?
Loss of humour or excessive use of black humour
Persistent sense of failure, guilt and self-blame
Frequent anger, resentment and bitterness
Increased irritability, expressed at work and home
Feeling under attack
Feeling discouraged and indifferent
Powerlessness
Coping rather than creating
What are some cognitive features of burnout?
Increasing thoughts of leaving the job
Inability to concentrate
Rigid thinking, resisting change
Increasing suspiciousness and distrust
A cynical, blaming attitude towards patients
A de-humanising attitude to patients
Victim mentality
Preoccupation with one’s own needs and personal survival
What are some health related features of burnout?
Disordered sleep
Frequent long-lasting minor ailments
Increased susceptibility to infections
Weariness – being tired and exhausted all day
Precipitation of physical and mental health problems
What is the Maslach Burnout Inventory? (MBI)
Maslach and Jackson first identified the construct ‘burnout’ in the 1970s, and developed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)
Weighs the three effects of:
- emotional exhaustion (feeling emotionally over-extended and exhausted by work)
- depersonalisation (an unfeeling, negative, cynical attitude and impersonal response towards clients who are treated as objects)
- a sense of personal accomplishment (feelings of competence, efficiency and adequacy at work) (will be low in burnout)
