Development of psychological first aid guidelines for people who have experienced disasters

Abstract

This study developed guidelines for psychological first aid. This guideline promotes core response and disaster capabilities for disaster mental-health professionals, such as mental-health nurses and counseling psychologists at disaster sites. A research team composed of a first-aid professor and counseling psychology professor developed this psychological first-aid guideline to promote the psychological response required at disaster sites. The team verified each question’s content adequacy at each guideline-development stage to determine the appropriateness of response to a disaster. The PFA performance stage and achievement objectives were moved to the next stage only when the research team fully agreed upon them. This guideline revised and supplemented the six steps suggested in the handbook to five steps through expert meetings. The modified part was made into one step, without separating the first rapport formation and safety check. The checklist for evaluation was developed after verification by a total of four people, including one emergency-rescue-department professor, one counseling psychology professor, one paramedic, and one health educator. Based on previous studies, the cutting point is 24 points. The final completed psychological first aid consists of five stages: rapport formation and safety verification, psychological stabilization, information collection, problem resolution, and recovery, with details to be carried out at each step. These guidelines contribute to the promotion of disaster-response capabilities of disaster psychologists. Continuous training and practical exercises based on the five stages will provide fundamental data for a disaster-simulation psychological-first-aid educational development.