Title : Psychoeducation programs to address post-traumatic stress injuries and mental health in public safety and frontline health care workers
Abstract:
Public safety personnel (PSP) and frontline healthcare professionals (FHP) are at increased risk of exposure to potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTE) and developing posttraumatic stress injuries (PTSI, e.g., depression, anxiety, alcohol use disorder) by nature of their work. PTSI are also linked to increased absenteeism, suicidality, and performance decrements, which compromise occupational and public health and safety in trauma exposed workers. Present practices tend to support diagnosis and treatment once exposures and illness have occurred, downstream from exposures. Given the potentially stress-inducing nature of PSP and FHP work, there is potential benefit of reaching upstream providing formal training that aims to help build a resilience ecosystem and positive coping strategies to manage adverse events and mitigate associated negative effects. To examine the potential of psychoeducation in these populations we have investigated the effectiveness of proactive PTSI mitigation programs among occupational groups exposed to PPTE on measures of PTSI symptoms and psychological wellness and examined the return on investment (ROI) of proactive PTSI mitigation programs tailored for PSP and FHP who are regularly exposed to PPTEs.
Significant overlap was found across program themes that included mindfulness, resilience promotion, and stress management strategies. Post-program effect sizes were small (SMD < 0.5) to moderate (SMD < 0.8) for reductions in PTSI symptoms and for promoting measures of well-being as indicated by a meta-analysis on 36 studies. Findings from 15 included studies demonstrate that proactive interventions can yield substantial economic and health benefits, with ROI values ranging widely from −20% to 3560%. Shorter interventions (≤6 months) often produced higher returns, while longer interventions (>12 months) showed more moderate or negative returns.
Our current evident supports modest evidence for time-limited reductions in PTSI following participation in holistic programs that promote resilience, stress, and emotion regulation among at-risk workers. Most proactive interventions examined successfully reduced psychological distress and enhanced workplace outcomes, although thoughtful consideration of program design and implementation context is essential.
