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Coping Strategies for Exposure to Trauma Situations in First Responders: A Systematic Review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2022

Alejandra María Díaz-Tamayo Open the ORCID record for Alejandra María Díaz-Tamayo [Opens in a new window] ,
Jorge Reinerio Escobar-Morantes  and
Herney Andrés García-Perdomo
Alejandra María Díaz-Tamayo*
Affiliation:
Technology Program in Prehospital Care, School of Medicine, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia UROGIV Research Group, School of Medicine, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
Jorge Reinerio Escobar-Morantes
Affiliation:
Technology Program in Prehospital Care, School of Medicine, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
Herney Andrés García-Perdomo
Affiliation:
UROGIV Research Group, School of Medicine, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia Division of Urology/Urooncology, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
*
Correspondence: Prof. Alejandra María Diaz Cll 4b # 36-00 E-mail: alejandra.diaz@correounivalle.edu.co
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Abstract

Objective:

The objective of the present work was to characterize the coping strategies used by first responders to emergencies in the face of exposure to traumatic events.

Methods:

A systematic search was performed in the databases MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE, LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences), and the Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Clinical Trials (CENTRAL) from their inception through February 2022. First responders to emergencies with training in the prehospital area and who used validated measurement instruments for coping strategies were included.

Results:

First responders to emergencies frequently used nonadaptive coping strategies, with avoidance or disconnection being one of the main strategies, as a tool to avoid confronting difficult situations and to downplay the perceived stressful event. The nonadaptive coping strategies used by these personnel showed a strong relationship with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, burnout syndrome, psychiatric morbidity, and chronic stress. As part of the adaptive strategies, active coping was found, which includes acceptance, positive reinterpretation, focusing on the problem, self-efficacy, and emotional support, either social or instrumental, as protective strategies for these personnel.

Conclusions:

Developing adaptive coping strategies, whether focused on problems or seeking emotional support, can benefit emergency personnel in coping with stressful situations. These coping strategies should be strengthened to help prevent people from experiencing long-term negative effects that could arise from the traumatic events to which they are exposed. Active coping strategies instead of avoidance strategies should be promoted.

Keywords

adaptive strategiescoping strategiesemergency first respondernonadaptive strategies
Type
Systematic Review
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 37 , Issue 6 , December 2022 , pp. 810 - 818
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine

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