Paramedics' understandings of managing personal reactions during emergency responses : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
Year: 2011
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The repeated exposure to potentially traumatic experiences is inherent within the field \nof emergency response work. Traditionally research focuses on what responders do to \n‘cope’ with their reactions during emergency responses, and attempts to predict which \n‘personality types’ may ‘cope’ better with this repeated exposure. This type of research \nleads to recommendations of ‘best practice coping’, which are often based on theoretical \nmodels of emotional processing and devoid of contextual relevance. This study \ninvestigated further than what responders do to manage reactions, and sought to \nunderstand how and why. It utilised individual interviews, focus groups and ambulance \nshift observation to explore how a group of St John paramedics constructed managing \ntheir reactions during and after emergency response situations. The study examined how \nreaction management is understood, and what options are perceived to be accessible \nwhen social, historical and cultural contexts are considered. The findings revealed that \nthe paramedics’ discursive constructions regarding reaction management related to four \nkey areas of understanding. These areas corresponded to the chronological process of \nemergency responding. The paramedics’ constructions started with conceptualisations \nof their job role and the expectations that came with it, then evolved through to incident \nresponse, post-incident reflection, and finally to support-seeking. The findings across \nthese areas suggest that strategies described in previous research as ‘negative’ or ‘risky’ \nare oversimplifications. These individual strategies often exist as a component of a \nbroader strategy to facilitate functioning in a response situation. It was concluded that \nthe most important element of reaction management for the paramedics was ability to \nfind acceptance for response incident outcomes. This understanding shifted the \n‘problem area’ into the post-incident timeframe and onto issues of accessibility and \nacceptability of using peer and psychological support to facilitate acceptance. The \nimplications of this research include understanding the necessity for tailored psychoeducation \nregarding reaction management at St John which is both functionally and \ncontextually relevant. Additionally, the research highlights the need to address the \n‘social risks’ attached to support-seeking at the St John organisation.
Author: Annabelle Ryburn
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W189864535