Offering mental health first aid to a person after a potentially traumatic event: a Delphi study to redevelop the 2008 guidelines

BMC Psychology

Judith Wright¹  Nicola J. Reavley¹  Anthony F. Jorm¹  Kathryn J. Chalmers²  Claire M. Kelly³  Kathy S. Bond³  Fairlie A. Cottrill³ 

[1] Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Mental Health First Aid Australia, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Mental Health First Aid Australia, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;

关键词: Mental health first aid;    Trauma;    Traumatic event;    Prevention;    Helping behaviour;    Mental illness;    Mental health;    Delphi method;    Expert consensus;    Community guidelines;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40359-020-00473-7

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundTrauma has a major impact on the mental health and wellbeing of people globally. Friends, family and members of the public are often well positioned to provide initial assistance if someone is experiencing extreme distress following a potentially traumatic event. Expert consensus guidelines for high income, Western countries on how to do this were published in 2008. The aim of the current study was to re-develop these guidelines to ensure they are current and reflect best practice.MethodsThe Delphi consensus method was used to determine which helping statements should be included in the guidelines. Helping statements were derived from a systematic search of literature that considered how a member of the public could help someone experiencing extreme distress following a potentially traumatic event. Two expert panels, comprising 28 mental health professionals with expertise in managing trauma and 26 consumer advocates, rated each statement. Statements were accepted for inclusion in the guidelines if they were endorsed by at least 80% of each panel.ResultsOut of 183 statements, 103 were endorsed as appropriate helping actions in providing assistance to someone experiencing extreme distress following a potentially traumatic event. These statements were used to form the re-developed guidelines.ConclusionThis study has resulted in a more comprehensive set of guidelines than the original version, with the endorsement of 103 helping actions, compared to 65 previously. The updated guidelines better represent the complexities of experiencing trauma and the considered approach required when providing first aid after a potentially traumatic event. The additional guidance on providing initial assistance, talking about the trauma, offering short-term assistance and seeking appropriate professional help reflects current knowledge. A notable addition is the inclusion of content on how a first aider can assist after a disclosure of abuse. The guidelines are available to the public and will inform future updates of Mental Health First Aid training courses.

【 授权许可】

CC BY