The Role of Stigma in Predicting Attendance at Critical Incident Stress Debriefings

Date of Conferral

11-10-2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Gregory Hickman

Abstract

Emergency services personnel (ESPs) have been found to have increasing numbers of behavioral health conditions and suicidality due to the traumatic stress they endure in the line of duty. Despite widespread efforts to combat and reduce mental health stigma, rates remain elevated, and responders continue to suffer and lose their lives to suicide. Critical incident stress debriefings (CISDs) are one form of crisis intervention designed initially for ESPs to mitigate and normalize acute posttraumatic reactions while building unit cohesion. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to examine how the presence of stigma in ESPs (law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS clinicians, 911 telecommunicators, and medicolegal death investigators) and the number of years spent in emergency services predict attendance at CISDs. This study was viewed through the theoretical lens of Richmond’s person-in-environment theory due to its holistic and inclusive foundation. The research question for this study was to examine to what extent stigma and years of service among ESPs could predict attendance at CISDs. Results of the study were not statistically significant, X2 (3, n = 171) = 1.594, p >.001, meaning years of service, when coupled with stigma, could not predict attendance at CISDs. However, future research may consider gender as a variable to study, as over 60% of participants were females. Furthermore, ethnicity and age are recommendations for future research, as many variables may impact attendance when coupled with stigma. Various social change implications may arise from this study, such as researching new variables affecting stigma, as well as impacting crisis organizations' research and interventions for ESPs in the United States.

This item is not available through Walden resources

Share

 
COinS