The Efficacy of a Brief Resilience Training Program for Hurricane Sandy Disaster Responders

NCT02417051 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 1-HITEP-140021-01-00
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 202
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The goal of this project is to adapt and test the efficacy of the National Institute of Environmental Health and Safety (NIEHS) Disaster Worker Resilience Training (DWRT) Program for Superstorm Sandy responders. The DWRT is a brief, 4-5 hour training program designed to improve resilience for stress reactions in active emergency responders. A total of 120 participants will be recruited. 60 will receive the DWRT, and 60 will be assigned to a waitlist control condition. A three-month assessment period will be utilized to enable us to evaluate the effects of the intervention. Participants assigned to the waitlist condition will be offered the option to participant in the course following completion of the 3 month wait period. It is hypothesized that, participants attending the DWRT program, as compared to those in the waitlist condition, will show increased resilience at three months post-intervention as indicated by lower perceived stress, greater posttraumatic growth, more positive health behaviors (e.g., sleep, nutrition, exercise), and fewer new PTSD and depression symptoms. It is predicted that participants attending the DWRT program, as compared to those in the waitlist condition, will demonstrate greater awareness of the mental health effects of disasters, including the symptoms of PTSD and depression. It is predicted that, participants attending the DWRT program, as compared to those in the waitlist condition, will endorse more positive attitudes towards mental health care, including willingness to seek treatment if needed.

Conditions

Psychological Stress

Keywords

Psychological Resilience; Perceived Stress; Psychological Stress; Disaster Worker; Superstorm Sandy; Mental Health; Prevention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Perceived Stress

  Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; Cohen, Karmarck, and Mermelstein, 1983).

  3 months post-intervention

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

  3 months post-intervention

• Depression Symptoms

  3 months post-intervention

• Mental Illness Stigma

  3 months post-intervention

• Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Help

  3 months post-intervention

• Post-traumatic Growth

  3 months post-intervention

Study Arms (2)

Resiliency Training

EXPERIMENTAL

Intervention: Disaster Worker Resiliency Training (DWRT) Program.

Behavioral: Disaster Worker Resiliency Training

Waitlist

NO INTERVENTION

Waitlist control: Participants to be offered the program after completion of the trial.

Interventions

Disaster Worker Resiliency Training BEHAVIORAL

The Disaster Worker Resilience Training (DWRT) Program is a 4 hour program which consists of a participant training manual, an instructor-training manual, and a digital presentation. It uses adult training techniques that emphasize active participation in individual and group experiential learning activities. The curriculum is organized into a preface and four chapters, each with action oriented learning objectives. Overall program objectives include a demonstrate an ability to: 1) Recognize signs and symptoms of disaster work-related stress, 2) Obtain support through employer and community resources, and 3) Build resilience by using stress reduction and coping strategies.

Also known as: Disaster Worker Resilience Training (DWRT) Program

Resiliency Training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Participated as a volunteer or professional in Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.
• Report that they are still an active disaster responder (i.e., they may be called upon to participate in future disaster relief efforts) as either a volunteer or professional.

You may not qualify if:

• An inability to comprehend the intervention in English.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Stony Brook University: lead
• Northwell Health: collaborator
• Rutgers University: collaborator
• Department of Health and Human Services: collaborator

Related Publications (6)

• Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB. Validation and utility of a self-report version of PRIME-MD: the PHQ primary care study. Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders. Patient Health Questionnaire. JAMA. 1999 Nov 10;282(18):1737-44. doi: 10.1001/jama.282.18.1737.

  PMID: 10568646 BACKGROUND

• Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R. A global measure of perceived stress. J Health Soc Behav. 1983 Dec;24(4):385-96. No abstract available.

  PMID: 6668417 BACKGROUND

• Weathers, FW., Litz, BT, Keane, TM, Palmieri, PA, Marx, BP, & Schnurr, PP. The PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). National Center for PTSD. 2013.

  BACKGROUND

• Cann A, Calhoun LG, Tedeschi RG, Taku K, Vishnevsky T, Triplett KN, Danhauer SC. A short form of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2010;23(2):127-37. doi: 10.1080/10615800903094273.

  PMID: 19582640 BACKGROUND

• Fischer, Edward H, and Farina, A. Attitudes toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help: A Shortened Form and Considerations for Research. Journal of College Student Development 36(4): 368-73, 1995.

  BACKGROUND

• Kunzler AM, Helmreich I, Chmitorz A, Konig J, Binder H, Wessa M, Lieb K. Psychological interventions to foster resilience in healthcare professionals. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Jul 5;7(7):CD012527. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012527.pub2.

  PMID: 32627860 DERIVED

Related Links

• Link to NIEHS Disaster Worker Training Program Materials

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stress, Psychological; Psychological Well-Being

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Personal Satisfaction

Study Officials

• Adam Gonzalez, PhD

  Stony Brook University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 10, 2015
• First Posted: April 15, 2015
• Study Start: April 1, 2015
• Primary Completion: November 1, 2016
• Study Completion: November 1, 2016
• Last Updated: December 16, 2016

Record last verified: 2016-12