Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to develop and evaluate a culturally sensitive and mindfulness informed psychological first aid (PFA) intervention for use with disaster workers in the Philippines intended to increase disaster knowledge and disaster coping self-efficacy. Design/methodology/approach -The study used a non-experimental, pre-test, post-test design. Measures of disaster knowledge and disaster coping self-efficacy were measured before and after the PFA intervention. Findings -Paired sample t-tests revealed significant pre/post-increases in knowledge about disaster reactions and disaster coping self-efficacy. Workshop evaluations indicated that the following proportions of participants rated these workshop components as the most useful: mindfulness, information about disaster reactions, small group sharing, information about coping, and the open space activity. Research limitations/implications -As in many disaster studies, it was not possible to include a randomized control group in the design. Another limitation was that only pre-and post-intervention data were collected. Future research should include longer-term follow-ups with participants to assess whether the benefits of the intervention are maintained over time. Future research may wish to address the limitations of the study including the lack of a control group and obtaining follow-up data to enable more robust conclusions. Practical implications -These results indicate how the use of a group-based intervention may be helpful especially in a collectivist culture. At the same time, acknowledging cultural values such as spirituality is an important component to providing psychosocial support for survivors. Mindfulness was found useful both as an initial calming activity as well as a means for helping survivors manage their stress reactions. Finally, the utilization of an open space activity can also be a helpful problemsolving mechanism when done in intact groups, as it enhances not just self-efficacy but also community efficacy among survivors. Originality/value -The study contributes to the dearth of knowledge on the use of PFA when used in a group, collective, and developing country setting.
T his study evaluated the impact of Katatagan, a culturally adapted, group-based, and mindfulnessinformed resilience intervention developed for disaster survivors in the Philippines. The intervention aimed to teach six adaptive coping skills: harnessing strengths, managing physical reactions, managing thoughts and emotions, seeking solutions and support, identifying positive activities, and planning for the future. Pre-and post-intervention assessments were conducted with 163 Typhoon Haiyan survivors. Six-month follow-up assessments were obtained for 37 participants. Pre-and post-results showed improvements in participants' self-efficacy on all six coping skills. The 6-month follow-up revealed significant improvements in four of the six coping skills. Focus group discussions conducted at follow-up revealed that mindfulness, self-care, strengths, and reframing were some of the topics that were most memorable to participants. Among these, participants identified mindfulness as a skill that they continued to use. Participants also shared that they felt stronger because of the intervention and have shared what they learned with others in their communities. Keywords: resilience, disaster, psychosocial interventions, Philippines, Typhoon HaiyanGiven climate change and environmental degradation, natural disasters have increased in regularity and intensity. Disasters can bring about destruction and the erosion of protective support systems in families and communities, thus causing pain and trauma. Although many survivors are able to recover after a disaster, there are those who experience difficulty in recovering and are at risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Meta-analytic studies report the prevalence of PTSD ranges from 19.5-28% among earthquake victims (Dai, Chen, Lai, Wang, & Liu, 2016), 11.5-16% among flood victims (Chen & Liu, 2015), and 15-24% across disaster victims in general (Utzon-Frank et al., 2014).Mental health and/or psychosocial support (MHPSS) interventions are particularly salient among communities located in the Pacific Rim Ring of Fire, who regularly contend with earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, floods, and bushfires (Paton, 2009). In the past 100 years, nine of ten of the worst natural disasters occurred in Asia (Udomratn, 2008). Furthermore, in developing countries, the impact of natural calamities is exacerbated by poverty, environmental degradation, inadequate infrastructure, and the poor delivery of government social services (Porio, 2014). Ave, Quezon City, 1108 Metro Manila, Philippines. Email: rhechanova@ateneo.edu) A review of related literature on the consequences of disasters in Asia reports that PTSD affects from 8.7-57.3% of survivors, which is higher than that reported in other global studies. However, the author cites limitations on the rigour, timing, and sampling of the studies on PTSD in Asia (Udomratn, 2008). Address for correspondence: Ma. Regina M. Hechanova, Department of Psychology, Ateneo de Manila University KatipunanRather than wait for the onset o...
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