Reimagined connection: New possibilities for virtual mental health support for children and youth of public safety personnel affected by operational stress injuries

Abstract

Young people in public-safety-personnel (PSP)-connected families are affected by the distinctive stress related to having a parent with mental health issues, including operational stress injuries (OSIs) and the existing strain connected to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This increased vulnerability makes it important to be innovative in opportunities for prevention in the PSP community. After reviewing available resources aimed at helping young people aff ected by a parental OSI, the authors uncovered a gap in prevention and intervention programs accessible to all Canadian PSP fam ilies. A new virtual six-week program offered to Canadian young people in military and PSP families affected by an OSI creates potential for developing resilience. The online platform opens up access to young people who may be isolated from joining a traditional face-to-face mental health support program with peers. The virtual program aims to empower young people in their knowledge of mental health and enable them to learn about the complex nature of parental OSIs such as posttraumatic stress disorder. More research on this program is needed to ensure interventions created for this target population are effective in the Canadian context and meet the unique needs of PSP-connected young people.

Experiences and perceptions of family members of emergency first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder: a qualitative systematic review

“…5 Although PTSD can arise from a single traumatic exposure event, recent research has focused its attention on the role of repeated and cumulative trauma in occupation cohorts, such as military personnel and emergency first responders (EFRs). 6 In military cohorts, both current and former-serving, evidence of cumulative trauma has been examined internationally, showing PTSD rates ranging from 2.8% in Canada, 7 to 14.1% in US veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, 8 to 8.3% in current-serving and 17.7% in former-serving veterans in Australia. 9 These rates vary considerably based on the instruments used to measure PTSD, the time frame of assessment (current, 12 months, or lifetime), and the characteristics of the sample.…”