DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT

6 Users found this project useful

Effect of Psychological First-Aid Training on Psychological First-Aid Competence among Disaster Response Workers in Nigeria

Abstract

Disasters, emergencies, and humanitarian crises can have significant psychological and social consequences for affected individuals, families, and communities. Disaster response workers in Nigeria may encounter survivors experiencing acute distress, fear, grief, confusion, displacement, loss, and other emotional reactions during emergencies such as floods, disease outbreaks, communal conflicts, accidents, and other humanitarian events. Psychological First Aid (PFA) provides an evidence-informed approach for offering immediate humane, practical, and supportive assistance to people experiencing distress following potentially traumatic events. However, disaster response workers may have limited formal training in psychological first aid, communication during crises, psychological stabilization, identification of urgent needs, and appropriate referral. Psychological First-Aid training provides an opportunity to equip disaster response workers with the knowledge and practical skills required to provide safe, respectful, and appropriate psychosocial support during emergencies. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of Psychological First-Aid training on Psychological First-Aid competence among disaster response workers in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on Social Cognitive Theory, Crisis Intervention Theory, and the Psychological First Aid framework. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the roles of knowledge, self-efficacy, observational learning, behavioural skills, and environmental influences in developing and applying PFA competencies. Crisis Intervention Theory provides a framework for understanding immediate supportive responses to individuals experiencing acute psychological distress, with emphasis on stabilization, safety, communication, problem-solving, and referral. The Psychological First Aid framework provides principles for offering humane, practical, culturally appropriate, and non-intrusive support while identifying immediate needs and connecting affected individuals with appropriate resources and services. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how PFA training may influence PFA competence among disaster response workers in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise disaster response workers involved in emergency and humanitarian activities across Nigeria, including personnel working with emergency management agencies, humanitarian organizations, healthcare services, community-based response teams, and other recognized disaster-response organizations. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select states, disaster-response organizations, operational units, and eligible workers. Psychological First-Aid training will be measured using indicators such as exposure to structured PFA training, training frequency and duration, understanding of PFA principles, recognition of acute distress, supportive communication, active listening, psychological stabilization, practical assistance, identification of immediate needs, safety assessment, culturally appropriate support, confidentiality, empathy, referral procedures, community-resource identification, and appropriate follow-up. PFA competence will be assessed using indicators such as ability to establish supportive contact, communicate respectfully, listen actively, identify immediate needs, provide practical assistance, promote safety, recognize individuals requiring urgent professional intervention, avoid harmful psychological interventions, provide appropriate emotional support, connect survivors with available resources, facilitate referral, maintain confidentiality, respect cultural differences, and apply PFA principles appropriately in simulated or real emergency scenarios. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, case-based scenarios, observation checklists, skills demonstrations, and appropriately validated PFA competence instruments administered before and after the training intervention where a quasi-experimental design is used. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize workers' demographic and professional characteristics, disaster-response experience, exposure to PFA training, and competence levels. Inferential statistical techniques, including paired or independent sample tests, chi-square tests, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of PFA training on PFA competence. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that Psychological First-Aid training has a significant positive effect on Psychological First-Aid competence among disaster response workers in Nigeria. Workers exposed to structured PFA training are expected to demonstrate improved ability to establish supportive contact, communicate effectively, identify immediate needs, provide practical assistance, promote safety, recognize acute psychological distress, connect survivors with appropriate resources, and facilitate referrals compared with their baseline competence or workers without similar training. Practical demonstrations, simulation exercises, role-playing, case scenarios, supervised practice, and feedback may strengthen workers' ability to apply PFA skills in realistic disaster settings. Improved competence may enable disaster response workers to provide more appropriate immediate psychosocial support while recognizing situations that require specialized mental health intervention. However, limited training resources, high workload, exposure to traumatic events, inadequate supervision, insufficient psychological support for responders, weak referral systems, cultural and language differences, and limited availability of mental health professionals may restrict the consistent application of PFA competencies. The study therefore expects accessible, practical, culturally sensitive, simulation-based, and sustained PFA training to contribute significantly to improved Psychological First-Aid competence among disaster response workers in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on Psychological First Aid training, Psychological First-Aid competence, disaster response workers, emergency mental health, psychosocial support, disaster preparedness, humanitarian response, crisis intervention, occupational wellbeing, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the National Emergency Management Agency, state emergency management agencies, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, humanitarian organizations, healthcare institutions, disaster-response organizations, community-based organizations, emergency personnel, psychologists, social workers, counsellors, public health practitioners, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for strengthening psychosocial support during disasters. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating PFA training into disaster-response worker preparation and continuing professional development, strengthening competency-based simulation training, establishing standardized PFA protocols, improving referral and coordination systems, providing psychological support for responders, and developing sustainable Psychological First-Aid capacity-building programmes across Nigeria.

Keywords: Psychological First Aid training, Psychological First-Aid competence, disaster response workers, psychosocial support, disaster response, emergency mental health, crisis intervention, humanitarian response, disaster preparedness, occupational wellbeing, Nigeria, public health.