The impact of their role on telephone crisis support workers' psychological wellbeing and functioning: Quantitative findings from a mixed methods investigation
The impact of their role on telephone crisis support workers' psychological wellbeing and functioning: Quantitative findings from a mixed methods investigation
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0207645
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发表时间：
2018-12-19
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Wilson, Ian
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kitchingman, Taneile Ashlea;Caputi, Peter;Wilson, Ian
研究表明，与处于困境中的其他人频繁的共情接触会使注册专业角色（例如医生、心理学家）的帮助者面临与心理困扰症状相关的功能障碍的风险，包括向患者提供次优护理。初步研究表明，电话危机支持人员也可能受到类似的影响。这项重复测量研究是第一个已知的研究，旨在检查电话危机支持人员在与危机中的来电者交谈之前和之后与心理困扰症状相关的功能障碍。来自澳大利亚生命线的电话危机支持人员的代表性样本完成了三项调查：1）之前； 2）紧接着； 3）完成国家危机线转移一周后。调查包括功能障碍、心理困扰、心理健康问题和自杀的生活经历、志愿服务动机、应对策略和寻求帮助的标准化测量。分类项目用于评估个人和轮班相关因素。使用重复测量方差分析来识别不同时间点心理困扰和损害症状的变化。结构方程模型用于测试假设的损伤模型内的关系。很大一部分参与者报告了与心理困扰症状相关的功能障碍。不同时间点的功能障碍和心理困扰症状存在显着差异，并且与不同机制相关。这项研究的一个重要成果是实证支持的模型，该模型解释了电话危机支持人员如何经历与其 TCS 角色以及其他工作/学习、家庭和社交/休闲活动相关的功能障碍。结果表明需要刻意制定和/或修改现有服务策略，以优化电话危机支持工作人员的心理健康和功能，包括构建工作环境并在培训和监督期间强调某些信息。
Research suggests that frequent empathic engagement with others in distress places helpers in registered professional roles (e.g. medical practitioners, psychologists) at risk of functional impairment related to symptoms of psychological distress, including the delivery of sub-optimal care to patients. Preliminary research suggests that telephone crisis support workers may also be impacted in a similar way. This repeated measures study is the first known research to examine telephone crisis support workers' functional impairment related to symptoms of psychological distress before and after speaking with callers in crisis. A representative sample of telephone crisis support workers from Lifeline Australia participated by completing three surveys: 1) directly before; 2) directly after; and 3) one week after completing a shift on the national crisis line. Surveys included standardised measures of functional impairment, psychological distress, lived experience of mental health issues and suicide, motivations for volunteering, coping strategies and help-seeking. Categorical items were used to assess personal and shift related factors. Repeated measures analyses of variance were used to identify changes in symptoms of psychological distress and impairment across time points. Structural equation modelling was used to test relationships within a hypothesised model of impairment. A significant proportion of participants reported functional impairment related to symptoms of psychological distress. Significant differences in functional impairment and symptoms of psychological distress were detected, and were associated with different mechanisms, across time points. An important outcome of this study is empirically-supported models which explain how telephone crisis support workers come to experience functional impairment in relation to their TCS role, as well as other work/study, home/family and social/leisure activities. Results warrant the deliberate development and/or modification of existing service strategies to optimise telephone crisis support workers' psychological wellbeing and functioning, including by structuring the work environment and emphasising certain messages during training and supervision.