Mental Health Disaster Response: Nursing Interventions Across the Life Span

Mental health training experiences among Haitian healthcare workers post-earthquake 2010

BACKGROUND

After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the large number of persons with major limb damage, amputations, shock, trauma, anxiety and depression placed a severe strain on mental health (MH) services.

PURPOSE

This qualitative study describes the impact and acceptability of a Mental Health Training Program (MHTP) implemented in the north of Haiti after the earthquake.

METHODS

A total of 113 healthcare workers (HCWs) participated in a training program designed to build local MH care capacity. The training curriculum draws on literature related to MH and the impact of the Haiti earthquake. Two focus groups were conducted with 16 HCWs; discussions centred on the personal and professional impact and acceptability of the training program.

DISCUSSION

Results demonstrated that the MHTP changed the HCWs' perceptions about MH issues and provided them with the knowledge and skills to respond to growing community MH needs. Acceptability of the MHTP was related to the content covered, to the delivery mode of the content and to the cultural appropriateness of the program.

CONCLUSIONS

Disasters of different types will continue to occur and to impact MH in communities around the world. MH training will allow nurses to quickly and effectively respond to disasters. A coordinated emergency plan that is subject to frequent review, rehearsal and evaluation is also essential.

Spotlight on sibling involvement in schizophrenia treatment

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this paper is to explore a literature gap--sibling involvement in the care and support of people with schizophrenia, and to make recommendations for filling the gap.

METHOD

The method used was observation and documentation of clinical notes over a ten-year period in an outpatient clinic for women with schizophrenia. Illustrative examples were selected from approximately 200 entries dealing with sibling relationships.

FINDINGS

Siblings constitute an important segment of the social network of persons with schizophrenia, although they do not usually take an active part in their brother or sister's care until parents are no longer able to cope alone. The role of primary caregiver appears to be a stressful one for siblings. The closest sibling bonds were those between sisters, and in most cases, the eldest girl in the family assumed the caregiver role. This depended, however, on the family's means, values, and cultural traditions, as well as on the personal attributes and life circumstances of the siblings. Financial, human, and social capital were critical determinants of sibling involvement. Sharing responsibilities and negotiating the distribution of required caretaking tasks was often the most effective way of dealing with the burden of care giving.

CONCLUSION

Although some clinical recommendations can be made, specificities that distinguish this population and the effectiveness of sibling caregiving need to be further researched.

Teaching disaster nursing by utilizing the Jennings Disaster Nursing Management Model

Millions of people are affected by disasters or major incidents annually. Disaster preparedness has reached a new level of urgency in the UK and other countries around the world. Thus, nurses need to become involved in disaster management in order to function effectively in these types of situations. Exposing nurses to disaster nursing education may result in positive outcomes for populations involved in a disaster. Currently, there are few models or frameworks to guide nurses through the process of understanding disaster nursing. The purpose of this paper is to describe the Jennings Disaster Nursing Management Model and discuss its application in a Community Health Nursing course.

Verlaufsuntersuchung depressiver Symptomatik nach akuter Traumatisierung

Hintergrund: Der Zusammenhang zwischen Akuter Belastungsstörung (ASD) und der Posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung (PTSD) ist vielfach untersucht. Wenige Erkenntnisse liegen über den klinischen Verlauf depressiver Symptome nach ASD vor. Fragestellung: Unterscheiden sich Patienten nach akuter Traumatisierung hinsichtlich der Entwicklung depressiver Symptome von Nicht-Traumatisierten? Methode: 39 akut Traumatisierte wurden mit einer gesunden Kontrollgruppe (KG, N=38) verglichen. Die ASD und die depressiven Symptome wurden mit standardisierten Verfahren (SKID, ASDS, DS) zu verschiedenen Messzeitpunkten untersucht. Ergebnisse: ASD-Patienten waren initial signifikant depressiver als die KG. Nach anfänglicher Beschwerderemission nahmen die depressiven Symptome bei der Gruppe der späteren PTSD-Patienten wieder zu. Schlussfolgerung: Depressive Symptome nach ASD sind sowohl bei Patienten mit als auch ohne nachfolgende PTSD häufig. Nach anfänglicher Remission der depressiven Beschwerden kann es zu einer Reexazerbation kommen.