Natural Hazards Center and CONVERGE, Department of Sociology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
Natural Hazards Center and CONVERGE, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan 30;18(3):1244. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18031244.
There is an expansive and growing body of literature that examines the mental health consequences of disasters and large-scale emergencies. There is a need, however, for more explicit incorporation of mental health research into disaster risk reduction practices. Training and education programs can serve as a bridge to connect academic mental health research and the work of disaster risk reduction practitioners. This article describes the development and evaluation of one such intervention, the CONVERGE Disaster Mental Health Training Module, which provides users from diverse academic and professional backgrounds with foundational knowledge on disaster mental health risk factors, mental health outcomes, and psychosocial well-being research. Moreover, the module helps bridge the gap between research and practice by describing methods used to study disaster mental health, showcasing examples of evidence-based programs and tools, and providing recommendations for future research. Since its initial release on 8 October 2019, 317 trainees from 12 countries have completed the Disaster Mental Health Training Module. All trainees completed a pre- and post-training questionnaire regarding their disaster mental health knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests demonstrated a significant increase in all three measures after completion of the training module. Students, emerging researchers or practitioners, and trainees with a high school/GED education level experienced the greatest benefit from the module, with Kruskal-Wallis results indicating significant differences in changes in knowledge and skills across the groups. This evaluation research highlights the effectiveness of the Disaster Mental Health Training Module in increasing knowledge, skills, and attitudes among trainees. This article concludes with a discussion of how this training can support workforce development and ultimately contribute to broader disaster risk reduction efforts.
有大量不断增长的文献研究了灾害和大规模紧急情况对心理健康的影响。然而，需要将更多明确的心理健康研究纳入灾害风险减少实践中。培训和教育计划可以作为连接学术心理健康研究和灾害风险减少从业者工作的桥梁。本文描述了一种干预措施的开发和评估，即 CONVERGE 灾害心理健康培训模块，该模块为来自不同学术和专业背景的用户提供了灾害心理健康风险因素、心理健康结果和心理社会福祉研究的基础知识。此外，该模块通过描述用于研究灾害心理健康的方法、展示基于证据的计划和工具的示例以及为未来研究提供建议，有助于弥合研究和实践之间的差距。自 2019 年 10 月 8 日首次发布以来，已有来自 12 个国家的 317 名学员完成了灾害心理健康培训模块。所有学员都在完成培训模块前后完成了一份关于其灾害心理健康知识、技能和态度的问卷。Wilcoxon 签名秩检验表明，在完成培训模块后，所有三个衡量标准都显著增加。学生、新兴研究人员或从业者以及具有高中/普通教育水平的学员从该模块中受益最大，Kruskal-Wallis 结果表明，不同组之间在知识和技能方面的变化存在显著差异。这项评估研究强调了灾害心理健康培训模块在提高学员知识、技能和态度方面的有效性。本文最后讨论了这种培训如何支持劳动力发展，并最终为更广泛的灾害风险减少工作做出贡献。
