Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4122, Australia.
Slovene Center for Suicide Research, Primorska University, 6000 Koper, Slovenia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Sep 3;19(17):11030. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191711030.
The notification of unexpected and violent death represents a challenging experience for police officers and health workers. These professionals are exposed to very intense emotions during this task.
We aimed to investigate the degree of preparation, and the emotions and attitudes of police officers and health professionals while communicating such a death.
An ad hoc online questionnaire was created and disseminated through Qualtrics software. The participants were recruited through the institutional channels of Police, the College of Physicians, the ONG De Leo Fund and the Department of General Psychology of the University of Padua. In this qualitative study, thematic content analysis was used to examine the responses.
A total of 155 individuals participated in the study (44 females, 111 males): 102 individuals were police officers, 23 were doctors and were 30 nurses. Five main themes were identified: (1) how the communication took place; (2) the experiences during the communication; (3) the difficulties encountered; (4) coping strategies, and (5) forms of support. Most communications were performed in person, and most represented an intense emotional experience for the notifiers. There is a generalised lack of specific preparation and training for this practice. The recipient's characteristics (culture of origin, language, age, health conditions, psychological vulnerability) may add to the difficulties of the notification process. Professionals unload their tension by practicing sport, relying on their hobbies or interacting socially. The presence of other colleagues during and after the death notification is usually able to alleviate the burden of the communication.
Communication modalities can have a profound impact on the recipients and intensify the trauma of the loss; however, they also have the possibility of mitigating it. The notification of a violent and unexpected death remains a difficult and challenging task for the notifier, which is potentially stressful and emotionally charged. The topic is of great relevance and more research should be promoted in this area.
通知意外和暴力死亡对警察和卫生工作者来说是一次具有挑战性的经历。这些专业人员在执行这项任务时会暴露在非常强烈的情绪中。
我们旨在调查警察和卫生专业人员在传达此类死亡时的准备程度以及他们的情绪和态度。
创建了一个专门的在线问卷，并通过 Qualtrics 软件进行了分发。参与者是通过警察机构、内科医生学院、ONG De Leo 基金和帕多瓦大学普通心理学系的机构渠道招募的。在这项定性研究中，使用主题内容分析来检查回复。
共有 155 人参与了这项研究（44 名女性，111 名男性）：102 人是警察，23 人是医生，30 人是护士。确定了五个主要主题：（1）沟通是如何进行的；（2）沟通期间的经历；（3）遇到的困难；（4）应对策略，和（5）支持形式。大多数沟通都是面对面进行的，大多数通知者都经历了强烈的情绪体验。针对这种做法，通常缺乏具体的准备和培训。收件人的特征（原籍国文化、语言、年龄、健康状况、心理脆弱性）可能会增加通知过程的难度。专业人员通过运动、依赖爱好或社交互动来释放紧张情绪。在通知死亡期间和之后，其他同事的存在通常能够减轻沟通的负担。
沟通方式会对接收者产生深远影响，并加剧失去亲人的创伤；然而，它们也有可能减轻这种影响。通知暴力和意外死亡对通知者来说仍然是一项困难和具有挑战性的任务，这可能会带来压力和情绪负担。这个话题非常重要，应该在这一领域开展更多的研究。
