Please find below a request from John Guilaran, a PhD student at Massey University:
In the aftermath of emergencies and disaster, people working in emergencies are usually overlooked. Working in emergency response is, physically and psychologically,
a tough job. Studies have shown that exposure to cumulative traumatic and highly stressful events may result to negative psychological consequences.
As such, it is not surprising to hear news about posttraumatic stress symptoms experienced by people in the emergency response sector. With the highly
stressful nature of the work, emergency responders, such as firefighters, may turn to others—partner, family members, co-workers, supervisors—for
support. Little research, however, has been done to find out who can best provide support, and what form of support works best.
This is what John Guilaran, a PhD student at Massey University, is attempting to find out. John’s research, “Work and Interpersonal Relationships among Emergency First Responders: A Comparison of New Zealand and Philippine Samples,” explores the effectiveness of the different interpersonal relationships on psychological outcomes in emergency first responders in New Zealand and in the Philippines. The study focuses on emergency responders, such as:
- firefighters
- police and military
- emergency medical services personnel
- emergency/disaster management personnel
- people in allied professions
Participation in the study involves answering an online questionnaire, which may be accessed at: https://qasiasingleuser.asia.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6XdCJpVYJb4rjJb. It takes approximately 30 minutes to answer the questionnaire, and this can be done in several sessions (your web browser will save your progress for two weeks). Participants who wish to take part through paper-and-pencil may email their name and mailing address to John.Guilaran.1@uni.massey.ac.nz. The questionnaire will be sent to them along with a pouch (prepaid postage) for its return.
As a way of thanking participants, they may enter the draw which gives them a chance to win one of the 25 Countdown gift cards worth $40 each. If they go into the draw, their details will not be linked to their data. Participants can also access the summary of the results. Anonymity of participants and the confidentiality of responses are strictly observed in this study.
This survey runs until 31 December 2017.
The Union encourages members to participate.
