Citation

Werner HR, Bates GW, Bell RC, Murdoch P, Robinson R. Aust. Psychol. 1992; 27(3): 159-165.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, Australian Psychological Society, Publisher Wiley-Blackwell)

DOI

10.1080/00050069208257604

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study was an exploratory investigation of key elements in Critical Incident Stress in 25 volunteer members of the Victoria State Emergency Service, a service which responds to road accident rescues in Victoria, amongst other emergency activities. The principal findings were as follows: (a) six factors were found to be most characteristic of Critical Incidents (CIs), and those factors reflected three themes, namely knowing or identifying with the victim or their family; large scale incidents; and suprise or novelty of the event; (b) stress responses often did not occur during the CI, those symptoms which did emerge were predominantly cognitive; (c) after a CI, cognitive and physiological responses were most common; (d) avoidance styles of coping (e.g., "keep active" and "switch off") were more common during a CI, whereas approach styles of coping (e.g., "discussion" and "debriefing") were more common afterwards; (e) participants reported having learnt how to cope more effectively following a CI, and some reported having changed their attitudes into a more positive outlook on life, and road safety. The implications of the findings for a cognitive model of Critical Incidents and directions for future research are discussed.