TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1992//
TI  - Critical incident stress in victoria state emergency service volunteers: characteristics of critical incidents, common stress responses, and coping methods
JO  - Australian psychologist
A1  - Werner, Helen R.
A1  - Bates, Glen W.
A1  - Bell, Richard C.
A1  - Murdoch, Patricia
A1  - Robinson, Robyn
SP  - 159
EP  - 165
VL  - 27
IS  - 3
N2  - 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.<p />
LA  - en
SN  - 0005-0067
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00050069208257604
ID  - ref1
ER  -