RESEARCH ARTICLE
The Efficacy of Psychological First Aid Training Program on Academic Faculties’ Knowledge and Competency to Deal with Students Experiencing Traumatic Events: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Mohammad A. Abu Sabra1, *, Mahmoud Al Kalaldeh1, Ayman M. Hamdan-Mansour2
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2023Volume: 17
E-location ID: e187443462305020
Publisher ID: e187443462305020
DOI: 10.2174/18744346-v17-e230517-2022-2
Article History:
Received Date: 12/01/2023Revision Received Date: 28/03/2023
Acceptance Date: 07/04/2023
Electronic publication date: 22/06/2023
Collection year: 2023
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background:
Academicians, nowadays, are assuming multiple roles, including psychological support. The need to enhance academicians’ knowledge and skills related to psychological first-aid is increasing due to the significant and timely intervention that academicians might assume when their students experience traumatic events.
Objective:
To assess the efficacy of the psychological first-aid training program on faculty members’ knowledge and competencies dealing with undergraduate students experiencing traumatic events.
Methods:
One group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was used. Participated faculty members received a PFA training program which was preceded and followed by an assessment of their knowledge and competencies using the PFA knowledge and competency questionnaire.
Results:
A total of 43 faculty members participated in the study. Faculty members’ knowledge and competency were improved after receiving the PFA training program (knowledge means = 7.7 to 11.0, t= -15.7, df= 42, p= 0.00); Competency means = 17.2 to 33.0, t= -14.6, df=42, p=0.00). No variation in the changes in knowledge and competency across study phases between demographic variables.
Conclusion:
Sustainable and up-to-date training on topics related to the psychological needs of students is a cornerstone to enhance the role of faculty members in academic settings.
