Development and Preliminary Italian Validation of the Emergency Response and Psychological Adjustment Scale.

Pierluigi Diotaiuti,Giuseppe Valente,Stefania Mancone

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.687514

Pierluigi Diotaiuti, Giuseppe Valente + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.687514

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Abstract

Evaluating the personal adaptation response to the emergency situations is very important for the prevention of mental distress, for the activation of network and community synergies and for the planning and implementation of appropriate psycho-social interventions. So far there are no short tools for the overall assessment of cognitive, emotional and behavioral responses of psychological adaptation to the emergency in the psychometric panorama. The Emergency Response and Psychological Adjustment Scale (ERPAS) was administered to a sample of 1,088 participants, while the concurrent validity was tested through a second administration to 600 participants along with the GSE (Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale) and the BDI-II (Beck Depression Inventory-II). Confirmatory factor analysis bore out a five-factor solution (including 18 items) with good fit indices of adaptation to data, χ2/df = 1.440, RMSEA = 0.028, RMSEA 90% CI = 0.018–0.038, GFI = 0.996, AGFI = 0.959, CFI = 0.982, and NFI = 0.944. Evidence of convergent validity was provided by the significant correlations with variables such as cognitive and somatic depression, and perceived general self-efficacy. The analyses also showed a strong invariance across gender. The ERPAS tool prefigures application during the assessment in multiple emergency contexts (e.g. earthquakes, floods, pandemics, terrorist attacks, war events, major accidents, major fires). This validation study of the ERPAS has shown that this version is a reliable and valid measurement for assessing people's modes of personal response (cognitive, emotional, behavioral) in emergency contexts.

Highlights

Psychological support actions in emergencies are usually aimed at reducing the initial stress caused by events and facilitating short-term adaptive functioning (IASC, 2007)
In Ziabari and Treur (2018) we find an interesting reference review, where it is reported that from the field of epidemiological research it has emerged that females are much more likely to get anxiety disorders than males (Arrindell and Luteijn, 2000); while a neurological perspective would have shown that females have a weaker Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) and autonomic reactivity than males (Kajantie and Phillips, 2006)
The following domains were identified: (1) Worry, (2) Agitation, (3) Awareness, (4) Prosociality; (5) Self-Efficacy

Summary

Introduction

Psychological support actions in emergencies are usually aimed at reducing the initial stress caused by events and facilitating short-term adaptive functioning (IASC, 2007). Being able to function adaptively to the special situation can become important in two ways: first, it will be easier to put in place help and protection measures, follow the rescuers’ instructions and make correct and context-appropriate choices. It will uproot the memory of an experience in which, despite everything, effective behavior has taken place (Vernberg et al, 2008). Increasing the sense of control in the face of events that have taken over facilitates the early restoration of confidence in one’s ability to protect oneself (Zaumseil et al, 2013)

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