Evaluation of an organization-based psychological first aid intervention

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and assess an organizational intervention consisting of psychological first aid (PFA) and Open Space Technology (OST), and its impact on individual resilience and perceived organization support.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a non-experimental, pre-test and post-test design. Measures of employee post-trauma, resilience and organizational support were measured before and after the PFA intervention.FindingsPaired sample t-tests revealed significant pre/post-increases in individual resilience and perceived organization support. Correlational analysis revealed that resilience was associated with perceived organization support. Evaluations revealed that participants found the small group sharing, information about coping and the open space problem-solving activities particularly worthwhile.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation of the study was the lack of a randomized control group in the design. Future research may utilize more robust designs such as experimental and longitudinal studies to evaluate impact.Practical implicationsThis study indicates how the use of an organization-based intervention can be adopted for employees who undergo an emergency in their workplace. The combination of PFA and OST was found to be valuable in improving individual resilience and perceived organization support. In addition, OST can better facilitate problem-solving performance in intact groups, as it enhances collective interaction and community efficacy among survivors.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the dearth of knowledge on the use of PFA when used in an intact organization as part of its crisis intervention.