Abstract
Workplace interventions that leverage social tactics to improve health and well-being are becoming more common. As an example, peer mental health support interventions aim to reduce stigma and promote treatment seeking in first responder populations. Given the social nature of these interventions, it is important to consider how the preexisting social context influences intervention outcomes. A peer mental health support intervention was delivered among first responders, and self-efficacy and intention to have supportive peer conversations were measured pre-and post-intervention. Trust in peers was measured prior to the intervention. Results suggest a floor effect may exist for self-efficacy, in which a foundational level of trust and pre-intervention self-efficacy may be needed to maximize intervention effectiveness. As the future of work brings complex safety and health challenges, collaborative solutions that engage multiple stakeholders (employees, their peers, and their organization) will be needed. This study suggests that more frequent attention to pre-existing intervention context, particularly social context in peer-focused intervention, will enhance intervention outcomes.
Highlights
First responder professionals face increased job hazards, injuries, and fatalities on the job [1]
We address calls for more research on how pre-existing context may influence intervention outcomes [7] and provide insight into factors that may help or hinder valuable intervention efforts aimed as first responder mental health
Perceived or experienced stigma for treatment-seeking in first responder populations originate from cues within the environment about expected behavior, with many messages espousing the idea that if the responder cannot “just get over it,” that is a sign of weakness [27,28]
Summary
First responder professionals face increased job hazards, injuries, and fatalities on the job [1]. To reduce social stigma barriers peer-directed interventions exist that target the social environment to encourage treatmentseeking behavior [6]. Little is known about how the existing social environment influences an intervention that targets peers as a mechanism of change. The present study will examine both outcomes and process for a peer mental health support intervention for first responders. The process evaluation component will focus on the influence of both pre-existing individual differences (self-efficacy) and pre-existing social context (levels of interpersonal trust in the workplace) on intervention outcomes. We address calls for more research on how pre-existing context may influence intervention outcomes [7] and provide insight into factors that may help or hinder valuable intervention efforts aimed as first responder mental health.
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