Abstract
Psychological first aid (PFA) is one of the vital tools in delivering psychological interventions to those who have undergone or experienced traumatic events. Traumatic experiences during calamities, outbreaks of infections, and war can induce a significant amount of stress in the absence of early and effective intervention provided by trained caregivers. The coronavirus pandemic has caused significant levels of fear as governments impose quarantine and lockdown to contain the infection. Countries around the globe have halted several social and economic operations to curb the spread of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). However, panic, helplessness, and horror aided by the infection due to the lack of a definitive cure has exposed the population to significant mental distress, thus warranting psychological intervention.
Highlights
BackgroundPsychological first aid (PFA) is critical in ensuring the psychological recovery of people affected by disasters
PFA is a group of skills applied to limit distress and maladaptive behaviors that could negatively impact the rehabilitation of people from a traumatic experience [1]
PFA is critical in delivering psychological interventions to survivors of a disaster
Summary
PFA is critical in ensuring the psychological recovery of people affected by disasters. The training programs mounted by various models are beneficial in increasing qualified personnel and improving the skills of healthcare workers in availing the abilities needed to facilitate PFA during disasters and emergencies such as those witnessed in the outbreak of SARS. Healthcare workers like nurses are capable of providing the needed psychological intervention to their patients in attempts to facilitate resiliency and behavioral recovery [13] It is, imperative to ensure the person providing a psychological response is prepared and trained in terms of the fundamental expertise in managing trauma among disaster patients. Increasing the number of individuals with qualifications in administering psychological intervention in health workers, infected patients, and affected populations will extend PFA's reach and effectiveness in mitigating trauma stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic [19]. By calming the population with the help of faith communities, people undergoing distress and anxiety due to social isolation will be psychologically empowered to fight the pandemic [25]
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