Supporting civilians and professionals after crises

Implications for psychosocial care - Thesis Juul Gouweloos-Trines (2018)

In her PhD thesis, psychologist-researcher Juul Gouweloos-Trines focuses on psychosocial support for people affected by distressing events. How can the resilience and social environment of those affected be implemented most effectively to encourage natural recovery after a distressing event? Gouweloos-Trines examined this in high-risk occupations, such as the police, and in the context of a disaster. 

People in 'high-risk occupations', such as police and ambulance workers, face repeated exposure to distressing events. The thesis shows that organisational stress, in particular, has a major impact on employee well-being. More health complaints are related to these stressors, such as a high workload or reorganisation, than to exposure to images or stories of sexual violence.   

Support from colleagues important 

In addition, a study of 812 ambulance workers revealed a relationship between feeling supported by supervisors and colleagues and being given time to recover after a traumatic event, and reduced feelings of anxiety and depression.   

Refining and further developing psychosocial support  

With this thesis, Juul Gouweloos-Trines aims to contribute to refining and further developing existing guidelines on psychosocial support following disasters, crises, and distressing events at work. 

Omslag proefschrift Juul Gouweloos-Trines

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Author(s)

Author(s)
Juul Gouweloos - Trines

Publisher

Publisher

ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre

Publication date

Publication date

Publication type

Publication type
Thesis

ISBN

ISBN
978-94-6323-355-2