New Research Findings on Risks of Occupational Stress Injury Among Canadian First Responders and Frontline Healthcare Workers
Public Services Health & Safety Association partnered with The Conference Board of Canada to create the Occupational Stress Injury Resiliency (OSIR) Index screening tool, a tool to assess occupational stress injury risks among first responders.
In 2020, 620 individuals in Canada completed the OSIR Index screening tool.
This briefing presents the development of the screening tool, the methodology used, and the research findings.
Homewood Research Institute - Goal Management Training for PTSD
Homewood Research Institute is conducting a study investigating the use of Goal Management Training to improve cognitive functioning in individuals with PTSD. The program is a 9 week program that aims to improve attention, memory and executive functioning in individuals with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The program also seeks to improve functional outcomes such as performance in both the workplace and educational settings. This is an experimental trial being conducted at Homewood Health center in Guelph and Homewood Clinic in Mississauga.
If you are interested in participating in this study, please download and review this information letter and consent to contact form.
Peer Support and Crisis-Focused Psychological Intervention Programs in Canadian First Responders: Blue Paper
Mental Disorder Symptoms among Public Safety Personnel in Canada
Canadian public safety personnel (PSP; e.g., correctional workers, dispatchers, firefighters, paramedics, police officers) are exposed to potentially traumatic events as a function of their work. Such exposures contribute to the risk of developing clinically significant symptoms related to mental disorders. The current study was designed to provide estimates of mental disorder symptom frequencies and severities for Canadian PSP.
On the economics of post-traumatic stress disorder among first responders in Canada
There is an increasing awareness of the tragic consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among first responders in Canada. There is also an increasing awareness of the lack of understanding about the economic and social costs of PTSD in Canada. This article aims to briefly review the current evidence on the prevalence rates of PTSD, the economic costs associated with PTSD, and the costs and efficacy of various treatment strategies, to provide a framework for future research on the economic analysis of PTSD. Estimates suggest that as many as 2.5 million adult Canadians and 70,000 Canadian first responders have suffered from PTSD in their lifetimes. While we could not find any evidence on the economic cost of PTSD specifically, a recent estimate suggests that mental illness in the Canadian labour force results in productivity losses of $21 billion each year. Research from Australia suggests that expanded mental health care may improve the benefits of treatment over traditional care, and more cost-effectively. Given the methodological challenges in the existing studies and the paucity of evidence on Canada, more Canadian studies on prevalence, on the economic and social costs of PTSD, and on the costs and effectiveness of various treatment options are encouraged.
Recreational Therapy for PTSD
There are currently several interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that meet the definition of “evidence-based therapies” as outlined by the Institute of Medicine (2012). The current chapter examines one such group of interventions: recreational therapy. Recreational therapy refers to treatments designed to help restore prior levels of functioning resulting from injury or illness, or to promote health and wellness.