ABOUT THE STUDY
The Family First Responder Project is a team of clinicians, researchers, and experts who are committed to developing, designing, and subsequently implementing an evidence-informed program specifically tailored for the families of first responders.
The Re: Building Families program was informed by numerous focus groups, a national survey, and a pilot program — all of which produced data that analyzed and is contributing to numerous forthcoming peer-reviewed presentations and publications.
Please see familyfirstresponder.ca for full overview of the Family First Responder project and study.
STUDY OVERVIEW
First responders (e.g. firefighters, police, and paramedics) often experience operational stressors. These include shift work and exposure to potentially traumatic events, as well as threats to personal safety, witnessing accidents, homicides, and many other potentially traumatic events.
Stressors like these increase a first responder’s risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health concerns.
Family members of first responders — especially spouses/partners — play a critically important role amidst the operational stress that enters the home via the first responder. In some cases, first responder family members can experience their own effects of operational stress in the home (e.g. relationship difficulties, family stress, increased caregiving responsibilities) that contribute to growing problems with their own social and emotional health.
Support systems and programs for first responders, however, do not typically include family members — especially spouses and partners.
Sponsored by funding from the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Family First Responder team at the University of Calgary designed a psychoeducation and support program called Re: Building Families specifically for spouses and partners of first responders. The program aims to support and strengthen the first responder partners’ own mental health and resilience, which may in turn, support and strengthen the mental health of the first responder and other family members.
RESEARCH TIMELINE
Phase 1 & 2: Focus Groups & Online Survey (Fall 2020 to Spring 2021)
Through focus groups and an online survey, we explored the psychosocial and physiological functioning of first responders and their family members. We collected information about preferred supports to improve functioning, and preferences to inform the content, structure, and mode of delivery for the psychoeducation program. Families wanted to better understand the impact of stress on their family, and learn coping strategies to manage that stress.
Phase 3: Psychoeducation Pilot Program (Spring 2022 to Fall 2022)
We reviewed existing research and consulted with numerous first responders and family support groups. The results contributed to the development of the psychoeducational and support program. The main goal of the pilot program was to provide psychoeducation to partners of first responders about how operational stress can impact the family, and to provide preventive strategies for these partners to enhance individual and family resilience.
Phase 4: Re: Building Families Program (Winter 2023 to Summer 2024)
Following many months of redesign, reimagining, and refocusing, the Re: Building Families (RBF) program was “born” in late Fall, 2022. With the guidance of numerous police, fire, and paramedic services, informal peer and family support groups, and expert clinical experience, the 6-module RBF was offered to spouses and partners in two forms — synchronous (facilitated by a mental health professional in Zoom room with 6-8 other spouses) and asynchronous (self-directed access to psychoeducational content and learning activities — starting in February, 2023. Each participant and their first responder were asked to complete pre, post, and 3-month follow-up questionnaires covering mental health, resilience, stress, family functioning, and family satisfaction. All participants were also offered the opportunity to wear and share data from a biometric wearable (Garmin) to objectively measure sleep, activity, heart rate variability (HRV), and stress. Data collection was finished in July, 2024, and data analysis and interpretation are in process.