Military first responders in Sri Lanka: Post-crisis psychosocial challenges and treatment recommendations by mental health professionals

Authors

  • Raneesha De Silva Save the Children International, Asia Pacific Regional Office, Singapore
  • Jane L. Ireland School of Psychology and Humanities, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK; Ashworth Research Centre, Mersey Care NHS Trust, Merseyside, UK
  • Philip Birch Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
  • Carol A. Ireland School of Psychology and Humanities, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK; Ashworth Research Centre, Mersey Care NHS Trust, Merseyside, UK
  • Michael Lewis School of Psychology and Humanities, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK; Ashworth Research Centre, Mersey Care NHS Trust, Merseyside, UK
  • Methma Atapattu Murdoch University, Perth, Australia; Collective Hope Disability Services, Perth, Australia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35502/jcswb.398

Keywords:

Mental health, trauma recovery, crisis responders, disaster management, military, Sri Lanka

Abstract

This research explored perspectives of civilian and military-based mental health professionals regarding mental health challenges, influencing factors, and treatment considerations for military first responders in Sri Lanka, after they have been exposed to crisis events. Twenty-nine mental health professionals from Sri Lanka (14 civilian and 15 military-based) engaged in a semi-structured interview to share their experiences and recommendations in treating military first responders from Sri Lanka army and navy. The thematic analysis yielded two main categories of data: (1) factors influencing the impact of exposure to crisis events and (2) factors influencing effective interventions for first responders in the Sri Lanka military. These two categories were further analysed as themes and subthemes, based on factors which amplify, buffer against, and/or have a variable impact on trauma symptomatology and factors external to military first responders, which could impact their recovery efficiency. This study is one of the first to explore mental health challenges and treatment considerations for military first responders in South Asia, through the perspective of civilian and military-based mental health professionals.

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Published

2024-12-13

How to Cite

De Silva, R., Ireland, J. L., Birch, P., Ireland, C. A., Lewis, M., & Atapattu, M. (2024). Military first responders in Sri Lanka: Post-crisis psychosocial challenges and treatment recommendations by mental health professionals. Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being, 9(4), 197–205. https://doi.org/10.35502/jcswb.398

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 4 (2024)

Section

Original Research

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Author(s)

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