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Workforce & wellbeing
Psychological first aid for paramedic families
‘Taking the fear factor out of it’: Family member and first responder experiences of the HUGS@Home psychological first aid programme
Paramedicine · 2026-10-26 · Added 27 October 2026
A qualitative study of a family-focused psychological first aid programme for first responders found participants felt more confident starting difficult conversations at home, with less stigma around operational stress, though gaps remained in organisational integration and programme sustainability.
- Study type
- Qualitative
- Design
- Qualitative interviews and focus group, reflexive thematic analysis
- Participants
- 11 interviews plus one focus group of 5, 6–9 months after training
- Main finding
- Four themes: communicating with care and confidence, navigating the 'not normal', creating an open culture, and sustaining support beyond the programme; participants reported better work-to-home transitions and stronger family and peer relationships
- Caveat
- Small purposive sample from a single programme interviewed 6–9 months after training — no outcome measurement
- Bottom line
- Context only
Why it matters in Australia (Medium relevance). Occupational mental health support is a live issue for every Australian ambulance service, and most still leave families outside their wellbeing programmes — this shows what a family-inclusive approach could look like.
Learning goal
Strengthen my ability to hold open, confident conversations about operational stress with family and peers.
More
- Topic: Workforce & wellbeing
- Daily scan: 27 October 2026
- Podcast: Paramedic Papers Daily, 27 October 2026
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