Assisted Processing of Recent Stressful Situations: A South American Study in rescue and emergency Personnel

Currently, rescuers and emergency personnel who assist the community in disaster situations do not have adequate treatment to protect their mental health. The most widely used techniques such as debriefing and defusing would be ineffective and even harmful in the long term. In the present study, two quasi -experiments were conducted with 42 Bolivian and 39 Peruvian rescuers to test the effects of group application of the Assisted Processing in Recent Stressful Situations (PASER, for its Spanish acronym) technique on the reduction of levels of anxious reactivity associated with the memory of rescue tasks. The Self -Perception of Emotional State Inventory (APEEM, for its Spanish acronym) was used to assess the intensity of recall. Results indicated that external support of working memory through the application of the PASER technique significantly reduced self -perceived levels of emotional disturbance associated with recall in both Peruvian t(38) = 6.642; p < .0001 and Bolivian rescue workers t(24) = 7.452; p < .0001. These initial observations suggest that the PASER technique, applied early and in groups to rescuers and emergency personnel, would be appropriate for the prevention of anxiety and stress disorders resulting from the stressful tasks of their work. Early reduction of this symptomatology would avoid the frequent comorbidity problems associated with untreated anxiety symptoms. Further longitudinal studies are needed to verify the long-term effectiveness of this intervention.