Beyond emotional trauma : a systematic review of military personnel’s perspective and impact

Abstract

The purpose of this systematic review was to locate and evaluate pertinent literature that exam ined how military search and rescue personnel perceived emotional trauma, its repercussions, and the coping mechanisms they used to deal with its impacts. The Hydra Data Initiative platform was used to search for publications found in databases that are in the English language. This review followed the guidelines provided in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The selection of both qualitative and quantitative research was based on key words as well as a variety of inclusion criteria. The quality assessment of the generated studies was facilitated by the use of the Critical Appraisal Tools Program. In total, 13 studies were included for evaluation. The articles that qualified for evaluation were both qualitative (n=2) and quantitative (n=11) in nature, examining the reported effects of exposure to traumatic experiences (n=8), the most common coping mechanisms used by first responders (n=3), and first responders’ individual experiences after experiencing emotional trauma (n=2). Few studies have been conducted on how military search and rescue personnel perceive and react to emotional stress. This was revealed through having to incorporate studies comprising other occupations, regarded as first responders. This analysis focuses on the many emotional trauma impacts and coping mechanisms used by search and rescue personnel to manage this upheaval. It is intended that this evaluation would provide fresh knowledge and give experts the tools they need to create reliable support systems.