Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2024
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Elizabeth Boyd
Abstract
Palliative and hospice care patients face serious or life-limiting illnesses; as a result, patients and their caregivers often have to overcome challenges related to psychological distress. Furthermore, stress related to individuals’ medical and psychosocial concerns can lead to crises. While current literature acknowledges patients’ and caregivers’ experience of depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders, traumatic stress, and other disorders, there remains a gap in addressing these challenges through interventions that are tailored to the unique needs of this complex population. Additionally, professionals that comprise palliative and hospice care teams are often not trained to implement interventions to help prevent and intervene in response to psychosocial distress and crises. This current study proposed the adaptation of Community- Based Psychological First Aid (CBPFA) as a promising framework for providing timely and accessible psychosocial support within these communities. CBPFA is a therapeutic crisis intervention approach often used following disasters; however, it has been adapted for various non-disaster contexts, including with emergency medical service responders, oncology departments, and native communities. Utilizing a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methodology and a partnership with an interdisciplinary palliative care team at a rural South Dakota hospital, training on CBPFA was provided to 7 palliative team members. Training sessions and focus groups allowed for feedback on the applicability and feasibility of CBPFA for palliative and hospice care settings. The results of this study, using a phenomenological case study approach, exhibit CBPFA to be a beneficial method that builds off the skills of professionals in these settings. This initial adaptation of CBPFA for palliative and hospice care helps to reduce barriers by offering tools to non-mental health-trained professionals to address the complex psychosocial needs and crises of patients and caregivers coping with life-limiting illnesses and end-of-life transitions. CBPFA, adapted for palliative and hospice care, offers practical guidance and support during times of crisis and adjustment and has the potential to enhance resilience, foster coping skills, and improve the overall quality of life for patients, caregivers, and professionals in these settings. Further research and implementation efforts are warranted to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of CBPFA in other palliative and hospice care contexts.
Subject Categories
Psychology
Keywords
Palliative and hospice care, Psychological distress, Community- Based Psychological First Aid
Number of Pages
135
Publisher
University of South Dakota
Recommended Citation
Olivia Moore, Kathryn, "Adapting Community-Based Psychological First Aid to a Palliative/Hospice Care Team: A Community-Based Participatory Research Approach" (2024). Dissertations and Theses. 257.
https://red.library.usd.edu/diss-thesis/257