SELF-CARE AND PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING IN RESPONDERS IN EMERGENCY CONTEXTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Keywords:
Emergencies; psycho-emotional well-being; first responders; self careAbstract
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46296/yc.v9i17.0773
Abstract
Emergencies constitute scenarios of high physical and emotional demand for responders, who are exposed to critical situations that significantly affect their mental health. This article aimed to analyze the relationship between self-care practices and psycho-emotional well-being in responders in emergency contexts through a systematic review of the scientific literature. A descriptive-analytical study was conducted following the PRISMA 2021 guidelines, with searches performed in databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, and Dialnet. The documentary sample included 25 units of analysis published between 2015 and 2025 in Spanish and English. The findings show that self-care strategies, such as cognitive reappraisal, sense of coherence, emotional regulation, social support, and resilience, are associated with lower levels of anxiety, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It is concluded that self-care represents an essential professional competence that requires organizational support and preventive policies to ensure psycho-emotional well-being in emergency contexts.
Keywords: Emergencies; psycho-emotional well-being; first responders; self care.
Downloads
References
Anguera, M. T. (2023). Revisitando las revisiones sistemáticas desde la perspectiva metodológica. RELIEVE, 29(1), art. M4. http://doi.org/10.30827/relieve.v29i1.27758
Alcoba Meriles, D. (2024). PRISMA y metaanálisis en la investigación científica. Fides et Ratio: Revista de Difusión Cultural y Científica de la Universidad La Salle en Bolivia, 28(28). http://www.scielo.org.bo/pdf/rfer/v28n28/2071-081X-rfer-28-28-13.pdf
Arena, A. F., Gregory, M., Collins, D. A. J., Vilus, B., Bryant, R., Harvey, S. B., & Deady, M. (2025). Global PTSD prevalence among active first responders and trends over recent years: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 120(1), 102622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2025.102622
Auth, N. M., Booker, M. J., Wild, J., & Riley, R. (2022). Mental health and help seeking among trauma-exposed emergency service staff: A qualitative evidence synthesis. BMJ Open, 12(2), e047814. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047814
Bania, A., Iatrellis, O., Samaras, N., & Panagiotakopoulos, T. (2024). FiReS: Un modelo semántico para consultas avanzadas y análisis de predicciones para personal de primera respuesta en planes de respuesta post desastre. Revista Internacional de Reducción del Riesgo de Desastres, 109(1), 104592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104592
Barcala-Furelos, R., Aranda-García, S., Abelairas-Gómez, C., Martínez-Isasi, S., López-Mesa, F., Oleagordia-Aguirre, A., Palacios-Aguilar, J., & Szpilman, D. (2020). Recomendaciones de salud laboral para socorristas en emergencias acuáticas en la era Covid-19: prevención, rescate y reanimación. Revista Española de Salud Pública, 94 (1), e202006074. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32601267/
Barry, B., Ricciardelli, R., & Cramm, H. (2023). “We’re unique”: Organizational stressors, peer support, and attitudes toward mental health treatment among airport firefighters. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, 43(10–11), 450–459. https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.43.10/11.03
Behnke, A., Conrad, D., Kolassa, I.-T., & Rojas, R. (2019). Higher sense of coherence is associated with better mental and physical health in emergency medical services: Results from investigations on the revised sense of coherence scale (SOC-R) in rescue workers. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 10(1), 1606628. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1606628
Benítez , J., & Franco, C. (2022). Calidad De Vida y Estrategias de Autocuidado en Psicólogos en Formación Clínica. Revista científica de la Facultad de Folosofía - UNA, 21(1), 61-76. DOI 10.57201/rcff.v21ej1.9
Breindahl, N., Strange, K. F., Ostergaard, D., & Christensen, H. C. (2023). Evaluation of a critical incident management system on mental health in lifeguard organisations: A retrospective study. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 9(1), e001499. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2022-001499
Bryant, R. A. (2022). La naturaleza del trastorno de estrés postraumático en los socorristas que buscan tratamiento. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 13(1), 2011602. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.2011602
Cogan, N., Craig, A., Milligan, L., McCluskey, R., Burns, T., Ptak, W., Kirk, A., Graf, C., Goodman, J., & De Kock, J. (2024). “I’ve got no PPE to protect my mind”: Understanding the needs and experiences of first responders exposed to trauma in the workplace. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 15(1), 2395113. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2024.2395113
Cordero, D. A., Jr. (2023). Rescuing the rescuers: The essential role of recognition for the mental health of emergency rescuers. Annals of Work Exposures and Health, 67(9), 1125–1126. https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxad061
Cruz Roja Ecuatoriana. (2024). Guía de cuidado y autocuidado al interviniente. https://www.cruzroja.org.ec/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Guia-CAI_18-07-24_final_compressed.pdf
Fien, S., Lawes, J. C., Ledger, J., Drummond, M., Simón, P., José, N., Daw, S., Lo Mejor, T., Stanton, R., & de Terte, I. (2023). A preliminary study investigating the overlooked domain of mental health in Australian first responders and surf lifesavers. BMC Public Health, 23(1), 1036. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15741-5
Fien, S., Lawes, J. C., de Terte, I., Simon, P., Joseph, N., Daw, S., Drummond, M., Best, T., Stanton, R. (2021). Forgotten first responders: Australian surf lifesavers and lifeguards. Emergency Medicine Australasia, 33(3), 572–574. https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.13754
Fonseca, S. M., Faria, S., Cunha, S., Silva, M., Ramos, M. J., Azevedo, G., Campos, R., Barbosa, A. R., & Queirós, C. (2022). Mental health patterns during COVID-19 in emergency medical services (EMS). International Journal of Emergency Services, 11(2), 193–206. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-08-2020-0052
Gómez , A. (2017). Predictores psicológicos del autocuidado en salud. Hacia la Promoción de la Salud, 22(1), 101-112. DOI: 10.17151/hpsal.2017.22.1.8
Gómez, A., Peláez, J., Martínez, I., & Salanova, M. (2022). Self-care at Work Matters: How Job and Personal Resources mediate between Self-Care and Psychological Well-being. Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 38(2), 231-239. https://doi.org/10.5093/jwop2022a15
Gupta, V., Upadhyay, S. K., & Malik, C. (2023). Rescuers need to be rescued: Multi-pronged strategies to ensure mental well-being among police personnel. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 38(3), 643–665. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-023-09590-6
Hernández Sampieri, R., Fernández Collado, C., & Baptista Lucio, P. (2019). Metodología de la investigación (7.ª ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Higgins, J. P. T., Altman, D. G., Gotzsche, P. C., Juni, P., Moher, D., Oxman, A. D., Savovic, J., Schulz, K. F., Weeks, L., & Sterne, J. A. C. (2011). The Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials. BMJ, 343 (1), d5928. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d5928
Jones, S., Agud, K., & McSweeney, J. (2020). Barriers and facilitators to seeking mental health care among first responders: “Removing the darkness”. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 26(1), 43–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078390319871997
Kshtriya, S., Lawrence, J., Kobezak, H. M., Popok, P. J., & Lowe, S. (2022). Investigación de estrategias de regulación emocional como mediadores de factores de estrés ocupacional y resultados de salud mental en personal de primera respuesta. Revista Internacional de Investigación Ambiental y Salud Pública, 19(12), 7009. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127009
Lasalvia, A., Vallan, M. D., Bodini, L., & Bonetto, C. (2025). Attitudes of ambulance service personnel toward people with mental illness: A cross-sectional survey in the province of Verona, Italy. Psychiatry Research, 343(1), Article 116291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116291
Lennie, S. J., Crozier, S. E., & Sutton, A. (2020). Robocop – The depersonalisation of police officers and their emotions: A diary study of emotional labor and burnout in front line British police officers. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 61(1), Article 100365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2019.100365
Lentz, L. M., Smith-MacDonald, L., Malloy, D., Carleton, R. N., & Brémault-Phillips, S. (2021). Compromised conscience: A scoping review of moral injury among firefighters, paramedics, and police officers. Frontiers in Psychology, 12 (1), 639781. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.639781
López, M., Lacambra, R., Rosado, M., Clemente, L., Carnón, A., & González, J. (2024). El burnout y el yoga como fuente de autocuidado. Revista Sanitaria de Investigación, 5(9). https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=10112172
Manzano, M., Lear, A., Maldonado , A., Cetina, L., Echeverría, M., & Maldonado, R. (2022). Impacto psicoemocional de la Covid-19 entre los profesionales sanitarios de atención primaria y especializada de la comunidad autónoma de Aragón. Revista Sanitaria de Investigación, 3(7). https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=8569846
Nagamine, M., Giltay, E. J., Shigemura, J., van der Wee, N. J., Yamamoto, T., Takahashi, Y., Saito, T., Tanichi, M., Koga, M., Toda, H., Shimizu, K., Yoshino, A., & Vermetten, E. (2020). Assessment of factors associated with long-term posttraumatic stress symptoms among 56,388 first responders after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. JAMA Network Open, 3(9), e2018339. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.18339
Núñez, D., & Cafarelli, F. R. (2023). Guía para el abordaje emocional ante situaciones de emergencias y desastres: Pautas de actuación ante víctimas y recomendaciones para el autocuidado del personal interviniente. Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos. https://www.cop.es/uploads/PDF/GUIA-ABORDAJE-SITUACIONES-EMERGENCIAS.pdf
Padmanabhanunni, A., & Pretorius, T. B. (2025). An exploratory study of the mental health of first responders: Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. South African Journal of Psychology, 55(2), 257–269. https://doi.org/10.1177/00812463251317901
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372 (71). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Pant, A., Suksaroj, T., Janmaimool, P., Laosee, O., & Ratannapan, C. (2024). Resilience capacity of pre-hospital emergency medical service (EMS) providers and the future agenda for sustainable development of a resilient EMS system in Thailand. Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management, 19(2), Article i3899. https://doi.org/10.24083/apjhm.v19i2.3899
Peng, M., Xiao, T., Carter, B., & Shearer, J. (2024). Evaluación del entrenamiento sistémico de primeros auxilios psicológicos en la competencia en salud mental de los socorristas médicos de emergencia ante desastres naturales en China: Un ensayo controlado aleatorizado por grupos. BMJ Open, 14(5), e078750. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-078750
Piñeyro, D. R., Depaula, P. D., Azzollini, S. C., & Huaire, E. J. (2024). Procesamiento asistido de situaciones estresantes recientes: un estudio sudamericano en personal de rescate y emergencias. Acta Colombiana de Psicología, 27(1), 39–63. https://doi.org/10.14718/ACP.2024.27.1.3
Saar-Ashkenazy, R., Bergman, Y. S., Ashkenazy, O., & Guez, J. (2024). Traumatic stress, active engagement and resilience in first responders and civilians in the outbreak of war. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 15(1), 2328506. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2024.2328506
Soto-Baño, M. A., & Clemente-Suárez, V. J. (2024). Psicología de Emergencias: una Nueva Profesión para una Actual Necesidad Social. Papeles del Psicólogo, 45(2). https://doi.org/10.23923/pap.psicol.3038
Schultz, E. M., & Mason, S. E. (2025). Estrés postraumático y estrategias de afrontamiento en personal de primera respuesta. Trabajo Social en Salud Mental. Advance online publication. 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332985.2025.2547015
Zarocostas, J. (2024). Mental health in emergencies needs a major rethink. The Lancet, 403(10444), 2582. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01241-8
Zenatta , F., De Carli, M., Lorentz, W., Maestri, E., Massaroli, A., & Monteiro, V. (2023). Efectos del trabajo en el autocuidado de la salud de los bomberos militares brasileños. Enfermería actual de Costa Rica (45), 1-14. https://dx.doi.org/10.15517/enferm.actual.cr.i45.51713
Published
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2025 REVISTA CIENTÍFICA MULTIDISCIPLINARIA ARBITRADA YACHASUN - ISSN: 2697-3456
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
