Modifications of a First Psychological Aid (FPA) Protocol for Victims in the Early Stages of a Disaster

AZZOLLINI, S.C.; GRINHAUS, A.S.; AZZARA, S.; DEPAULA, P.D.; COSENTINO, A.C.

Atenas

Conferencia; 11th Annual International Conference on Psychology; 2018

The Atnens Institute for Education and Research

Modifications of a First Psychological Aid (FPA) protocol, developed in Israel, are presented to apply to victims in the early stages of a disaster. The goals are to clear the life-saving area of the rescuer and to reduce the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the victims. Starting from the premises of the original model of Farchi (2012), known as the Model of the 6 Cs, a simplified version for its application in Argentina was denominated the Model of the 4 C. In this new protocol the aim is to promote the activity of the prefrontal cortex and to decrease the action of the limbic system which is considered that at the moment of attending to a person in a situation of crisis or disaster. To do this, four guidelines are proposed: 1) Cognitive Communication, 2) Control and Challenge, 3) Commitment and 4) Continuity. In the work, the main foundations of each one are developed and the reasons for which the model has been simplified. Likewise, a FPA protocol based on the above mentioned model is presented. Finally, the potential benefits of incorporating the technique developed by Shapiro (1995, 2001), known as bilateral stimulation, is analyzed for early interventions to victims in a crisis situation. This technique could be an alternative strategy for the prevention of PTSD.