C  CA H P C Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, your federal medical school, Bethesda, Maryland • www. usuhs.milP F A
Helping Victims in the Immediate Aftermath of DisasterAs a healthcare provider, first responder,
leader or manager of disaster operations, this fact
sheet describes an evidenced-based approach for
helping victims cope in the immediate aftermathof a disaster known as Psychological First Aid, andexplains how to administer it.
Psychological First Aid aims to mollify thepainful range of emotions and physical responses
experienced by people exposed to disaster. Thesereactions include combinations of confusion, fear,
Do’s and Don’ts for Promoting an Environment ofSafety, Calm, Connectedness, Self-Efficacy and Hope
The primary objective of Psychological First Aid is tocreate and sustain an environment of 1) safety, 2) calm,3) connectedness to others, 4) self-efficacy or
empowerment, and 5) hope.

DO:
Promote Safety■ Help people meet basic needs for food & shelter, andobtain emergency medical attention.

hopelessness, helplessness, sleeplessness, physicalpain, anxiety, anger, grief, shock, aggressiveness,mistrustfulness, guilt, shame, shaken religious
faith, and loss of confidence in self or others.
There is consensus among international
disaster experts and researchers that PsychologicalFirst Aid can help alleviate these painful emotions
and reduce further harm that can result frominitial reactions to disasters. Please share this fact
sheet with your disaster outreach colleagues.
Promote Self-Efficacy■ Give practical suggestions that steer people towards

helping themselves.
■ Engage people in meeting their own needs.

Promote Hope■ Find out the types and locations of government andnon-government services and direct people to thoseservices that are available.
■ Remind people (if you know) that more help andservices are on the way when they express fear or worry.

■ Provide repeated, simple and accurate information on

how to obtain these.
Promote Calm
■ Listen to people who wish to share their stories andemotions and remember there is no wrong or right way
to feel.
■ Be friendly and compassionate even if people are being

difficult.
■ Offer accurate information about the disaster ortrauma, and the relief efforts underway to help victims
understand the situation.
Promote Connectedness■ Help people contact friends or loved ones.

DON’T:■ Force people to share their stories with you, especiallyvery personal details (this may decrease calmness inpeople who are not ready to share their experiences).
■ Give simple reassurances like “everything will be OK”

or “at least you survived” (statements like these tend todiminish calmness).
■ Tell people what you think they should be feeling,

thinking or doing now or how they should have acted
earlier (this decreases self-efficacy).
■ Tell people why you think they have suffered byalluding to personal behaviors or beliefs of victims (thisalso decreases self-efficacy).

■ Keep families together. Keep children with parents orother close relatives whenever possible.

Continued on reverse side

JANUARY 2005

FACT SHEET FOR PROVIDERS

Don’t, continued■ Make promises that may not be kept (un-kept promises

decrease hope).

■ Criticize existing services or relief activities in front ofpeople in need of these services (this undermines anenvironment of hope and calm).

UN aerial photographs of Indonesia following the tsunami of 26 December, 2004.
All photos courtesy of the United Nations.

PLACE LOCAL CONTACT INFORMATION HERE

COURAGE TO CARE is a new health promotion campaign of Uniformed Services
University. Its purpose is two-fold: to provide quality health information reflecting
our University’s excellence in military medicine and to present it in a friendly, appealing
format for immediate distribution for the health promotion needs in your community.

Uniformed Services University of the Health SciencesBethesda, MD 20841-4799 • www.usuhs.mil