The lived experience of first responder traffic officers in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia.
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Date
2020-06
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Addis Abeba University
Abstract
First responders are among the occupational groups that are susceptible to numerous events
that might affect their well-being and may be regarded a "high-risk" occupational category
with a wide variety of physical and mental health effects because they have work-related
exposure to serious events Stress in first responders is caused by something other than
emergencies; it can also be triggered by personal and work-life circumstances. Besides,
police staff, including traffic police, may encounter unique occupational stressors. This
phenomenological study aims to explore the lived experiences of First Responder Traffic
officers in Addis, Ababa, Ethiopia. 15 participants from different sub-cities were selected
using convenience sampling and interviewed using topic guide questions then data were
analyzed using thematic analysis. Five themes were identified; Challenges faced in the
profession, Impacts of being first responder traffic professional, Experience of emotional
distress and its effects, coping mechanisms, and Perception of Mental health and being first
responder professionals. Results indicate that. First responder traffic officers experience
numerous problems arising from their professional duties related to various major road
collisions involving tragic deaths and civilian injury. To cope with the distress, first
responder traffic officers use various coping mechanisms such as social support; support
from colleagues; activities that can help them to relax can also have constructive effects on
these professionals. Positive aspects of the profession like educating people, providing care
and satisfaction were also identified. This research highly recommends further researches to
be done in this area and a possible intervention program for these professionals.
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Keywords
Psychiatry,lived experience , traffic officers