Provision of Evidence-Informed Psychological Interventions Following the Queensland (Australia) 2010-11 Floods and Cyclones; the Barriers and Successes

David Crompton; Peter Kohleis; Jane Shakespeare-Finch; Gerard FitzGerald; Ross Young

doi:10.1111/ajr.70002

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Provision of Evidence-Informed Psychological Interventions Following the Queensland (Australia) 2010-11 Floods and Cyclones; the Barriers and Successes

Journal article

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Peer reviewed

Provision of Evidence-Informed Psychological Interventions Following the Queensland (Australia) 2010-11 Floods and Cyclones; the Barriers and Successes

David Crompton, Peter Kohleis, Jane Shakespeare-Finch, Gerard FitzGerald and Ross Young

Australian Journal of Rural Health, Vol.33(1), pp.1-12

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.70002

PMCID: PMC11780684

PMID: 39887595

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Abstract

clinician experience

clinician training

disaster mental health

evidence-based care

Objective The study assessed the impact on clinicians' ‘perception of skills’ in postdisaster evidence-informed care (EIC) following participation in an online training programme implemented following the Queensland floods and cyclones of 2010–11, clinician confidence to provide EIC, the frequency clinicians used EIC and barriers to providing postdisaster specialist mental health care. Design Clinician perception of pre and posttraining skills, confidence in providing therapies such as trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy (TF-CBT), frequency of therapies provided and clinician perception of barriers to the programme were assessed quantitatively and qualitatively. Participants and Setting Clinical staff (n = 60) employed by the 2010–11 postdisaster mental health programme participated in an online survey conducted over the last 12 weeks of 2012. After the programme concluded an independent audit of the clinical record of mental health clients treated by clinicians employed in the specialist mental health programme was undertaken. Main Outcome Measure(s) Perception of clinical skills in various EIC modalities was completed pre and posttraining. Confidence to provide a treatment was rated on a five-point scale. The clinical record audit identified the treatments provided to clients. Barriers to programme delivery were rated on a five-point scale, with qualitative feedback highlighting programme concerns. Results Posttraining clinicians perceived skills in TF-CBT (p < 0.0001), cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) (p < 0.001) and exposure therapy (p < 0.001) had improved. Following training, clinicians described themselves as moderately to extremely confident in implementing TF-CBT (87%), exposure therapy (80%) and skills for psychological recovery (SPR) (88%). Clinical records analysis indicates that 25% of cases received no TF-CBT, while 43% received one to five sessions. Barriers to care included a lack of cross-service relationships. Recommendations focused on training and early commencement of intervention programmes. Conclusion The study echoes the findings of the 2020 Australian Bushfire Royal Commission recommendations that highlighted a need for clinician training in postdisaster EIC and the availability of clinicians with specialised postdisaster mental health skills.

Details

Title: Provision of Evidence-Informed Psychological Interventions Following the Queensland (Australia) 2010-11 Floods and Cyclones; the Barriers and Successes
Authors: David Crompton (Corresponding Author) - Queensland University of Technology
Peter Kohleis - Metro South Health
Jane Shakespeare-Finch - Queensland University of Technology
Gerard FitzGerald - Queensland University of Technology
Ross Young - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation)
Publication details: Australian Journal of Rural Health, Vol.33(1), pp.1-12
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.1111/ajr.70002
ISSN: 1440-1584
PMID: 39887595; PMC11780684
Copyright note: © 2025 The Author(s). Australian Journal of Rural Health published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of National Rural Health Alliance Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Data Availability: The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
Organisation Unit: Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation)
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991100144402621
Output Type: Journal article

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