Non-Pharmacological interventions for psychological stress reactions in disaster nursing rescue workers: a scoping review.

Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Disasters exert a significant negative impact on the mental health of medical staff. Although many non-pharmacological interventions exist, there currently is a lack of literature that systematically summarizes these interventions. Therefore, this study aims to review existing literature on the use of non-pharmacological interventions to address psychological stress reactions in disaster nursing rescue workers.<h4>Methods</h4>This study was guided by the methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley. A systematic search was conducted from the inception to January 19, 2025 in the Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, APA PsycInfo, CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP, and CBM databases. The protocol for this review has been registered on OSF, with the DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/X6YPF .<h4>Results</h4>The initial databases searches yielded 7308 articles. A total of 18 studies were included, of which 11 were randomized controlled trials and 7 were quasi-experimental studies. There are four types of non-pharmacological interventions: (1) Mindfulness and mind-body exercise interventions, (2) Psychological adaptation and emotion regulation interventions, (3) Digital cognitive-behavioral interventions, (4) Exercise and time management interventions. Outcome indicators are symptoms of psychological stress response, including anxiety, depression, terror, stress, burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), fatigue, insomnia, and these studies also assessed wellbeing, resilience, and self-compassion.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Non-pharmacological interventions have been effective in reducing psychological stress responses in disaster nursing rescue workers. In the future, targeted intervention plans should be tailored to the specific mental health issues of rescue workers, and their effectiveness and cost-efficiency need to be further evaluated through large-sample, multi-center, and diversified research designs.<h4>Clinical trial number</h4>Not applicable.