%0 Journal Article
%T Early Psychological Effects Among Citizen Responders Activated to Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests
%A Aizada Saparbek
%A Nursultan Turusbek
%J Journal of Integrative Nursing and Palliative Care
%@ 3006-5550
%D 2025
%V 6
%N 1
%R 10.51847/Y1xzVpq855
%P 223-231
%X Dispatching lay volunteers to suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) can enhance early resuscitation efforts, yet the experience may also influence volunteers’ psychological well-being. This study explored how citizen responders perceived their psychological state during the first hours after being mobilized to an OHCA event. In the Capital Region of Denmark, a smartphone platform was used to alert trained and untrained volunteers to initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation. All individuals activated between September 2017 and May 2019 were asked to complete a brief questionnaire 90 minutes after receiving an alert. The survey included a four-tier rating scale to capture the degree of psychological impact (ranging from 1 = no impact to 4 = severe impact). Of the 5,395 individuals alerted, 88.6% submitted responses within the first 24 hours. Most respondents (68.6%) indicated they experienced no psychological effect, while 24.7% reported mild effects, 5.5% moderate effects, and 1.2% severe effects. Severe impact was disproportionately reported by volunteers without prior CPR instruction (3.8% versus 1.2%, p = 0.02), by those younger than 30 years (2.0% versus 0.9%, p < 0.001), by women (1.8% versus 0.7%, p < 0.001), by individuals who carried out CPR (2.7% versus 1.0%, p < 0.001), and by responders who reached the patient before emergency medical services (2.8% versus 0.7%, p < 0.001). Statistical comparisons were conducted using chi-square, Mann–Whitney U, Fisher’s exact tests, and multivariable logistic regression. Only a minority of citizen responders experienced severe psychological distress following activation to an OHCA case. Factors associated with greater impact included lack of CPR training, younger age, female sex, performing CPR, and arriving ahead of emergency personnel. Although pronounced distress was uncommon, integrating options for professional debriefing may improve the support structure within citizen responder initiatives.
%U https://journalinpc.com/article/early-psychological-effects-among-citizen-responders-activated-to-out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrests-sjsh4adtmiwf8eb