Charting the Course toward True Resiliency CHANDL… · Charting the Course toward True Resiliency: Enhancing Individual & Organizational Endurance Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D. Director

University of Central Florida

Nicholson School of Communication

Charting the Course toward True Resiliency:

Enhancing Individual & Organizational

Endurance

Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D.Director


UCF

INTRODUCTION

• Disaster Recovery and business continuity workers

face both physical and psychological challenges to their

performance during critical incidents.

• One challenging aspect is STRESS.



No one involved with a disaster

is untouched by it.

RESPONSES TO STRESSORS

• Stress responses differs

• Common physical effects of stress are similar



STRESS RESPONSE MECHANISMS

• Basic hardwiring to deal with urgent, emergency

situations by either fighting or running away

• Human reaction to chronic persistent stressors

• Both Body and Brain changes occur – as well as

cognitive processes (e.g. focus, perception, etc.)



PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF STRESS:

• Universal physical effects of stress on our body:

• Pressure on our internal systems

• Cardiovascular

• Respiratory

• Gastro-intestinal

• Nervous

• Musculoskeletal

• Endocrine




• Universal physical effects of stress on our body:

• Flood of hormones

• Ex: adrenaline & cortisol

• Elevated heart rate

• Elevated blood pressure

• Muscle tension

• Fast and shallow breathing




• Nervous system

• Can also do the work of adrenaline / non-adrenaline

• Excites the adrenal medulla

• Sends messages to:

• Heart

• Lungs

• Other vital organs



CATEGORIES OF STRESS

• There are five measurable categories of STRESS that

impact DR & BCP workers mentally and emotionally.

• Chronic Stress (CS) (e.g. chronic occupational stress)

• Acute Stress (AS)

• Acute High Stress (AHS)

• Acute Hyper Stress (Hyper-Stress)

• Traumatic Stress (TS and PTSD)



CHRONIC STRESS

• Everyday stress is cumulative and additive

• Personal life stress makes acute stress worse

• Occupational chronic stress can itself be problematic even without acute stressors

• When combined with acute stressors, CS tends to exacerbate the dysfunctional impact

• Many workers can still be functional (but limited) even with experiencing different levels of chronic or occupational stress



PERSISTENT OCCUPATIONAL STRESS

• Research indicates that persistent occupational stress

in an unresponsive, unsupportive environment erodes

the wellbeing of professionals.



ACUTE STRESS

• Initial and moderate levels of physical and psychological

pressures of emergency or disaster situations can make

business continuity and disaster recovery managers more

attentive, energized, motivated and focused.

• Beyond these initial benefits, situational stress can also

produce increases in anxiety, uncertainty, fear, dread,

confusion, inability to focus, slow decision making &

response times and limit abilities to think and make

effective decisions.



ACUTE HIGH STRESS

• Beyond certain optimal threshold levels too much

stress of emergency contexts can crate dysfunctional

physical and mental impacts.

• Situational AHS can also produce increases in anxiety,

uncertainty, fear, dread, confusion, inability to focus,

slow decision making & response times and limit

abilities to think and make effective decisions.



HYPER-STRESS

• When acute high stress pushes individuals past their

stress tolerance thresholds and creates cognitive and

physical dysfunctions.

• This is known as hyperhyper--stressstress.

• Everyone has a threshold for hyper-stress but not

everyone’s threshold is the same.

• Dysfunctions resulting from hyper-stress manifest

differently in different people.



HYPER-STRESS

• Most significant mental repercussions of hyper-stress

during times of extreme stress:

• Impact on cognitive capabilities

• Impact on decision making



DR & BCP WORKERS

• There are four stressful processes that may wear down

even the most experienced team member or team

1. Persistent occupational stress

2. Acute High Stress

3. Acute Hyper Stress

4. Extreme traumatic events



Stress impact on disaster workers is “the second disaster’

which also demands recovery

• Shift work, long hours and

time pressures in situations

where events are

uncontrolled, happening

quickly and lives are

threatened

• Making decisions in chaotic

situations, at times with

incomplete information

DISASTER CONDITIONS AND

HIGH STRESS & HYPER-STRESS FACTOR



• Emotional demands of

situations where people's

health is at stake

• Witnessing mass casualty

incidents including exposure

to grotesque situations





• Interactions with disaster

survivors and bereaved

family members

• Adverse work environments

such as cramped or toxic

environments or exposure to

adverse weather conditions

(cold, rain, snow, high winds)





• Intense public scrutiny

pressure and high

expectations to resolve the

crisis

• Heightened media attention

and scrutiny

• Being unprepared for multi-

agency, multi-jurisdictional

operations





• Worry associated with

exposure to chemical,

biological, radiological, nuclear

or unknown/invisible toxic

agents

• Worry or fear for the safety

of one's family





ACUTE STRESS REACTIONS

• Reflect our physical arousal or readiness to respond to

demands or dangers in our environment.



ACUTE STRESS REACTIONS

• In response to a potential danger or threat, our stress

arousal mobilizes our bodies for action, sharpens our

thinking and focuses our attention.



• Perception: process of

organizing the environment and

interpreting sensory stimuli

• Cognitive capacity: baseline/peak use of cognitive

capacities and the sufficiency

threshold for decision making

HYPER-STRESS KEY PSYCHOMETRIC CHANGES



• Memory: ability to store and retain information

• Recall: retrieve events from

the past; one of the core

processes of memory




• Self-monitoring: the extent to which one observes and

recognizes his or her own

behavior

• Reaction time: the time

taken to respond or make a

situational judgment




• Emotive control: the extent to which one observes and

modifies his or her own emotions

• Self regulation: following appropriate rules and norms for

expectations




• Concentration: sustained attention to a task or decision

• Diminished logical

reasoning: delayed processing in situations that

require rapid processing




• Implicit temporal

processing: perceptions of time that impact our abilities for

pattern recognition, time-

dependent decision making,

awareness of synchronized

processes and decision priorities




TRAUMATIC STRESS

• Disasters may also become extreme traumatic events

that challenge the coping resources of personnel.



POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

• Traumatic events may lead to a condition known as

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder



STRESS RESILIENCE

• Resilience is an acquired ability to overcome adversity

using practical skills and social support.

• Resilience requires having relationships in which one

feels supported and valued.

• Resilience is enhanced by awareness, training and

preparation *in advance of stress experiences*



BUILDING RESILIENCE STRATEGY

• Include advanced training objectives, techniques and approaches for building stress resiliency

• Recognize warning signs and effects of dysfunctional situational stressors

• Prepare stress management and stress response plans

• Implement approaches for coping, management and stress de-briefings – one on one; peer; group and mass

• Train team members as to what to do and say and what not to do and say to sustain people as well as processes

• Involve professional input in planning and recovery



PREPARE YOURSELF & YOUR TEAM IN ADVANCE

• Healthy nutritional habits

• Regular physical exercise

• Family and social connections outside of work

• Adequate sleep and rest

• Train for warning signs

• Stress management (coping) techniques



MAINTAINING A HEALTHY AND BALANCED LIFESTYLE

DURING DISASTER MANAGEMENT SITUATIONS

• Learn positive ways to calm yourself - to relax and

decompress after emergencies

• Take care of physical needs

• Take care of mental and emotional needs

• Have a personal (family) emergency plan at home

• Adequate support systems are crucial



BUILDING STRESS RESILIENCE TACTICS

• Develop specific capacities:

• Reduce chronic stress variables

• Effective problem solving skills

• Effective communication skills

• Ability to manage strong feelings and impulses

• Believing oneself to be capable to recognize and manage stressors

• Support networks



STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES & TACTICS

• Limit exposure to high and hyper stress (e.g. rotation)

• Mandatory rest breaks

• Utilize stress management techniques

• Psychological first aid

• Minimize saturated media coverage during down time

• Observing warning signs & look after each other during

the disaster



CORE ELEMENTS OF STRESS DISASTER

RECOVERY

• Talk

• Tears

• Time

• Myers, Zunin & Zunin (1990)



DISASTER STRESS RECOVERY

• Have a plan for the mental and psychological aftermath of a disaster

• Plan to provide comfort and recovery support

• Avoid isolation – connections with others are important

• Empower employees to acknowledge and accept their feelings

• Rest and work

• On-going support and counsel



DISASTER STRESS RECOVERY

• “Post disaster coping is like a marathon, you have to

pace yourself. Some people find it useful to get back to

routine (as best as possible) as quickly as possible. It

means taking care of oneself and taking care of others,

if possible. But many times people will withdraw and

won’t share fears, etc. It’s important to have an outlet

that feels right, whether that is therapy, support groups,

clean-up, or some combination of the above.”

• - Ramani Durvasula





Available from

Amazon.com

and other on-line

booksellers

Crisis Communication Resources by

Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D.

CRISIS COMMUNICATION RESOURCES BY

ROBERT C. CHANDLER, PH.D.



Available from

Amazon.com

and other on-line

booksellers

Dr. Robert C. Chandler is Director of the

Nicholson School of Communication at the

University of Central Florida. He can help with

assessment and development or provide on-

site presentations, seminars, educational

training or other consultative services.



P.O. Box 161344

Orlando, FL 32816

Telephone (407) 823-2683

FAX (407) 823-6360

Email: [email protected]

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Charting the Course toward True Resiliency CHANDL… · Charting the Course toward True Resiliency: Enhancing Individual & Organizational Endurance Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D. Director