Introduction This two-part exploratory study examines whether Psychological Capital (PsyCap) can contribute to understanding individual differences in environmental actions.Methods In the first phase, 55 students (ages 21-33) completed the 12-item Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) and the 18-item Environmental Activities and Action Scale (EAA). One week later, the same participants joined focus groups to discuss how the four PsyCap components-Hope, Efficacy, Resilience, and Optimism-might shape motivations for environmental action.Results Quantitative analyses suggested that PsyCap factors explained a modest portion (approximately 26.5%) of the variance in environmental action, with Efficacy and Resilience showing the strongest unique contributions (8.6 and 8.0% of the variance, respectively). These relationships should be interpreted cautiously given the limited sample and the mixed pattern of effects across PsyCap components. The focus group discussions added nuance, indicating that Hope, Efficacy, and Resilience may function as potential motivational catalysts, whereas Optimism could in some cases reduce perceived urgency for environmental action.Discussion Although preliminary, this pilot-study highlights possible pathways through which specific psychological resources may relate to environmental action. The findings underscore the need for larger, more rigorous studies to clarify the conditions under which PsyCap supports-or fails to support-environmentally responsible behavior.

Background: Secondary stress has been found to influence psychological sequelae to potentially traumatic events. The current study investigates the role of media strain and social ridicule as secondary stressors in the aftermath of a major naval accident.Objective: To examine development of post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression symptoms over time and to assess the association between symptom development and perceived media strain and social ridicule across the study period.Method: Crew members of Norwegian frigate HNoMS Helge Ingstad (N = 128) completed Impact of Event Scale - Revised, Hopkins Symptom Checklist - 25 and questions regarding perceived strain from media (including social media) and social ridicule. Data collection was done at three weeks, six months and 12 months post-accident. A series of linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate between-person and within-person variation in symptoms and perceived media strain and social ridicule.Results: Perceived media strain and social ridicule were significant in predicting symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Perceived media strain was also significant in predicting symptoms of anxiety and depression.Conclusions: Results indicate that perceived media strain and social ridicule are significantly associated with symptom trajectories. The study contributes to understanding of the relevance of secondary stressors after potentially traumatic events. Preventive efforts targeting secondary stressors merit further research efforts.

IntroductionFirefighting is a highly demanding profession, involving frequent exposure to stress and life-threatening situations. This pilot study investigates firefighters' cognitive and emotional responses underlying problem-solving and emotion regulation during stressful operations. It explores how and to what extent firefighters experience their thoughts and emotions, focusing on subjective experiences of valence and physiological arousal, and whether they perceive their thoughts and emotions as helpful or hindrances. Additionally, we examine habitual emotion regulation strategies, accounting for age and work experience.MethodSeventy-eight firefighters participated in structured interviews based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy techniques and completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ).ResultsFire accidents were reported as the most stressful operations (35%), with cognitive appraisal oriented to stress-threat (31%). Participants experienced mixed emotions (27%) rather than a single dominant emotion and consistently prioritised rescuing individuals as a problem-solving tendency (49%). Despite high subjective experience of bodily changes and physiological arousal, thoughts and emotions were generally perceived as positive and helpful. Cognitive reappraisal was the most frequently used emotion regulation strategy both during stressful operations (23%) and as a habitual tendency, while suppression was less common and negatively correlated with age. Age explained approximately 8% of the variance in suppression.DiscussionBy using a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) framework, this pilot study demonstrates new insight into firefighters' underlying cognitive and emotional processes during critical operations. Significant strengths and limitations, as well as suggestions for further research are discussed.

This study qualitatively compares how 18 experienced emergency responders from the fire services in Bergen, Norway, and London, United Kingdom, maintained and adapted their organisation's work, routines, and leadership practices to maintain operational capacity, preparedness, and resilience during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic from 2020-23. Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with nine experienced emergency responders in London and nine in Bergen, enquiring how the pandemic affected their work, their needs for maintaining operational preparedness going forward, and their COVID-19 experiences. Four themes emerged, related to their emotional experiences, how to maintain readiness, continuing to serve the community, and professionalism and learning. The discussion of these themes highlights the need for flexibility in planning, rather than comprehensive plans, and leadership that understands emergency responders' requirements. Drawing on the unique aspects of this study, a two-country comparison and the focus on experienced emergency responders, recommendations are offered for individual and organisational resilience, and the interface between them.

This study explores how Norwegian leaders in rural municipalities attend to disaster risk governance and prepare for resilient response to threats from systemic, interconnected, and cascading hazards. Systemic risk management in the Norwegian municipalities will depend on the context and how critical organizational processes are managed by the municipal leaders. Following the COVID-19 pandemic and an increased awareness of climate-related threats, 12 Norwegian municipal leaders (7 men and 5 women) participated in semi-structured interviews on crisis management and disaster risk preparedness in their municipality. The analysis identified three main themes: (a) Facing the unknown: addressing their emotional perception of risk, responsibilities, and the constant struggle to balance their everyday tasks and prioritize crisis preparedness; (b) Procedures are needed but relations are key: pointing to the need for collaboration, the value of trust, and to maintain good interpersonal relations; (c) We need to train: acknowledging the value of training and crisis preparedness in searching for viable ways to prepare for the unexpected. The study underscores the role of municipal leaders and highlights the value of interpersonal relations and trust when faced with decision dilemmas, uncertainty, and training needs in local disaster risk governance.

The aim of this scoping review was to summarize scholarly research on training and development of first responders and incident commanders in the fire and rescue services, with an emphasis on identifying emerging research questions and research gaps. From 2013 to 2024, 1343 studies were identified from the search in Web of Science, ProQuest, and Ovid/Psycinfo databases. A detailed search, screening, and selection strategy was performed, and 28 studies were retained based on prior established criteria. A majority of these studies were conducted in Europe (54%), North America (25%), Asia (11%), or Oceania (11%). Most studies (64%) used a quantitative approach, followed by a qualitative (21%), mixed methods (7%), or register data (7%) approach. A cross-sectional case design was most common (54%), while (21%) applied an experimental or a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design; only (7%) applied a longitudinal design. The studies could be organized into four interrelated themes focusing on (a) Workplace safety, stress, and resilience; (b) Incident command and crisis leadership; (c) Leader development and personnel management; and (d) Training innovation and technology. The scoping review offers recommendations to enhance future research on the training and development of incident commanders in the fire and rescue services.

This case study describes and discusses the outcomes of an emergency preparedness exercise designed to enhance team processes in a municipal crisis response team. The study presents the case of an emergency preparedness exercise simulating a cruise ship in distress in the High North. The exercise was facilitated by a cross-disciplinary team of faculty members and subject matter experts from emergency preparedness organizations. The results highlight the student assessment of the exercise and identify critical exercise design factors associated with enhanced learning, such as scenario realism, timely preparation, and regular practice. The core members of crisis response teams in municipalities invest limited time and resources in team training; thus, it is essential that their training is effective and grounded in relevant risk and vulnerability analyses and evidence-based problems in municipalities. The study recommends the development of competencies in local emergency response teams based on theoretical frameworks of experiential team learning and shared mental model research.

The present study examines the prevalence and predictors of symptoms of acute stress disorder (ASD) in crew members of Norwegian frigate HNoMS Helge Ingstad (n = 118) following the November 8th, 2018, collision with civilian oil tanker Sola TS, which led to grounding and total loss of the frigate. Collected six months prior to the accident (T1), pre-deployment scores on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Hopkins Symptom Checklist 25 (HSCL-25) depression items, HSCL-25 anxiety items and professional self-efficacy were examined as predictors of scores on the Acute Stress Disorder Scale (ASDS) measured three weeks post-accident (T2), along with sex, personnel category, operational experience, and peri-traumatic perceived control and perceived coping, also collected at T2. Results show 28% of participants obtained scores indicating clinically significant symptoms of ASD. Baseline HSCL-25 anxiety, HSCL-25 depression and female sex were positively related to ASDS scores. Perceived control in the situation was negatively related to ASDS scores. Other factors were not predictive. Findings demonstrate that even slight elevations in pre-incident scores on symptoms of anxiety and depression increase risk for significant symptoms of ASD in military populations and suggest pre-deployment screening could help identify subgroups at higher risk of developing ASD after maritime accidents.

This study explores how the protracted exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic influenced role expectations and leadership practices among Norwegian school principals. Following up Lien et al. (2022). School principals' experiences and learning from the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 1-16, nine Norwegian school principals were re-interviewed 18 months into the pandemic. Four main themes emerged: (a) increased demands and expectations describes how the pandemic still poses a significant additional workload, (b) dilemmas and uncertainty outlines how the school principals have become more aware of their responsibilities and liabilities, (c) social support and relationships details an increased sense of community and peer support from fellow teachers, colleagues and the community at large, and (d) self-efficacy describes how the pandemic has instilled confidence in the principals as school leaders. The findings are discussed in the context of leadership practices in education and research on crisis leadership.

This study explores the psychological reactions to being placed in quarantine during the early stage (March and April 2020) of the COVID-19 lockdown in Norway. We interviewed a sample of nineteen Norwegian citizens aged 21–64 years who were quarantined for 14 days in the early period of the pandemic before testing and vaccination were available to the general population. A semi-structured interview guide was used to conduct in-depth interviews about stress, coping, and adaptation to quarantine. A thematic analysis approach was used. Four main themes emerged in the interviews: (a) Being responsible, in terms of addressing the fear of being infected and infecting others, (b) The stress of the situation, in terms of highlighting worries, loss and loneliness, (c) Ways of coping, in terms of elaborating on cognitive, behavioral, and affective strategies to adapt to the quarantine, and (d) Social support and gratitude, in terms of appreciating interpersonal relations and the social context of the quarantine situation. The study contributes to our understanding of how differences in stress, appraisal, and coping may influence adaptation to a radically changed living condition in the early stage of the pandemic. These findings may inform health service providers and promote public health advise to support coping and resilient response in future health crises.

The main objective of the study was to investigate changes in mental health symptoms from the start of the pandemic in Norway (April) to December 2020. A total of 6017 participants completed an assessment of the survey at both time points. Main Outcome Measures: Symptoms of anxiety and depression were measured at both time points. Demographic variables and potential risk factors were assessed. There were significant changes (slight increase) in anxiety and depression, but effect sizes were small. Increases in symptoms in anxiety and depression occurred more in the general population than for people with pre-existing mental health problems. Baseline level of symptoms was the most important risk factor. Other significant risk factors included female sex, students, pre-existing mental health problems, increased tobacco use, lost job, and lacking government trust. The longitudinal results replicated findings from the first phase of the pandemic, suggesting that the number of risk factors experienced is associated with symptom severity. The results suggest that mental health symptoms have been quite stable from April to December but with a slight increase among people presenting with subclinical symptoms in April. The study obtained ethical approval from the Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research (REK Nord, 123,324).

ObjectiveHigh-quality healthcare services is delivered by teams rather than individuals and depends heavily on multidisciplinary cooperation between dispersed healthcare professionals. The aim of this scoping review is to identify common barriers and innovative applications of technology supporting team processes and patient safety, in geographically dispersed healthcare services.MethodsStudies were identified from searches in APA PsychINFO, Epistemonikos and Medline databases, from 2010 to 2023. A detailed search strategy was performed, and studies were included, based on prior established criteria.ResultsAmong the 19 studies that fulfilled our inclusion criteria, the majority (85%) were from Europe or North America, and most studies (53%) were quantitative, with a cross-sectional study design. Several reported observed distributed team processes in training and education. Most studies described barriers and detailed how innovative approaches and technological solutions were introduced to improve communication, coordination, and shared mental models in distributed healthcare settings. A small proportion of studies (16%) used health services data to examine interpersonal exchange and team processes.ConclusionThe scoping review offer recommendations to enhance future research on distributed team processes in healthcare services.

The crisis triggered by Covid-19 has exposed the interdependencies of modern society and sparked interest in local response to protracted and complex crisis situations. There has been a growing awareness and interest in the key roles of political and professional stakeholders, their emotional regulation and how they influence team performance and outcomes in dealing with uncertainty and complex crisis situations. While cognitive and behavioral aspects of crisis leadership are well researched, less is understood about how one can mitigate negative emotions, instill trust, or restore public faith and support of security forces and emergency response teams during crises. In addressing this gap, we propose a simplified conceptual roadmap for research and training of local crisis leadership. In this, we emphasize complex problem solving, team interaction, team context and technology and team training design. These four factors represent significant barriers if neglected. On the other side, they may be considerable force multipliers when better understood and managed. We suggest how seven research and training questions could be linked to the four conceptual factors and guide an evidence-based approach to develop local crisis leadership.