Loading...
4 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
- Firefighters’ leadership and well-being in rural fires: study in virtual reality environmentsPublication . Pinheiro, Raquel; Reis, Vitor; Curral, Luis; Chambel, Maria JoséIn this study, we analysed the effects of team leadership style on the well-being of firefighter teams operating under conditions of a simulated rural fire. Twenty teams of firefighters (composed of five elements each) took part in a computer‐based fire‐fighting simulation task and were randomly assigned to one of two conditions (leadership style: directive vs. empowering). Our results showed that directive leadership style was negatively associated with team members levels of stress and anxiety, while an empowering leadership style did not have a significant effect on team members levels of stress and anxiety. The distinct effects of team leadership style remain unchanged when we controlled for the levels of stress and anxiety before the simulation. Through moderated regression analyses we observed that the effect of directive leadership styles in reducing stress and anxiety was stronger for participants with higher levels of previous stress and anxiety. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
- Liderança e bem-estar dos bombeirosPublication . Chambel, Maria José; Carmona, Laura; Curral, Luis; Pinheiro, Raquel; Anjos, Joana Faria; Reis, Vitor; Neto, Mariana; Ângelo, Rui; Namorado, SofiaA publicação deste e-book surge como um dos resultados do projeto de investigação Processo de liderança e saúde ocupacional dos bombeiros: Desenvolvimento de um programa de intervenção, financiado pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, o qual integrou a Faculdade de Psicologia da Universidade de Lisboa (instituição proponente), a Escola Nacional de Bombeiros (instituição participante) e o Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge (instituição participante). Este projeto integra uma estratégia de desenvolver investigação e intervenção para responder aos atuais desafios societais, nomeadamente a criação de organizações saudáveis, com combate à doença mental e à promoção do bem-estar no mundo do trabalho. De facto, este projeto foi concebido com um propósito muito concreto – compreender melhor qual a liderança mais ajustada para que os chefes dos bombeiros possam atuar criando as condições para que os seus subordinados sejam resilientes e mantenham elevados níveis de bem-estar, mesmo atuando em situações de emergência muito exigentes e stressantes como é o caso dos incêndios rurais; apostar no desenvolvimento dessas competências, desenvolvendo um programa de formação para chefes, o qual passou a estar disponível na Escola Nacional de Bombeiros. Deste modo, consideramos contribuir para a tão desejada ponte entre o conhecimento académico e a prática organizacional, ajudando os decisores a tomarem decisões baseados na evidência científica. Nos três primeiros capítulos apresentamos a profissão de bombeiro como uma profissão com diversificadas exigências que podem afetar o bem-estar e salientamos a importância da liderança como um recurso para permitir que os profissionais enfrentem essas exigências garantindo que o seu bem-estar não sai prejudicado. Nos dois capítulos seguintes, apresentamos os estudos realizados neste projeto e os seus principais resultados, salientando o estilo de liderança mais adequado nas situações do dia-a-dia e durante a intervenção num incêndio rural. No capítulo final, apresentamos o programa de formação que resultou das observações dos estudos realizados e que tem como objetivo desenvolver as competências de liderança transformacional, por parte dos chefes das equipas de bombeiros.
- Exploring immersive multimodal virtual reality training, affective states, and ecological validity in healthy firefighters: quasi-experimental studyPublication . Oliveira, Joana; Dias, Joana Aires; Correia, Rita; Pinheiro, Raquel; Reis, Vitor; Sousa, Daniela; Agostinho, Daniel; Simões, Marco; Castelo-Branco, MiguelBackground: Firefighters face stressful life-threatening events requiring fast decision-making. To better prepare for those situations, training is paramount, but errors in real-life training can be harmful. Virtual reality (VR) simulations provide the desired realism while enabling practice in a secure and controlled environment. Firefighters’ affective states are also crucial as they are a higher-risk group. Objective: To assess the impact on affective states of 2 simulated immersive experiences in a sample of healthy firefighters (before, during, and after the simulation), we pursued a multivariate approach comprising cognitive performance, situational awareness, depression, anxiety, stress, number of previous adverse events experienced, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity, and emotions. The efficacy and ecological validity of an innovative VR haptic system were also tested, exploring its impact on performance. Methods: In collaboration with the Portuguese National Fire Service School, we exposed 22 healthy firefighters to 2 immersive scenarios using the FLAIM Trainer VR system (neutral and arousing scenarios) while recording physiological data in a quasi-experimental study. Baseline cognitive performance, depression, anxiety, stress, number of adverse events, and severity of PTSD symptoms were evaluated. Positive and negative affective states were measured before, between, and after each scenario. Situational awareness, sense of presence, ecological validity, engagement, and negative effects resulting from VR immersion were tested. Results: Baseline positive affect score was high (mean 32.4, SD 7.2) and increased after the VR tasks (partial η2=0.52; Greenhouse-Geisser F1.82,32.78=19.73; P<.001). Contrarily, mean negative affect score remained low (range 11.0-11.9) throughout the study (partial η2=0.02; Greenhouse-Geisser F2.13,38.4=0.39; P=.69). Participants’ feedback on the VR sense of presence was also positive, reporting a high sense of physical space (mean score 3.9, SD 0.8), ecological validity (mean score 3.8, SD 0.6), and engagement (mean score 3.8, SD 0.6). Engagement was related to the number of previously experienced adverse events (r=0.49; P=.02) and positive affect (after the last VR task; r=0.55; P=.02). Conversely, participants reported few negative effects (mean score 1.7, SD 0.6). The negative effects correlated positively with negative affect (after the last VR task; r=0.53; P=.03); and avoidance (r=0.73; P<.001), a PTSD symptom, controlling for relevant baseline variables. Performance related to situational awareness was positive (mean 46.4, SD 34.5), although no relation was found to metacognitively perceived situational awareness (r=–0.12; P=.59). Conclusions: We show that VR is an effective alternative to in-person training as it was considered ecologically valid and engaging while promoting positive emotions, with few negative repercussions. This corroborates the use of VR to test firefighters’ performance and situational awareness. Further research is needed to ascertain that firefighters with PTSD symptomatology are not negatively affected by VR. This study favors the use of VR training and provides new insights on its emotional and cognitive impact on the trainee.
- The effect of leadership style on firefighters well-being during an emergencyPublication . Curral, Luis; Carmona, Laura; Pinheiro, Raquel; Reis, Vitor; Chambel, Maria JoséLeaders are crucial to ensuring the well-being of their subordinates. This study aims to understand the effects of two leadership styles (empowering vs. directive) on subordinates’ well-being in an emergency situation (i.e., rural fire). A simulation study was conducted with two experimental conditions (empowering vs. directive leadership), and the subordinates’ stress levels were measured before and after the simulated episode. Contrary to expectations, empowering leadership had no significant effect on subordinates’ stress levels, while directive leadership contributed to reducing them. As expected, this effect was stronger for the subordinates with higher levels of stress prior to the simulated episode.