Truck drivers are also lay rescuers: A scoping review

A recent comprehensive investigation by Comcare (2021) has elucidated the real and severe mental health problems suffered by truck drivers on Australian roads, reporting that 36.7% of all Australian truck drivers experience moderate to severe psychological complaints, including suicidality. Reasons for such poor mental health included unrealistic demands, lack of respect, and compromised support systems. The current paper, however, argues that a largely hidden but common role of "lay rescuer" is also a significant contributing factor to the mental health decline in truck drivers in Australia. Unfortunately, the prevalence, impact, and best practice intervention strategies for this occurrence is unknown in the literature. This paper therefore aimed to highlight this hidden role of truck drivers with a qualitative scoping review of both published and grey literature, on what is already known generally about the effects of being a lay rescuer on the untrained bystander. Nine relevant papers were found, reviewed, and summarised. Conclusions drawn were that bystanders who become lay rescuers commonly experience symptoms similar to post traumatic stress disorder, and largely do not receive any formal mental health interventions to help cope with the resultant symptoms, weeks or months after the incident. This represents initial evidence that the lay rescuer role for Australian truck drivers may also contribute to their poor mental health. Interventions and organisational policy changes should ensure truck drivers who are also lay rescuers receive the care they need. Research limitations and future recommendations are discussed. Keywords: Truck driver, lay rescuer, PTSD, scoping review