Enhancing Resilience and Connection: SigBee^® Implementation After the Maui Wildfires

Background/Objectives: Disaster service providers responding to natural disasters face significant mental health challenges, including burnout, anxiety, and secondary trauma, which can impair both individual well-being and team functioning. Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) offer scalable solutions and have demonstrated efficacy in supporting individual mental health outcomes for healthcare workers and emergency responders. Team cohesion is also a critical protective factor for disaster responders; yet, most DMHIs fail to address critical team-level dynamics that are essential for effective disaster response. This study examines baseline characteristics that predict engagement and domain scores with SigBee^®, a digital team check-in intervention designed to enhance both individual resilience and team connection among disaster service providers responding to the 2023 Maui wildfires. Methods: Twenty-two disaster service providers from three organizations participated in a three-month pilot implementation of SigBee^®. Pre-implementation surveys measured team connection, resilience, well-being, and technology usability using validated instruments, such as the Predictive 6 Factor Resilience Scale (PR6). SigBee^® aggregate user data tracked daily check-ins across four domains: team connection, resilience, wellbeing, and job confidence. Correlation analyses examined relationships between baseline measures, platform engagement, and SigBee^® domains. Results: Pre-implementation surveys revealed high baseline resilience and above-average interpersonal trust among participants. There were significant correlations between SigBee^® use and PR6 Tenacity. Aggregated resilience scores correlated with PR6 Health across all pilot months. Conclusions: Baseline resilience characteristics strongly predict platform engagement and domain outcomes among disaster service providers. Results suggest that structured self-reflection through digital check-ins can enhance individual resilience, particularly for individuals with higher baseline tenacity. This research addresses critical gaps in DMHIs by supporting both individual mental health and team dynamics that are essential for effective disaster response among healthcare workers.