A preliminary investigation of post-traumatic stress symptoms among firefighters

Abstract

Emergency service personnel are at high risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is little in-depth information on the psychological responses of firefighters to the daily incidents that they attend. This preliminary study aimed to investigate the PTSD symptoms of firefighters in relation to traumatic events experienced by them, and the availability of social support. Thirty-one UK fire service workers completed an adapted version of the Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS; Foa, 1995) to investigate the existence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They were also individually interviewed to explore the symptoms they had experienced, what events these were related to, types of social support and coping strategies. Two participants reached the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. Rumination and sleep disturbance were the most commonly reported PTSD symptoms. Participants reported high levels of social support from within the service and outside. The results suggest that fire service personnel are at risk of developing some symptoms of PTSD; however most had not experienced severe enough symptoms for PTSD to be diagnosed. The study suggests that high levels of social support may play a role in buffering firefighters from the development of PTSD.

Keywords:

• Post-traumatic Stress
• Firefighters
• Social support

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the members of the Fire and Rescue Service who generously gave their time and co-operation to this study.

The authors would also like to acknowledge the contribution of Alma James, Department of Psychology, University College Swansea, University of Wales, who gave very helpful advice during the setting up of this study. Since this work was conducted, Alma has sadly died and they send their condolences to her family.