Stress and Coping Strategies Among Firefighters and Recruits

Abstract

This study compared psychological distress and coping strategies for three different permanent firefighter groups in South-East Queensland, Australia: recruits (n = 42), on-shift firefighters (n = 51), and firefighters who had recently attended one of 13 fatal incidents (n = 52). Older firefighters reported more general distress but no increase in posttraumatic stress symptoms. Coping strategies tended to be associated with higher distress and posttraumatic stress, but once this general tendency was taken into account, seeking instrumental support was associated with lower posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results support previous findings that cumulative exposure and events outside work contribute to distress in firefighters.

This research was undertaken as part of Michael Chamberlin's Graduate Diploma of Psychology at Griffith University. The researchers would like to thank the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, the Queensland United Firefighters Union, and the firefighters who participated in this research.

Notes

^a Missing for 1 participant in the on-shift group.

^b Missing for 2 participants in the after trauma group.

Note. Across a row, different letters indicate means that differ significantly from each other. ANOVA and post hoc comparisons were based on transformations (see text), but descriptive statistics are shown for untransformed scores.

*p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.

Note. See text for list of transformations. Inverse transformations for self-distraction and self-blame reversed the direction of scoring so that, after transformations, lower scores represented higher use of the strategy.

*p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michael J. A. Chamberlin

Michael J. A. Chamberlin is a senior firefighter with the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, with 14 years of experience. He is also a conditionally registered psychologist with Queensland Health's Allied Health Relief Pool. As a disaster response team leader, he has been conducting group interventions for critical incident stress with firefighters for the past six years.

Heather J. Green

Heather J. Green is a clinical health psychologist and lecturer at Griffith University's School of Psychology, Gold Coast, Australia. After completing her Ph.D. at the University of Queensland in 2001, she worked as a clinical psychologist in health psychology and acute mental health and completed postdoctoral studies in France before commencing a full-time academic career at Griffith University in 2005. She maintains a small private practice as a clinical psychologist.