Citation

Pennington ML, Carpenter TP, Synett SJ, Torres VA, Teague J, Morissette SB, Knight J, Kamholz BW, Keane TM, Zimering RT, Gulliver SB. Prehosp. Disaster Med. 2018; 33(1): 102-108.

Affiliation

Baylor Scott and White Health, Warriors Research Institute, Waco, Texas, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1017/S1049023X17007026

PMID

29223176

Abstract

Introduction Firefighters represent an important population for understanding the consequences of exposure to potentially traumatic stressors. Hypothesis/Problem The researchers were interested in the effects of pre-employment disaster exposure on firefighter recruits' depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms during the first three years of fire service and hypothesized that: (1) disaster-exposed firefighters would have greater depression and PTSD symptoms than non-exposed overall; and (2) depression and PTSD symptoms would worsen over years in fire service in exposed firefighters, but not in their unexposed counterparts.

METHODS: In a baseline interview, 35 male firefighter recruits from seven US cities reported lifetime exposure to natural disaster. These disaster-exposed male firefighter recruits were matched on age, city, and education with non-exposed recruits.

RESULTS: A generalized linear mixed model revealed a significant exposure×time interaction (e coef =1.04; P<.001), such that depression symptoms increased with time for those with pre-employment disaster exposure only. This pattern persisted after controlling for social support from colleagues (e coefficient=1.05; P<.001), social support from families (e coefficient=1.04; P=.001), and on-the-job trauma exposure (coefficient=0.06; e coefficient=1.11; P<.001). Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms did not vary significantly between exposure groups at baseline (P=.61).

CONCLUSION: Depression symptoms increased with time for those with pre-employment disaster exposure only, even after controlling for social support. Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms did not vary between exposure groups. Pennington ML , Carpenter TP , Synett SJ , Torres VA , Teague J , Morissette SB , Knight J , Kamholz BW , Keane TM , Zimering RT , Gulliver SB. The influence of exposure to natural disasters on depression and PTSD symptoms among firefighters.

Language: en

Keywords

4th Edition; BDI-PC Beck Depression Inventory for Primary Care; DSM-IV Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; FFWE Firefighter Work Experience; MDD major depressive disorders; PCL-C Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist; PTSD posttraumatic stress disorder; SSS-F Family Social Support Scale; SSS-FF Firefighter Social Support Scale; THQ-R Trauma History Questionnaire – Revised; PTSD; depression; firefighters; mental health; natural disaster