@article{ref1,
title="A prospective study of firefighters' PTSD and depression symptoms: the first 3 years of service",
journal="Psychological trauma: theory, research, practice, and policy",
year="2021",
author="Gulliver, Suzy B. and Zimering, Rose T. and Knight, Jeffrey and Morissette, Sandra B. and Kamholz, Barbara W. and Pennington, Michelle L. and Dobani, Fatima and Carpenter, Thomas P. and Kimbrel, Nathan A. and Keane, Terence M. and Meyer, Eric C.",
volume="13",
number="1",
pages="44-55",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: Firefighters are an important sample of convenience to study traumatic exposure and symptom development. This study assessed trauma exposure inside and  outside of fire service, diagnosed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and  associated disorders using clinical interviews and self-report measures, then tested  the hypothesis that trauma exposure would predict distress in firefighters over the  first 3 years in service. <br><br>METHOD: In total, 322 professional firefighter recruits  were assessed during academy training and through their first 3 years of service. Diagnostic assessments were conducted by psychologists annually, and symptom  checklists were completed by telephone every 4 months. <br><br>RESULTS: Firefighter recruits  were exposed to approximately nine potentially traumatic events (PTEs) in the first  3 years of fire service, with 66% of these events occurring in the line of duty. Very few (3%) developed diagnoses of PTSD, major depression, or generalized anxiety  disorder. Models of distress supported a trait model of distress. Distress was  stable within individuals over time, and although those reporting more distress also  reported more trauma exposure, variation in distress over time was not predicted by  trauma exposure. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Professional firefighters experience frequent exposure  to potentially traumatic events during their early careers. This exposure, although  large, does not result in a large proportion of mental health diagnoses. Distress  was consistent and low, which provides evidence of the resilient nature of those  selecting a career in emergency service. Future work is needed to understand the  disconnection between the current rigorously collected prospective data and the  existing literature regarding the increased risk of PTSD and associated disorders in  fire service. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1942-9681",
doi="10.1037/tra0000980",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0000980"
}