Transcript Emergency responders, stress, and coping: A proposal of

Emergency responders, stress, and coping: A proposal of research
Sydney Vincent and Rebecca Y. Concepcion, PhD
Department of Exercise Science | Pacific University | 2043 College Way | Forest Grove, OR 97116
Abstract
Firefighters (FF) and other emergency
responders (ER) are professionals that require
overall good health and physical conditioning.
These professionals are also under a great deal
of stress in their daily duties. Due to frequent
traumatic experiences, ERs are at great risk of
psychological disorders (Ben-Ezra, 2006),
sleeping difficulties, and the general inability to
function properly in normal, everyday situations
(DSM-IV-TR, 2000). Utilizing the stress and
athletic injury model (Andersen & Williams,
1988), this study will examine the relationship
between stressful events, the emergency
responders’ perceptions of stress and injury
rates.
Purpose
This study will examine the relationship between stressful
events, the emergency responders’ stress reaction, social
support, and injury occurrence. With this information, fire
personnel can accommodate injury treatment as well as
psychological counseling when addressing reactions to
traumatic events.
Research Question
What is the relationship between social support, injury, and the
firefighter’s and emergency responder’s reaction to a stressful
event?
Hypothesis
Greater levels of social support and a positive coping response
to a traumatic event will lead to fewer injuries as well as a lower
rate of PTSD.
Background
The physiological and psychological stresses
associated with firefighting make the career very
challenging (de Loës & Jansson, 2001). Along with
these stressors, the firefighting industry has
proportionally higher injury rates (Walton, Conrad,
Furner, & Samo, 2003) than many other industries.
Coping is an area of many studies focused on FF, of
which, some have shown that positive coping
methods most used by FFs include: positive
reappraisal, active coping, and support/venting
(Cicognani, Pietrantoni, Palastini, & Prati, 2009);
negative coping strategies include, self-criticism,
anger expression and negative marital or romantic
partner relationship functioning (Monnier, Cameron,
Hobfoll, & Gribble, 2000). Additionally, social support
from supervisors is very important in the prevention
and/or limitation of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD); specifically in the areas of reliable
assistance, reassurance of worth, and social
integration (Varvel, et al., 2007).
Methods
PopulationCurrently employed firefighters & emergency
responders from the Portland Metro area who have
been employed for longer than nine months
Instruments- Demographics
- Injury frequency and severity
- Impact of Event Scale- Revised: Evaluates
symptoms related to traumatic event (Weiss, 2004)
- Trauma History Questionnaire: Measures level
of trauma associated with event (Green, 1996)
Procedure-Participants will be recruited through flyers,
emails, and in-person presentations
-Informed consent & survey data will be
collected online
Analysis- Correlation analysis will be used to examine
relationships between variables
References
Andersen, M. B., & Williams, J. M. (1988). A model of stress and athletic injury: Prediction and prevention.
Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 10, 294-306.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.).
Washington, D.C.: Author.
Ben-Ezra, M., Essar, N., Saar, R. (2006). Post-traumatic reactions among rescue personnel before and after
exposure to trauma: A brief report. Stress and Health, 22, 337-340.
Cicognani, E.,Pietrantoni, L., Palastini, L., & Prati, G.. (2009). Emergency Workers’ Quality of Life: The
Protective Role of Sense of Community, Efficacy Beliefs and Coping Strategies. Springer, 94,
449-463.
de Loës, M., Jansson, B. R. (2001). Work-related injuries from mandatory fitness training among Swedish
firemen. International Journal of Sports, 22, 373-378.
Weinberg, R., & Gould, D. (2007). Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology (3rd ed.), (pp. 428-442).
Champaign: Human Kinetics.
Green, B. (1996). Trauma History Questionnaire. In B. H. Stamm (Ed.), Measurement of stress, trauma, and
adaptation (pp. 366-369). Lutherville, MD: Sidran Press.
Monnier, J., Cameron, R. P. Hobfoll, S. E., & Gribble, J. R. (2000). Direct and crossover effects of prosocial and
antisocial coping behaviors. Journal of Family Psychology, 14, 570-584.
Varvel, S. J., He, Y. Shannon, J. K., Tager, D., Bledman, R. A., Chaichanasakul, A., Mendoza, M. M.,
Mallinckrodt, B. (2007). Multidimensional, threshold effects of social support in firefighters: Is more
support invariably better? Journal of Counseling Psychology, 54, 458-465.
Walton, S. M., Conrad, K. M., Furner, S. E., Samo, D. G. (2003). Cause, type, and workers’ compensation costs
of injury to fire fighters. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 43, 454-458.
Weiss, D. S. (2004). The Impact of Event Scale- Revised. In J. P. Wilson & T. M. Keane (Eds.), Assessing
Psychological Trauma and PTSD (pp. 168-189). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Acknowledgments
This proposed study will be funded by a
Pacific University Undergraduate Research Grant.
http://www.idrottsforum.org/articles/johnson/johnson061011.html
http://www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/fire/EmergencyResponse/Firefighting/Firefighting.aspx