The impact of trauma exposure on the development of PTSD and psychological distress in a volunteer fire service

Emergency service workers (ESWs), such as police officers, firefighters, and paramedics, perform a vital role in protecting society by upholding the rule of law, ensuring our safety, and providing assistance in emergencies. However, their work comes at a personal cost, with the repeated trauma exposure creating a substantial burden of mental health problems (McFarlane  and Bryant, 2007). A recent meta-analysis of 28 studies estimated that 10% of ESWs worldwide currently suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Berger, Coutinho, Figueira, Marques-Portella, Luz, Neylan et al., 2012); a prevalence far in excess of that in the general population (Cream er, Burgess and McFarlane, 2001).

Source: Psychiatry Research - July 3, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Josie Milligan-Saville, Isabella Choi, Mark Deady, Paul Scott, Leona Tan, Rafael A. Calvo, Richard A. Bryant, Nicholas Glozier, Samuel B. Harvey Source Type: research