Occupational Stress and Functioning among Military Veterans in the Fire Service

Abstract

Military veterans in the fire service may experience higher risk for occupational stress and impaired personal and professional functioning. This investigation compared occupational stress and functional impairment between military veterans and non-veterans within the fire service. We hypothesized that military veterans in the fire service would report higher levels of occupational stress and functional impairment. The overall sample included 729 career firefighters, of whom 165 (22.6%) were military veterans. One-way analyses of covariance were utilized; covariates included age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Military veteran firefighters reported significantly higher levels of occupational stress and functional impairment (p’s < .05). Nonetheless, effect sizes for significant differences were small (η2= .01), indicating small between-group differences. Military veteran status significantly moderated the association between occupational stress and functional impairment (p < .05), such that this association was particularly stronger among veterans in the fire service. Post-hoc analyses revealed statistically significant differences between military veteran and non-veteran firefighters in work and social life/leisure activities domains of functioning (p’s < .017); however, these effect sizes were also small (η2’s .01–.02) indicating the need to interpret the significant differences cautiously. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.