Abstract
IntroductionFirst aiders are commonly exposed to different forms of traumatic event (TE) during their duties, such as Chronic Indirect Vicarious Exposure which refers to an indirect exposure to aversive details of the trauma (APA, 2013). If the psychopathological impact of TE is well documented, the mental health of first aiders remains neglected. Therefore, our main objectives are (i) to study the link between exposure to traumatic events and psychopathological outcomes and (ii) to quantify the rates of mental health disorders among first aiders.MethodOur sample comprised of 53 volunteer first aiders (21 females and 32 males) with an average age of 32.4 years (SD = 13.6 years). Traumatic event exposure and mental health were assessed through a set of validated questionnaires completed online.ResultsRates of mental health outcomes were higher than within the general population. Females showed higher scores of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than males. PTSD scores were significantly correlated with all mental issues scores, apart from tobacco use and eating disorders scores. There was a significant correlation between the number of traumatic events and the years of experience. Exposure to traumatic events only correlated with nicotine dependency. No other correlation reaches statistical significance.DiscussionThe scores of all mental health outcomes were high; a surprising result, as volunteer first aiders are thought to be recruited for their strong dispositional cognitive and emotional abilities. The high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder and burnout, along with the prevalent anxiety and depression, highlight the need for greater psychosocial support. Resilience training and peer support would be useful interventions in this group.
Highlights
First aiders are commonly exposed to different forms of traumatic event (TE) during their duties, such as Chronic Indirect Vicarious Exposure which refers to an indirect exposure to aversive details of the trauma (APA, 2013)
In a range of studies conducted across a variety of communities, these have been described in the context of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Jeon et al, 2007), of major depressive disorder (MDD; Salcioglu et al, 2007), of general anxiety disorder (GAD; Karatzias et al, 2019), of substance misuse including alcohol and nicotine dependence (Breslau et al, 2003), of eating disorders (Scharff et al, 2021), of obsessive–compulsive disorder (Ceschi et al, 2011) or of dissociative disorders (Schimmenti, 2018)
Age was correlated with nicotine dependence with older participants reporting heavier use of cigarettes, and with obsessive–compulsive symptom (OCS) severity, with younger participants reporting more severe OCS
Summary
First aiders are commonly exposed to different forms of traumatic event (TE) during their duties, such as Chronic Indirect Vicarious Exposure which refers to an indirect exposure to aversive details of the trauma (APA, 2013). Our main objectives are (i) to study the link between exposure to traumatic events and psychopathological outcomes and (ii) to quantify the rates of mental health disorders among first aiders. The literature on mental health after single or multiple traumatic events (TE) strongly suggests that direct or vicarious exposure to such TE can lead to or interfere with many symptom categories. In a range of studies conducted across a variety of communities, these have been described in the context of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Jeon et al, 2007), of major depressive disorder (MDD; Salcioglu et al, 2007), of general anxiety disorder (GAD; Karatzias et al, 2019), of substance misuse including alcohol and nicotine dependence (Breslau et al, 2003), of eating disorders (Scharff et al, 2021), of obsessive–compulsive disorder (Ceschi et al, 2011) or of dissociative disorders (Schimmenti, 2018). Lifetime prevalence estimates of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fifth ed.; DSM–5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder are up to 9% (Smink et al, 2012)
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