Religious belief in a sample of trauma-exposed firefighters: Mitigating occupational stress and enhancing posttraumatic growth.

A religious lifestyle can be a powerful factor in predicting and promoting healthy functioning following trauma exposure. Previous research has demonstrated that higher levels of religiosity significantly predict posttraumatic growth following exposure to trauma. Firefighters are a population associated with routine exposure to potentially traumatic events, as well as high levels of occupational stress. While the relationship between religiosity and posttraumatic growth is well documented, the interaction of religious belief, occupational stress, and posttraumatic growth is less clear. The objective of this secondary analysis was to determine if religious belief moderates the relationship between occupational stress and posttraumatic growth in a sample of firefighters. The sample for this analysis was comprised of 109 firefighters who were assessed at various time points before fire service and throughout their first 3 years of fire service. A religious lifestyle did moderate the relationship between occupational stress and overall posttraumatic growth. However, a religious lifestyle and occupational stress were not significantly related. A religious lifestyle did moderate the relationship between occupational stress and the subdomains of spiritual enhancement and appreciation of life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).