Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in firefighters

Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been extensively studied in victim populations (e.g., survivors of sexual assault), but not nearly as thoroughly in the responders who come to the aid of those victims, particularly firefighters. The prevalence rates for PTSD (as defined by previous authors) in firefighters vary widely, from 6.5% to 37%, using various cutoff scores on a variety of measures (primarily self-report) with rather dissimilar samples and events. This study utilized the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL), a measure consistent with current DSM-IV criteria, to evaluate the prevalence of PTSD symptoms in 131 firefighters from two US states. Using a standard cutoff score on the PCL, a prevalence rate of 8% was found. When measures of fear, helplessness, or horror (DSM-IV Criterion A2) and functional impairment (Criterion F) were included, a lower prevalence rate of 5% was obtained, a rate lower than typically is found in previously published reports. Previous psychological treatment, age at which the firefighters started working, Miscellaneous Calls, and the response of horror following the firefighter's Single Worst Event predicted PTSD symptoms. The present findings highlight the importance of using a symptom measure consistent with the full DSM-IV criteria to more fully assess firefighters' responses of fear, helplessness, and horror. Keywords: Traumawork-related stressfirefightersemergency servicesPTSDprevalencePosttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist This research represents a portion of the doctoral dissertation of the first author (now at the University of Mississippi Medical Center), which was funded in part by a Dissertation Award from the American Psychological Association, the West Virginia University (WVU) Department of Psychology Alumni Fund, the WVU Office of Academic Affairs, and an Awards for Research Team Scholarship (ARTS) grant from the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. These financial contributions are gratefully acknowledged. We would like to thank Jeff Simpkins of the WVU Fire Extension Service, Rick Rice, and the Chiefs of several fire departments for their support in making this study possible. We also would like to thank Jamey Biesczad, Abby Friedman, Lisa Greene, and Jennifer Guriel for their assistance through various stages of this study. Most importantly, we would like to thank the firefighters who took the time to participate in this research.