Personal predictions of stress and stress reactions in firefighter recruits

Researchers and counsellors have observed a range of stress reactions in emergency service workers even after extreme and putatively traumatic incidents. Various studies have sought to delineate characteristics of incidents or of individuals which account for differences in appraisal and stress reactions. Few studies have examined expectations of stress and stressors in recruits to emergency work. Looks at such expectations in firefighter recruits, measured at the beginning and end of their training program, and compares their predictions with actual ratings from a group of experienced firefighters in the same organization. Most of the recruits already had some familiarity with the emergency environment. Stress ratings for items dealing with other people in the emergency work context increased over training. Discusses the relationships between predictions of stress, training, and task performance.