Stress and Coping Strategies Among Firefighters and Recruits

This study compared psychological distress and coping strategies for three different permanent firefighter groups in South-East Queensland, Australia: recruits (n = 42), on-shift firefighters (n = 51), and firefighters who had recently attended one of 13 fatal incidents (n = 52). Older firefighters reported more general distress but no increase in posttraumatic stress symptoms. Coping strategies tended to be associated with higher distress and posttraumatic stress, but once this general tendency was taken into account, seeking instrumental support was associated with lower posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results support previous findings that cumulative exposure and events outside work contribute to distress in firefighters.