Trauma Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation in Firefighters With Consideration of Exposure to Natural Disaster

Firefighters are exposed to a variety of potentially traumatic incidents in their work (Sattler et al., 2014). High levels of trauma exposure put firefighters at risk for mental disorders and symptoms. Using a survey designed to assess the mental health needs of firefighters from a hurricane disaster zone. the authors examined the prevalence of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol misuse. and suicide. The authors found that the firefighters in the sample reported moderate-to-high levels of mental health symptoms. Moreover, we found that job-related exposure to natural disaster plays a statistically significant role in predicting posttraumatic stress disorder, which provides further evidence of increased risk for mental health symptoms among first responders. More research is necessary to determine the types of events that contribute significantly to negative mental health responses in firefighters.