Abstract
BACKGROUND: First responders, like firefighters and EMTs, face high stress due to regular exposure to traumatic events. To provide effective treatment, understanding the relationship between PTSD symptoms is essential.
METHOD: A study with 342 treatment-seeking firefighters/EMTs was done using a partial correlation network analysis of an eight-factor model. A Bayesian directed acyclic graph was utilized to estimate the causal relationships between symptom clusters.
RESULTS: About 37% of the participants showed probable PTSD signs. The strongest connections were between internal and external re-experiencing. The Bayesian graph indicated that internal re-experiencing might predict other PTSD symptoms such as external re-experiencing, negative feelings, dysphoric arousal, and avoidance.
LIMITATIONS: The study's participants were seeking treatment, so the results might not be applicable to all firefighters/EMTs.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings reinforce previous research highlighting the significant role of re-experiencing in PTSD development and persistence. Further studies should explore non-treatment-seeking first responders and consider firefighters and EMTs separately.
METHOD: A study with 342 treatment-seeking firefighters/EMTs was done using a partial correlation network analysis of an eight-factor model. A Bayesian directed acyclic graph was utilized to estimate the causal relationships between symptom clusters.
RESULTS: About 37% of the participants showed probable PTSD signs. The strongest connections were between internal and external re-experiencing. The Bayesian graph indicated that internal re-experiencing might predict other PTSD symptoms such as external re-experiencing, negative feelings, dysphoric arousal, and avoidance.
LIMITATIONS: The study's participants were seeking treatment, so the results might not be applicable to all firefighters/EMTs.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings reinforce previous research highlighting the significant role of re-experiencing in PTSD development and persistence. Further studies should explore non-treatment-seeking first responders and consider firefighters and EMTs separately.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 686-693 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Affective Disorders |
Volume | 340 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 1 2023 |
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
Keywords
- Emergency medical service
- Emergency medical technicians
- Firefighters
- First responder
- Network analysis
- Posttraumatic stress