Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mental health comorbidity in firefighters

Abstract

This study investigated the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mental health comorbidities among career firefighters in the U.S. and examined occupational factors related to PTSD. A total of 624 male career firefighters completed questions regarding PTSD and mental health conditions. Nearly 7% met the criteria for being in the range of concern for PTSD, and among those, 87% screened positive for at least one other mental health condition. Those with PTSD also reported significantly higher occupational stress and duty-related incident stress, having a lower perception of self-efficacy to manage stress/trauma exposure and lower perceptions of support from their department and peers than those without PTSD.