Prehosp Disaster Med. 2025 Nov 3:1-6. doi: 10.1017/S1049023X25101453. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Through a range of coping strategies, individuals seek to manage the stressors to which they are exposed, employing cognitive and behavioral responses that shape their emotional regulation of such events. Emergency first responders are routinely subjected to high-stress situations due to the nature of their duties and the continuous care of critically ill patients. This sustained exposure significantly increases their vulnerability to the development of mental health disorders, notably posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the coping strategies used by first responders when facing critical incidents and their association with PTSD.
METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in 2022. All first responders from a volunteer fire department in a major Colombian city who voluntarily agreed to participate were included in the study. The participants were 28 ambulance crew members and 187 firefighters. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis, and logistic regression models were applied to assess associations with PTSD. Principal components analysis was used to compute total scores, while the Lasso Method identified significant predictors.
RESULTS: The first responders most often employed avoidance and denial as coping strategies in response to the demands of their work in the prehospital field. After witnessing devastating events, many of them turned to religion for stress relief.
CONCLUSIONS: The study identified the use of maladaptive strategies associated with PTSD among staff, making it critical to develop training programs that help first responders cope with critical incidents by developing adaptive coping skills.
PMID:41178510 | DOI:10.1017/S1049023X25101453
