Trauma & Stress Studies with Firemen

Lia Smith is the student honored with a research grant by the Charlesworth's.  Her research study is shared below as Rotarians in our district have a special interest in firefighters.   The Rotary Club of University Area Houston is proud to be the leader in organizing and planning the much needed Rotary Firefighters Home in the Texas Medical Center in partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Houston Fire Department, the International Brotherhood of Fire Fighters, Rotary International, and Rotary District 5890.  Xerox Corporation has been a tremendous help in this endeavor.

 

"Perceived Stress and Alcohol Dependence in Firefighters:  The Role of Posttraumatic Stress"

 

Authors:  Liz J. Smith, B.A., Anka A. Vujanovic, Ph. D., Daniel J. Paulus, M.A., Matthew W. Gallagher, Ph. D., Sonya B. Norman, Ph. D. & Jana Tran, Ph. D.

 

Abstract:  Firefighters are at an elevated risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology and alcohol use, the combination of which is highly complex and difficult to treat.  One promising factor with relevance to alcohol use and misuse among firefighters is perceived stress, defined as the degree to which individuals experience life events as unpredictable, uncontrollable, or generally overloading.  As firefighters are at elevated risk for exposure to various occupational stressors, the current study examined the indirect effects of perceived stress on alcohol dependence via posttraumatic stress severity using structural equation modeling.  It was hypothesized that post-traumatic  stress would significantly mediate the association between perceived stress and alcohol dependence.  Participant data analyzed at the time of submission included 2,790 male urban firefighters employed by a large fire department in a major U.S. metropolitan area (62% White 25 - 34 years old).  Measures included the Perceived Stress Scale, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-IV, and the Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen-4.  Structural equation modeling results demonstrated that posttraumatic stress significantly mediated the association between perceived stress severity and alcohol dependence.  This model suggested that 70% of the effect of perceived stress on alcohol dependence was accounted for indirectly via posttraumatic stress.  Thus, perceived stress is associated with heightened posttraumatic stress severity, which in turn, is associated with greater level of alcohol dependence.  Furthermore, direct effects of perceived stress on alcohol dependence were statistically significant and a significant association was found between posttraumatic stress on alcohol dependence,  Results underscore the importance of considering symptoms of both perceived stress and posttraumatic stress in order to better understand alcohol use among firefighters.  Clinical interventions for AUD among firefighters may potentially integrate a focus upon perceived stress as well as PTSD symptom severity in order to maximize effectiveness and applicability.