ORCID

0000-0002-5724-1257

Keywords

Firefighter, preparedness, distress, trauma

Abstract

Responding to distressing emergency calls increases firefighters’ risk for negative mental health outcomes, including posttraumatic stress disorder, warranting investigation into factors that can be targeted to reduce their risk for call-related distress. The present study examined whether the completeness of pre-arrival information about a distressing call reduced firefighters’ peri- and post-call distress via their perceived preparedness for the call and whether general self-efficacy moderated the relationship between pre-arrival information completeness and perceived preparedness. Data were analyzed from 173 active firefighters in the United States (89.0% male, mean age=37.98 years) who completed an online survey asking them to report on levels of general self-efficacy (GSE) and the completeness of pre-arrival information, their perceived preparedness, and peri- (PDI) and post-call (PCL-5) distress in relation to the distressing calls they had the most and least pre-arrival information for in the past year. Multilevel modeling was used to examine relationships between variables at the within- and between-person levels. The indirect effects of pre-arrival information completeness on PDI (b = -.016, 95% CI [-.034, -.003]) and PCL-5 scores (b = -.026, 95% CI [-.061, -.003]) via perceived preparedness were statistically significant at the between-person level. The interaction between pre-arrival information completeness and GSE scores was not significant at the within- or between-person levels. Thus, firefighters who had more complete pre-arrival information across calls had higher levels of perceived preparedness, which reduced the severity of peri- and post-traumatic distress. Future research should replicate these findings utilizing prospective or real-time methods such as ecological momentary assessment and explore potential moderators of the observed relationships.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Newins, Amie

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Format

PDF

Document Type

Dissertation

Identifier

DP0053096

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