Keywords

Black first responders, mental health stigma, barriers to care stigma, occupational stigma, cultural stigma, intersectionality

Abstract

First Responders (FRs) perform in high-stress, high-trauma environments that can negatively impact their mental health. Despite a growing conversation around mental health issues in emergency professions nationally, access to care may not be equitable along racial and ethnic lines. This is certainly true for Black-American FRs who are of African-American or Caribbean-American descent. Black-American FRs are sparsely examined, and this thesis articulates the challenges to mental health care that arise from the intersectionality of cultural and occupational influences on stigma about mental illness. To evaluate this narrative and take an expansive look at barriers-to-care stigma, a data set of approximately 1,700 first responders was evaluated to investigate the cultural and occupational influences on help-seeking behaviors in these groups. The measures used to test this stigma were the First Responder Stigma Scale (FRSS) and the Obstacles to Care Scale (OTCS). The statistical analyses used were one-way ANOVAs and a two-way ANOVA, as well as a chi-square test. Though there were no significant differences in barriers-to-care stigma among first responders culturally, there was substantial evidence to support that occupational influences have a large effect on stigma. This was depicted in the results indicating that police officers reported significantly lower scores on the stigma measures than dispatchers and firefighters. There was no interaction between race and occupation. Through further testing, practical and attitudinal barriers were discovered in the patterns of barrier endorsement within the Black-American subsample. This study is an addition to the limited literature in academia on Black-American first responders and exhibits the complexity of stigma in these populations.

Thesis Completion Year

2026

Thesis Completion Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair

Bowers, Clint

College

College of Sciences

Department

Department of Psychology

Thesis Discipline

Social Psychology

Language

English

Access Status

Campus Access

Length of Campus Access

1 year

Campus Location

UCF Downtown

Download

Restricted to the UCF community until 5-15-2027; it will then be open access.

Share

COinS
 

Accessibility Statement

This item was created or digitized prior to April 24, 2027, or is a reproduction of legacy media created before that date. It is preserved in its original, unmodified state specifically for research, reference, or historical recordkeeping. In accordance with the ADA Title II Final Rule, the University Libraries provides accessible versions of archival materials upon request. To request an accommodation for this item, please submit an accessibility request form.

Rights Statement

In Copyright