Traumatic Events, Psychopathology, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the General Community and First Responders: Presence of Symptoms and Associated Factors

Most individuals experience at least one traumatic event during their lifetime, which can lead to the development of psychopathological symptoms and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). First responders (e.g., police officers, firefighters, emergency medical professionals) are exposed to traumatic events daily, making them particularly vulnerable to developing such symptoms. Using an online questionnaire, this study aimed to compare self-reported exposure to traumatic events and the presence of psychopathological and PTSD symptoms between a sample from the general community (<i>n</i> = 137) and first responders (<i>n</i> = 672) residing in Portugal. We also sought to identify factors associated with the development of PTSD symptoms. Results showed that although first responders reported higher exposure to traumatic events, there were no significant differences in PTSD symptoms between first responders and the general community. However, general psychopathological symptoms, particularly anxiety and depression, were higher in the general community than among first responders. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, hostility, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, and personally experienced traumatic events emerged as significant predictors of PTSD symptoms, whereas demographic variables showed no significant predictive value. The potential influence of factors such as terror management theory, training and education, professional selection, the "hero lifestyle", and the "police culture" is discussed, along with implications and directions for future research.