Mental health after a critical incident: the role of parental status and prior training in firefighters

Introduction: In this brief research report, we postulated that operations involving children can increase stress for first responders. Here, a traffic accident in which a mother and her child were fatally wounded was investigated. We postulated that firefighters with children and firefighters without pre-training experience would experience greater psychological impact when responding to this incident. Methods: = 22) and analyzed using a factorial design including deployment exposure. The design permitted examination of family-related factors and preparatory training effects. Alongside sociodemographic data, the following data were collected: quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF), anger (STAXI-2), post-traumatic stress disorder (PCL-5) and daytime sleepiness (ESS). Results: = .001). Deployment exposure alone showed no independent effects. Conclusion: The psychological consequences of critical events appear to be influenced more by individual characteristics and preparation than by exposure alone. Targeted preparatory training can reduce anger-related reactions, particularly among firefighters directly involved in operations.