Mental health after a critical incident: the role of parental status and prior training in firefighters.
Frontiers in Psychiatry · 2026-01-01 · Observational study
Abstract
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: All firefighters who responded to the incident could participate voluntarily. Participants (n = 49) were categorized by parental status (n = 24 parents; n = 25 non-parents) and pre-deployment training (yes: n = 25; no: n = 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: Firefighters with children reported lower environmental quality of life (F(1,45) = 4.27, p = .045) and physical quality of life (F(1,45) = 4.11, p = .049). Significant interaction effects between parental status and deployment exposure were observed for temperament (F(1,44) = 5.83, p = .020). Pre-deployment training was associated with lower temperament (F(1,40) = 9.26, p = .004) and anger expression-out (F(1,41) = 11.99, p = .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.
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Tags
Clinician perspective · Fire service & police · Quality of life & function · Sex & gender
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