How workplace violence harms first responders' mental health.

What is it about?

Our survey of Canadian firefighters and paramedics found high levels of workplace violence and that experiencing violence was associated with having symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Further, the tendency to interpret violent events in maladaptive ways worsens their impact on mental health.

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Photo by Michel E on Unsplash

Photo by Michel E on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Workplace violence is a growing concern for firefighters and paramedics. Such violence represents a source of abuse and trauma separate from the well known forms of trauma associated with critical incidents. The present study revealed that paramedics and firefighters regularly experience high levels of violence in their work (e.g., physical attacks and threats of violence). The frequency of workplace violence was found to be associated with worsened mental health, in part as a result of maladaptive interpretations of the violence (e.g., catastrophizing). These findings suggest the importance of strategies to reduce the amount of workplace violence first responders encounter and better support their ability to process these experiences when they do occur in a healthy manner.

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