Cumulative Exposure to Work-Related Traumatic Events and Current Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in New York City’s First Responders

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bresnahan, Michaeline ; Doan, Thao ; Duarte, Cristiane S. ; Eisenberg, Ruth ; Fan, Bin ; Geronazzo-Alman, Lupo ; Guffanti, Guia ; Hoven, Christina W. ; Musa, George J. ; Shen, Sa ; Wicks, Judith
• Description:
  Background and objectives: Cumulative exposure to work-related traumatic events (CE) is a foreseeable risk for psychiatric disorders in first responders (FRs). Our objective was to examine the impact of work-related CE that could serve as predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or depression in FRs. Design: Cross-sectional examination of previous CE and past-month PTSD outcomes and depression in 209 FRs. Methods: Logistic (probable PTSD; probable depression) and Poisson regressions (PTSD score) of the outcomes on work-related CE indexes, adjusting for demographic variables. Differences across occupational groups were also examined. Receiver operating characteristic analysis determined the sensitivity and specificity of CE indexes. Results: All indexes were significantly and differently associated with PTSD; associations with depression were non-significant. The index capturing the sheer number of different incidents experienced regardless of frequency ('Variety') showed conceptual, practical and statistical advantages compared to other indexes. In general, the indexes showed poor to fair discrimination accuracy. Conclusions: Work-related CE is specifically associated with PTSD. Focusing on the variety of exposures may be a simple and effective strategy to predict PTSD in FRs. Further research on sensitivity and specificity of exposure indexes, preferably examined prospectively, is needed and could lead to early identification of individuals at risk. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Emergency Responders Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
• Keywords:
  Cross Sectional Studies First Responders Mental Health Occupational Exposure Post-traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD Traumatic Incident Stress
• ISSN:
  0010-440X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  11 pdf pages
• Volume:
  74
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067109
• Citation:
  Compr Psychiatry 2017 Apr; 74:134-143
• Contact Point Address:
  Lupo Geronazzo-Alman, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Dr, New York, NY 10032
• Email:
  geronazl@nyspi.columbia.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  New York State Psychiatric Institute
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20160901
• Source Full Name:
  Comprehensive Psychiatry
• End Date:
  20210831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f2cfedf44fe79ecaa98c34aa9524ad898355561b7a462767b9148baf559e5a74aed21449c4d48938aa7a084602ffde0dd33e3db9923a914e81ddda085652088c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230855/cdc_230855_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 210.53 KB ]