Can Resilience be Measured and Used to Predict Mental Health Symptomology Among First Responders Exposed to Repeated Trauma?. Issue 4 (April 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Joyce, Sadhbh; Tan, Leona; Shand, Fiona; Bryant, Richard A.; Harvey, Samuel B.
• Is Part Of: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine. Volume 61:Issue 4(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-04
• Subjects: depression -- first responders -- mental health -- posttraumatic stress disorder -- resilience -- screening -- trauma; Medicine, Industrial -- Periodicals; Environmental health -- Periodicals; Occupational Medicine -- Periodicals; Environmental Medicine -- Periodicals; Environmental health; Medicine, Industrial; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.9803
• DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001526
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1076-2752

Abstract

Abstract : Objectives: To examine whether baseline measures of resilience among active first responders predicts future mental health symptomology following trauma exposure. Methods: Multivariate linear regression examined the associations between baseline resilience and future mental health symptomatology following repeated trauma exposure. Symptomatology at 6-month follow-up was the dependent variable. Results: The associations between baseline resilience and future posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ( P = 0.02) and depression ( P = 0.03) symptoms were statistically significant. Those reporting higher resilience levels had lower symptomology at 6-month follow-up. Eighty percent of first-responders who screened positive for low resilience went on to develop more PTSD symptoms. Conclusions: Examining resilience may serve as a more effective means of screening, given resilience is a malleable construct which can be enhanced via targeted interventions. Higher levels of resilience may protect the long-term mental health of first-responders, particularly in regard to future PTSD.