Post-Traumatic Growth in Fire and Rescue Service Personnel

摘要

The exposure to trauma, injury, and death for men and women in the fire and rescue service is, unfortunately and unsurprisingly, quite common. It is part of the job every day. These people are regularly exposed to dangerous situations, such as rescuing victims trapped inside burning cars and buildings (which may often be at the point of collapse) as well as extinguishing large forest fires that could change direction at any time, among many other risky rescues. These types of situations can be highly traumatic. Traditional psychology assumes that trauma will incite negative feelings that lead to negative impacts on a person's emotional and psychological health. Recent studies specific to firefighter psychology, however, have shown that the opposite can occur. Positive outcomes can arise from highly traumatic experiences.