Category: Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders and Disasters
Antoine Lebeaut, M.A.
Doctoral Candidate
University of Houston
Houston, Texas
Maya Zegel, M.A.
Doctoral Candidate
University of Houston
Houston, Texas
Suzy Gulliver, Ph.D.
Director
Texas A&M College of Medicine
Waco, Texas
Antoine Lebeaut, M.A.
Doctoral Candidate
University of Houston
Houston, Texas
Maya Zegel, M.A.
Doctoral Candidate
University of Houston
Houston, Texas
Min Eun Jeon, M.A.
Doctoral Student and Joiner Lab Supervisor
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
Sidonia Compton, M.S.
University Of North Texas
Denton, Texas
Angela Moreland, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an unprecedented crisis that has significantly impacted mental health outcomes, particularly for frontline workers such as firefighters. Firefighters are typically involved in fire suppression and emergency medical services (EMS) and thus are disproportionally affected by the pandemic as they are at greater risk of direct exposure to trauma and/or witnessing of the potentially deadly effects of COVID-19 (Graham et al, 2021). Given the markedly high risk and dangers inherently faced by firefighters due to their profession, many are already frequently exposed to potentially traumatic situations (I.e., car accidents, natural disasters; Meyer et al., 2012) and this risk is amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indeed, emergent research on first responders during the pandemic has documented elevated and clinically significant mental health-related problems (Hendrickson et al., 2021; Vujanovic, Lebeaut, & Leonard, 2021). However, firefighters are relatively understudied and underserved, despite their increased vulnerability for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Tomaka, Magoc, Morales-Monks, & Reyes, 2017), depression (Chiu et al., 2011; Fullerton, Ursano, & Wang, 2004), alcohol use disorder (Haddock et al., 2012), and suicidal ideation and behavior (Stanley, Hom, Hagan, & Joiner, 2015). This is unfortunate considering the instrumental role of firefighters, and first responders, broadly, in our communities and during public health crises.
Therefore, this talk aims to provide an increased focus on the mental health outcomes of firefighters, and first responders, generally, and will address the extant gaps in first responder literature in order to better inform prevention and treatment efforts for this vulnerable population. Notably, presentations will examine the co-occurrences of trauma exposure and PTSD with various mental and physical health correlates, including suicide, sleep disturbance, depressive symptomology, alcohol use, and medical vulnerability as well as highlight resiliency factors among first responders. Presentations will also focus on qualitative and quantitative approaches to elucidate current behavioral health concerns and highlight potentially effective strategies to mitigate these concerns, increase accessibility, reduce stigma, and improve help-seeking behaviors. Understanding the mental health of first responders is an essential step in determining how to effectively support this frontline population and help those who help us.
Presenter: Antoine Lebeaut, M.A. – University of Houston
Co-author: Maya Zegel, M.A. – University of Houston
Co-author: Samuel Leonard, MS – University of Houston
Co-author: Nathaniel Healy, MA – University of Houston
Co-author: Elizabeth Anderson Fletcher, PhD – University of Houston
Co-author: Anka A. Vujanovic, Ph.D. – University of Houston - Department of Psychology
Presenter: Maya Zegel, M.A. – University of Houston
Co-author: Antoine Lebeaut, M.A. – University of Houston
Co-author: Shelby McGrew, B.S. – University of Houston
Co-author: Elizabeth Anderson-Fletcher, Ph.D. – University of Houston
Co-author: Anka A. Vujanovic, Ph.D. – University of Houston - Department of Psychology
Presenter: Min Eun Jeon, M.A. – Florida State University
Co-author: Marielle Gomez, B.S. – Florida State University
Co-author: Ian Stanley, PhD – Boston University School of Medicine & National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System
Co-author: Melanie Hom, PhD – McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical
Co-author: Thomas Joiner, Ph.D. – Florida state University
Presenter: Sidonia E. Compton, M.S. – University Of North Texas
Co-author: Elizabeth Griffith, M.S. – University of North Texas
Co-author: Ling Jin, PhD – University of Calgary
Co-author: Ateka Contractor, Ph.D. – University Of North texas
Co-author: Danica Slavish, Ph.D. – The University of North Texas
Co-author: Anka A. Vujanovic, Ph.D. – University of Houston - Department of Psychology
Presenter: Angela Moreland, Ph.D. – Medical University of South Carolina