A revised measure of occupational stress for firefighters: Psychometric properties and relationship to posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance abuse.

Abstract

The Sources of Occupational Stress scale (SOOS; Beaton & Murphy, 1993) is a 57-item self-report measure designed to assess the different sources of occupational stress faced by firefighters. The objective of the present research was to develop and evaluate an abbreviated version of the SOOS in order to reduce respondent burden. The revised 14-item version of the SOOS was evaluated in 2 independent samples of firefighters (N = 408) along with measures of job outcomes, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance abuse. The SOOS-14 exhibited good internal consistency, good factor structure, and good validity coefficients across samples. Although additional studies are needed to replicate and expand on these results, the findings from the present research indicate that the SOOS-14 is a practical, reliable, and valid measure of occupational stress for firefighters.

Anxiety sensitivity and suicide risk among firefighters: A test of the depression-distress amplification model

“…Although the vast majority of individuals exposed to traumatic events do not go on to develop PTSD [50], the repeated traumatic exposures inherent in firefighting may serve to enhance the exacerbation of pre-existing vulnerabilities for both PTSD and suicidality, such as AS [51]. Thus, regarding firefighters, it is possible that the distress conferred by repeated occupational exposures (e.g., house fires, medical emergencies, suicide deaths of others; [52,53]) may increase levels of AS. This increase, in turn, may serve to amplify the effects of AS on depression symptoms (which themselves overlap, in part, with PTSD symptoms; [54]) in the prediction of suicide risk, consistent with the propositions of the depression-distress amplification model.…”

Differences in Drinking Patterns, Occupational Stress, and Exposure to Potentially Traumatic Events among Firefighters: Predictors of Smoking Relapse

“…Recent revisions of the SOOS have indicated that this measure is a reliable and valid assessment of occupational stress among firefighters. 24 …”

Social Support, Stress, and Suicidal Ideation in Professional Firefighters

“…17,18,20 Given that higher levels of stress are known to increase the risk of suicide in general, [26][27][28][29] it is likely that stress also may be a risk factor for suicidal ideation among firefighters, and there is some evidence to support this idea. 13 For example, the large survey of firefighters conducted by NVFC 13 found that perceived stress has a positive association with suicidality (OR = 1.14, p < .001).…”

“…2 Behavioral health disorders, such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcohol use disorders, are also associated with increased risk for suicidality, 3,4 and this association is also present among firefighters. 13 This association is particularly relevant for firefighters, however, as there is evidence that firefighters are at elevated risk for these and other behavioral health problems, [13][14][15][16][17][18][19] perhaps due to their high levels of occupational stress 17,20 and routine exposure to potentially traumatic experiences. 18,[21][22][23][24] There is also some evidence to suggest that low levels of social support are associated with increased risk for behavioral health problems among firefighters, particularly when firefighters are also high on self-blame.…”