Mediating Role of Stress at Work in the Relationship of Alexithymia and PTSD among Emergency Call Operators

Abstract

Aim: The main purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between alexithymia, stress at work, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in impact emergency call center operators working in Poland (province of Greater Poland). The risk of exposure to critical life events was also considered. Methods: Data were collected using self-report questionnaires administered after dispatchers’ shifts. The emergency call center operators (N = 66) completed the Impact of Event Scale—Revised, 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Workplace Perceived Stress Questionnaire, and a questionnaire measuring the frequency and intensity of potentially traumatic events faced by emergency operators (a questionnaire developed by the authors). Results: Twenty of the most frequent events (e.g., child sexual harassment, rape, etc.) were identified. Results indicated that post-traumatic stress positively correlated with (a) work-related stress and (b) one aspect of alexithymia: difficulty expressing feelings. Additionally, work-related stress was identified as a mediator for the relation between alexithymia and the intensity of post-traumatic stress. Conclusions: The results of this study confirm that emergency operators are a high-risk group for the development of PTSD. The study results suggest that performing the work of an emergency dispatcher is not only demanding but also inherently involves participation in potentially traumatic events (as encountered through emergency calls).

How does it feel? An exploration of neurobiological and clinical correlates of alexithymia in trauma-exposed police-officers with and without PTSD

“…Possibly, alexithymia is either a pre-existing risk factor for PTSD (McCaslin et al, 2006b ; Tang et al, 2020 ), or it develops in parallel with or in response to PTSD. For example, alexithymia may be a repressive coping mechanism allowing individuals to deal with the emotional distress associated with PTSD (de Bruin et al, 2019 ; Güleç et al, 2013 ; Messina et al, 2014 ; Wojciechowska et al, 2021 ). However, the lack of associations between alexithymia and childhood and adult trauma are in contrast with previous studies, which again, may be due to the limited generalizability of this selective sample of first-responders (Terock et al, 2020 ; Zeitlin et al, 1993 ).…”

“…However, the lack of associations between alexithymia and childhood and adult trauma are in contrast with previous studies, which again, may be due to the limited generalizability of this selective sample of first-responders (Terock et al, 2020 ; Zeitlin et al, 1993 ). Also, specifically in first responders, such as police officers and emergency call operators, positive associations between alexithymia and work-related trauma exposure have been observed (McCaslin et al, 2006b ; Wojciechowska et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, alexithymia might be most strongly associated with emotional neglect in childhood (Frewen et al, 2008a , Kahn & Jaffee, 2022 ; Terock et al, 2020 ), which was only partially covered in our measure of childhood trauma (emotional neglect items were combined with emotional abuse items in the emotional abuse subscale).…”

The mediating role of rumination in the alexithymia- -PTSD relation among employees of emergency services – paramedics and emergency call centre operators

“…In the European Union, the system of informing about emergencies is treated as "your line of life in the EU" [3,4]. For that reason, a career as an emergency call centre operator often involves multiple indirect forms of participation in potentially traumatic events, which may lead to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [5,6]. The role of an emergency call centre operator is a niche profes-JOURNAL OF HEALTH INEQUALITIES 2023 / Volume 9 / Issue 2, December sion, performed by only 1364 people in the country, who work in 17 provincial emergency call centres (an average of 80 people per province).…”