Psychological Inflexibility and Psychopathology in 9-1-1 Telecommunicators

Mental health in 9-1-1 telecommunicators has been understudied in comparison to other emergency responders. This study enrolled a sample of telecommunicators from across the United States (N = 808). As measured by self-report, the prevalence of current probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was 17.6% to 24.6%; it was 23.9% for probable major depression. Structural equation modeling revealed a significant direct effect of psychological inflexibility on psychopathology (path coefficient = .32) when considered among duty-related distress and dissociation, neuroticism, anger, and emotion dysregulation. The results provided further evidence of the adverse psychological effects of duty-related trauma exposure, including exposure that is vicarious in nature. The results indicate a need for prevention and intervention in this population, with psychological inflexibility as a potential target in these efforts.