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PTSD and PTG in French and American Firefighters: A Comparative Study
Charlotte Henson1,2, Didier Truchot1, Amy Canevello2
1Laboratory of Psychology, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté à Besançon, 25000 Besançon, France.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
|October 14, 2022
Summary
Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is linked to PTSD, event perception, and rumination in firefighters. Cultural factors influence PTG predictors like time since trauma and social support.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Trauma Studies
- Cross-Cultural Psychology
Background:
- Traumatic events can induce positive psychological change, known as posttraumatic growth (PTG).
- Research on factors fostering PTG shows inconsistencies, particularly regarding variables like PTSD, time since event, social support, and demographics.
- Understanding these factors is crucial for potentially promoting PTG.
Purpose of the Study:
- To clarify discrepancies in the literature regarding factors influencing PTG.
- To investigate if the processes involved in PTG are consistent across different cultural groups.
- To examine PTG in American and French firefighters, who regularly face traumatic events.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study involving 409 American firefighters and 407 French firefighters.
- Assessment of PTG in relation to PTSD, subjective event perception, stress, core-belief disruption, rumination, social support, self-evaluations, and sociodemographics.
- Analysis of cultural differences in PTG predictors and reported levels of growth and related factors.
Main Results:
- PTG was positively associated with PTSD, subjective event perception, stress, core-belief disruption, and deliberate rumination in both samples.
- Social support, core-self evaluations, and sociodemographic variables were unrelated to PTG in both groups.
- Time since event and job tenure predicted PTG only in Americans; social support predicted PTG only in the French.
- American firefighters reported higher PTG, social support, positive self-perceptions, intrusive rumination, and neuroticism than French firefighters.
Conclusions:
- The process of posttraumatic growth appears relatively stable across cultural groups, particularly within the firefighter profession.
- Specific factors, such as time since the event and social support, show cultural variability in their predictive relationship with PTG.
- Cultural context plays a role in the manifestation and predictors of posttraumatic growth, even within similar high-stress occupations.
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