Reliability of stress-related psychosocial measures among career firefighters

Greater occupational stress among firefighters has been associated with adverse health outcomes, such as musculoskeletal injuries. Longitudinal examinations are needed to identify if occupational stress contributes to the risk of occupational health consequences. However, the instruments available to assess occupational stress and related constructs were developed for general populations, rather than tactical populations. This restricts the ability to examine these constructs among firefighters. This investigation utilized a repeated measures design to examine the internal consistency (Cronbach's α) and test re-test reliability (two-way mixed-effect model intra-class correlation coefficients) of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL), and Sources of Occupational Stress-14 (SOOS-14) among active-duty firefighters. Measures were taken at baseline and an 8-week follow-up. All instruments demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (0.79-0.88) and test re-test reliability (0.64-0.79). Therefore, the BRS, ProQOL, and SOOS-14 can be used in longitudinal investigations of firefighter psychosocial wellbeing and related occupational health concerns.