Examination of Stress Among Recruit and Incumbent Women
Firefighters

Examination of Stress Among Recruit and Incumbent Women
Firefighters

firefighters
occupational health
stress
women

Firefighting is risky and impacts the mental and physical health of personnel. While most
research focuses on men firefighters, recent work has highlighted mental health concerns among women
including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Social support is a known
protective factor for mental health; however, women may be excluded from the supportive peer network
of the firehouse.
Methods: This cross-sectional study compared the prevalence of perceived stress, peer (functional)
support, anxiety, depression, PTSD, chronic work discrimination and harassment, resilience, and job
satisfaction in recruit (n¼184) and incumbent (n¼200) career women firefighters.
Results: While depression and perceived stress did not differ between recruits and incumbents, recruits
were more likely to score in the range of concern for anxiety (26.1% and 15.5%, respectively). Incumbents
were more likely to score at risk for PTSD (16.5% and 10.3%, respectively) and more likely to report sex
discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexist behaviors in the workplace. Compared to the low stress
group, those who reported moderate or high stress were more likely to score in the range of concern for
anxiety (OR¼3.86, CI¼1.76-8.89) and PTSD (OR¼1.30, CI¼1.15-1.47), and report poor organizational
cohesion (OR¼1.13, CI¼1.02-1.25).
Conclusion: Addressing mental health in the context of women firefighters requires a comprehensive
and multi-faceted approach including collaboration between fire departments, mental health professionals, advocacy groups, and the broader community.

2024 Occupational Safety and Health Research Inst

Brittany S. Hollerbach 1,*, Nattinee Jitnarin 1
, Maria D.H. Koeppel 1
, Michelle Valenti 2
,
Shawn Beitel 2
, Jaclyn M. Goodrich 3
, Jefferey L. Burgess 2
, Sara A. Jahnke 1

https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/287282/1-s2.0-S2093791124X00050/1-s2.0-S2093791124000751/main.pdf?X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEFMaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJHMEUCIQDc4mjYKY9LwP%2Fm5AWjV4pWZoDndoWYld%2B8VMC%2FgbYUSAIgCwb9j%2BUM959wQbt0dcKswCfgY%2BXPlh7BTQFzt4RhowgqswUIGxAFGgwwNTkwMDM1NDY4NjUiDEJPRHFAB5lCqjFWuiqQBQzSz6NYP%2FuxzHqJaU749wNeppgsoNliy%2Fqo3ob6xF%2FuZJiHSG8VexvS329X73bm4dJWWaw0Ng6x%2F4YF6gQQUPm%2FF4dakVsZNy4NNCcCGd2xonyYuYKiynOgnPETFkkCBpEOiz%2FUJeWG2zcZYz7oczBK3HzjYneEphdEi14sROq%2BFB2hGkH2CAnD6BkrlPOMf4q%2BXTz%2Fw%2FtdK2pE8nMtdS1KagiWlIXKzSaQg1VgtgWGkKUoP5Ma9DFL3hMlfek9EKoD9t6xto4W0I00tV%2B1VkCZHZkG920TJ89qSmJKrksrmZ8dWJ8rJk8aYyO1%2FkQ72rQ8EmlLNt3oyY0mhN8fiQquHz7vO5Z07wphW6nO27bc0tz83sq6R1%2FE6UdqcOAZ3mVOgKJL9%2BBN%2FsD3ewGiIcFQ2Pl4aUER8nxYpfyx25WR2TVbTaIagidsJ6H1xCUyGkhN7A60qBQS%2BTDWaC7pmORkoZEsY1NigcenRGoKkitljd0HdUxJddsDiYwaHptOxXtCa70eTOzsn5YJxVluIPTMbCzprMzY1Ym%2FrmnbyrT%2BHGML%2BehiqyFTZ9osCE%2BxjQzPM5CWROxyPlrHcvtEsX2ia4BxcbU7Sv7nmfEOGiVWepd%2F3kalu9Z2VcJHb5lg7fzIVkpC9otMuUVl5P7Ezw11guY3SFLsSiVSPLt3%2BG2flQWeRXHoe0ohHzBdb0WQxt6eiMLG6fLM9yMAcJLoSK4XoDaG7InGgeEI77%2F6UIzGItEEUe8M2%2FYAwMVgHinM2jUttCW3BKgtCrRyj9bTefnsC3OZwoN4ttwUvbmWH1hHW4ID5PB1LMY%2BRpwAkFj5c43Wtbwh9p3eE6WV3blsbEGk4BM1PPufD%2BTslqspWX9XMNvZ%2FswGOrEBZkWZ76bx4ErStHO0X6y3YT06UIe9jBeYTdLiRxZYSiaIth6Jfo1RsDddaZvz7eoXIMJRoORpC2Z1wFkblTaxXm4vqacU9w1Y1FIIXcHQ6EXAEXcp%2FXFGTOOBCBSB0WiUTRdqoWs0f0vlCERojL%2BHozgql7QzrWCBkIH9CVXrrkHpMeDaMbcuXeB%2Fv1PKeepjfN1IXQA3C8oAb4vJJkzSzr7ia9ql%2FL2WT4SzdVo%2BhhkE&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20260226T032325Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAQ3PHCVTYV5Z7CTWI%2F20260226%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=150f26049637fae165b8f17a7936fd2518232bca87b99f49417245dd817c58d4&hash=ea23a4c2c713c17c04a8d059ba67e5d101baa8978f2d1ea03f8fb193c93bd212&host=68042c943591013ac2b2430a89b270f6af2c76d8dfd086a07176afe7c76c2c61&pii=S2093791124000751&tid=spdf-bd746915-4311-4ef5-91c1-abf81c5f93c9&sid=830681cc5d60f646526bf61913cd5206d1e8gxrqb&type=client&tsoh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&rh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&ua=0b015e065401545504&rr=9d3c52da3eb6582b&cc=id

1 Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research, NDRI-USA, Inc. 1920 W 143rd Street, Leawood, KS 66224, USA
2 Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Ave., Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
3 School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA

19 October 2024

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