The first study of its kind in Israel examined the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its symptoms among fire fighters (firefighters) in Israel
The first study of its kind in Israel, carried out as part of Dr. Mark Logsi's doctoral thesis at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben-Gurion University, reveals the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the population of operational firefighters from the Israeli fire services and among aviation firefighters from Ben Gurion Airport. Gurion (Natav Bg).
The study, which encompassed 342 firefighters in Israel (300 firefighters from the fire services in Israel and 42 aviation firefighters from Israel), shows that about 24% of the operational firefighters in the fire services in Israel (a rate approximately three times higher relative to the general population in Israel) suffer from from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Among 67% of them symptoms of the disorder (partial PTSD) were found and only about 9% were found without PTSD or partial PTSD. On the other hand, only about 5% of the aviation fire fighters from Israel were found with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 45% of them were found with symptoms of the disorder (partial PTSD) and 50% of them were found without PTSD or partial PTSD.
It was also found that 62.5% of operational firefighters who do not suffer from PTSD have secondary traumatization, compared to 32.5% of aviation firefighters who do not suffer from the disorder. These results strengthen the claim that increased exposure to repeated traumatic events is indeed a significant factor and contributes to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and its symptoms.
Dr. Mark Logsi from the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, a safety engineer by profession and a former senior fire officer, carried out the research work under the guidance of Prof. Thelma Kushnir, a medical psychologist and former head of the Department of Sociology of Health at the university, and Prof. Ze'ev Kaplan, head of the division for psychiatry at Ben-Gurion University and director of the Mental Health Center in Be'er Sheva.
As part of the research work, entitled - Primary and secondary traumatization among firefighters in Israel - Vulnerability and resilience factors, the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its symptoms among firefighters in Israel was examined for the first time. In addition, the extent of the impact of the vulnerability/resilience factors including "self-help to cope" (as a personality factor) and "social support" (as a psychosocial factor) on the manifestations of the post-traumatic syndrome (PTSD) among the sample of subjects was also examined.
Dr. Logsi: "When it comes to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it refers to one of the anxiety disorders, which is the only psychiatric disorder that requires a person's exposure to a traumatic event. A traumatic event can only be defined if a person experiences a real threat to his life or physical integrity, and at the time of the event he feels fear, terror or helplessness. In addition, even if a person witnessed a threat to the life or integrity of another person, or even just heard about it, the experience can be defined as a traumatic event." According to him, post-traumatic stress disorder is characterized by three main groups of symptoms: a repeated experience of the traumatic event, the victim has a continuous avoidance of stimuli that remind of the trauma and continuous symptoms of hyperarousal such as difficulty falling asleep, insomnia, irritability, difficulty concentrating, etc.
It is important to note that professional firefighters are often exposed in their work to a lot of stress in emergency situations, resulting from difficult scenes, rescuing and treating casualties, removing bodies, great physical effort, and more. Their presence in traumatic events exposes them, not only to the pressures of the traumatic events themselves, which involves helping the victims, but also to post-traumatic emotional expressions that result in secondary traumatization. This exposure, in the work of the fire fighters, is quite common and so far attempts have been made to distinguish between those who will develop the post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) and those who will not. Despite this, the population of fire fighters in Israel, until now, has not had any official documentation regarding the prevalence of PTSD, despite being exposed to additional traumas and contributing to traumas within the framework of their duties (such as war and terrorism). Hence the importance of this study and its findings.
"The findings of the research" concludes Dr. Logsi "may help us (the researchers) and the fire organization in Israel to improve the ability of the firefighters to withstand the continuous exposure to traumatic events through appropriate professional intervention programs. In addition, the results of the study may help the fire services in Israel to develop appropriate tools for screening candidates for the profession, while improving the issue of their psychological safety.
The researcher enumerates a series of recommendations that, in his opinion, need to be incorporated into a systemic solution, such as the development of a psychological tool, which will make it possible to screen candidates for recruitment who have a high chance of developing PTSD; Development of up-to-date training programs that take into account the developments in the field of preparing individuals to perform tasks under pressure and exposure to traumatic events, as well as the establishment of a professional unit to treat the mentally injured and to prevent stress among firefighters in every fire service.
Dr. Mark Logsi presented the study and its recommendations to the chairman of the Firefighters Association, Tafsar Mishna Yoav Gadsi, who welcomed the study, its importance and its contribution to understanding the real needs concerning the health of firefighters in Israel. In addition, Dr. Logsi presented the study and its recommendations to the Commissioner of Fire and Rescue, Rabbi Tafsar Shahar Ayalon, who saw the study as an important step in understanding the psychological needs of the firefighters in Israel, and as a result, decided to adopt the researcher's recommendations and directed the system to examine the possibilities of including them in the annual work plans and perennials.
4 תגובות
To Dr. Mark Logsi, congratulations on the research, the question is what will the commission do with this, in my humble opinion, all the firefighters in Israel urgently need to go to a psychologist for a diagnosis because of all the sights they see
age:
My response is probably coming too late, but you moved and convinced me.
Obviously - the subject of the article also justifies the term "firefighters" and we will not find such percentages of post-trauma in cashiers or builders.
to me
If you were aware of the face of the firefighters when they arrive to deal with extinguishing and rescue incidents, you would understand that this is a real war involving sacrifice, dedication, courage and a real risk to their lives. All these values characterize fighters and therefore the "firemen" are also called fighters. Were you in the past a fighter or you too "Did you sacrifice yourself" for the country in a newspaper in the camp? It seems that the understanding of the meaning of the concept is far from you but it is never too late to learn…….
Will every firefighter be Eliezer Ben Yehuda?
What is a "fire fighter"?
"Firefighter" is bad for many reasons, some of which are:
1) Literal translation from English (this is always bad, why English and not Flemish)
2) Excessive militarization. Not everything in the country has to be "combative" and not every problem has to be "fighted"
3) A firefighter is a firefighter even if you call him a "squirting knight"