International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience
Open Access

Abstract

Some authors have pointed out that the individuals with resistant personality deal with stressful situations in an active and committed way, perceiving them as less threatening. Also, we know that stress acts as a mediator in the predisposition, precipitation or exacerbation of the disease. Emergency services professionals are often confronted with numerous critical incidents that are likely to break into their lives and cause them to suffer, often because of their surprising nature. The traumatic experience is pointed out as one of the most revealing sources of deep discomfort. The aim of this study is to determine if the resistant personality or hardiness plays a role as a modulator of the stress experience and, more specifically, the development of posttraumatic stress. To this end, we evaluated a sample of firefighters, who were surprised by the fire in an entrapment situation during the extinction of a forest fire in the province of Alicante (Spain) and that had a fatal outcome for some of the emergency device personnel. The results indicate that 37.5% of the sample developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the clinical level after the month of the incident and 25% some type of posttraumatic symptomatology (PTSD sub-syndrome); the remaining 37.5% were not emotionally affected by that stress experience. On the other hand, the dispersion analysis shows a tendency to the appearance of PTSD as the hardiness decreases (figure 1). These results support the idea that resistant personality can play a modulating role in the development of emotional trauma. The dimensions of the construct, implication and challenge, seem to have a greater role in this stress modulating process, being the influence of control more contained. In the discussion, emphasis is given on the need for specialized evaluation and follow up after the experience of a critical incident of these characteristics, as well as the design of training actions aimed at the development of knowledge, skills, abilities and psychological skills in professionals belonging to the different emergency services, and more specifically, firefighters. Recent Publications 1. Senabre J (2018) Forest fires from the perspective of environmental psychology. Climate Change 4(13):58-68. 2. Senabre J (2017) Wildland fires, climate change and society. J Earth Sci Clim Change 8(10). 3. Senabre J (2016) Wildland fires and climate change. J Earth Sci Clim Change 7(5).

Biography

Jaime Senabre is Psychologist and Master in Psychopathology and Health. He completed Doctoral studies in Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment of UNED, related to stress and the immune system, post-traumatic stress disorder and moobing. He is a Chief of Brigade in the Forest Fire Service of the Generalitat Valenciana, with more than 20 years of experience. As a Psychologist, he collaborates with several private clinical centers. He is Professor at University of Valencia. He is part of the editorial board of several international scientific journals and published numerous articles on forest fires, stress, psychosocial risks and emotional trauma, mainly in relation to emergency services and natural disasters.
Email:jasenabre@sinif.es