Vulnerability in the face of PTSD:Predictive Role of Personality Characteristics the Staff of Fire Departments and Police Officers

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) results in increased stress and anxiety following exposure to stressful or traumatic event. This disorder takes a long time to treat and it usually involves several traumas. This disorder causes many problems in the personal, social and family areas, employment, increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and CVD death, all of which indicate the importance of this issue. Objectives: the present study was done to assess personality characteristics and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among the staff of fire departments and police officers of Kermanshah. Methods: This is a descriptive, analytic cross-sectional study and it was carried out on the ۱۹۴ members of the police and the staff of fire departments and employees of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences using available sampling method. Results: There is a significant difference between the group of police officers and control group in terms of post-traumatic stress variable (P= ۰.۰۳). Post-traumatic stress disorder had a positive relationship with neuroticism and a significant negative relationship with conscientiousness and agreeableness. Conclusions: Due to high rates of symptoms of PTSD in police officers as well as the relationship between traumatic stress and personality traits, studies for screening and identifying people at risk and interventions to reduce these symptoms seem to be necessary.

Keywords:

post-traumatic stress , the characteristics of personality , fire fighter , police officers , anxiety disorders , psychological distress