Coping among public safety personnel: A systematic review and meta–analysis

Public safety personnel (PSP) are routinely exposed to potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs) that, in turn, can result in posttraumatic stress injuries (PTSI), including burnout and increased symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, the longitudinal impact of PPTEs on PSP coping r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Stress and Health 2021-10, Vol.37 (4), p.613-630
Main Authors: Di Nota, Paula M., Kasurak, Emily, Bahji, Anees, Groll, Dianne, Anderson, Gregory S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coping
Meta-analysis
occupational health
organizational stress interventions/prevention
Personnel
posttraumatic stress
Public safety
public safety personnel
Review
Social interactions
Substance use
Systematic review
traumatic stress
Withdrawal
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Summary:Public safety personnel (PSP) are routinely exposed to potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs) that, in turn, can result in posttraumatic stress injuries (PTSI), including burnout and increased symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, the longitudinal impact of PPTEs on PSP coping remains unclear. Coping can be operationalized as various strategies (i.e., behaviours, skills, thought and emotion regulation) for dealing with stressors, which are broadly categorized as either approach (adaptive, positive, social support) or avoidant coping strategies (maladaptive withdrawal, avoidance, substance use). This systematic review and meta‐analysis aims to evaluate longitudinal coping outcomes among PSP. Thirteen eligible repeated‐measures studies explicitly evaluated coping in 1854 police officers, firefighters, and rescue and recovery workers. Study designs included randomized‐control trials, within‐subject interventions and observational studies. Effect sizes (Cohen's d) at follow‐up were described in 11 studies. Separate meta‐analyses reveal small (d 
ISSN:1532-3005
1532-2998
DOI:10.1002/smi.3039