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Cited by 40Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchOccupational Health and PerformanceOccupational Health and Burnout

Public Safety Personnel’s interpretations of potentially traumatic events

Open access
Ricciardelli, R, Czarnuch, S, Afifi, T O, Taillieu, T, Carleton, R N·2020·Occupational Medicine
DOI 10.1093/occmed/kqaa007PMC PMC7252499
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Many public safety personnel (PSP) experience trauma directly or indirectly in their occupational role, yet there remain barriers to accessing care or seeking help. AIMS: To understand how PSP interpret different potentially traumatic events and how perceived eligibility for being traumatized is determined among PSP. METHODS: We analysed open-ended comments provided by over 800 PSP in a survey designed to assess the prevalence of post-traumatic stress injuries and other mental disorders. RESULTS: We found evidence that a trauma hierarchy may exist among PSP. Certain experiences may be interpreted as more traumatic, based on both the event and the PSP role in the actual event. For example, involvement in a shooting may be interpreted as more traumatic than arriving on the scene later. Similarly, a single event may be deemed more traumatic than an accumulation of events. The role of the individual and social context in shaping experiences and interpretations of trauma may be largely ignored in line with confirmation biases. CONCLUSIONS: The role that individuals and social contexts play in shaping experiences and interpretations of trauma appear suppressed by perceptions of a trauma hierarchy, facilitating systematic discrediting or valuation of some experiences, therein evidencing that trauma is subjective and reinforcing barriers to care seeking. A trauma hierarchy may also propagate stigma and legitimize discrimination regarding mental health. We argue that recognizing, engaging with, and dismantling the perception of a trauma hierarchy may help create a respectful and open occupational culture supportive of mental health needs.

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Crossref · 10.1093/occmed/kqaa007

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Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Most PSP report repeated exposures (more than 11 over their lives) to diverse types of PPTE, with some reporting more exposures than they can count.

    “however, most PSP report repeated exposures (i.e., more than 11 exposures over their lives) to diverse types of PPTE, with some PSP reporting more exposures than they can count [6,7].”

    From Canadian Public Safety Personnel and Occupational Stressors: How PSP Interpret Stressors on Duty (2020) · cites this paper as [7]

    The Introduction reports that PSP were exposed to an average of 11.08 of 16 different forms of potentially traumatic events, and the Results describe participants’ repeated exposure over time. But 11.08 is an average number of event types, not evidence that most PSP had more than 11 lifetime exposures. The paper also does not report that some had more exposures than they could count. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The increased risk PSP experience is due, at least in part, to exposures to potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs).

    “The increased risk PSP experience is due, at least in part, to potentially psychologically traumatic event (PPTE) [2] exposures [6,7].”

    From Canadian Public Safety Personnel and Occupational Stressors: How PSP Interpret Stressors on Duty (2020) · cites this paper as [7]

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [20]Ricciardelli R, Groll D, Czarnuch S, Carleton RN, Cramm H Behind the frontlines: exploring the mental health and help-seeking behaviours of public safety personnel who work to support frontline operations. Ann Rev Interdiscipl Just Res 2019; 8: 315– 348.

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Authors
Ricciardelli, R., Czarnuch, S., Afifi, T. O., Taillieu, T., & Carleton, R. N.
Affiliations
  • Memorial University of Newfoundland (CA)
  • University of Manitoba (CA)
  • University of Regina (CA)
Corresponding author
Ricciardelli, R
ORCID
Venue
Occupational Medicine
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2020-02-10
Volume
70
Issue
3
Pages
155-161
ISSN
  • 0962-7480 (ISSN-L)
  • 1471-8405
DOI
10.1093/occmed/kqaa007
PMC
PMC7252499
OpenAlex
W3006654085
Cited by
40
References
28
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 2
FWCI
2.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Occupational Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • oURspace (University of Regina) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (285489)
  • CIHR Catalyst Grant (162545)
  • Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Performance
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Burnout
Keywords
public safety personnel, potentially traumatic events, mental health stigma, confirmation bias, workplace mental health, stigma and discrimination, occupational culture
MeSH terms
Occupational Stress, Canada, Female, Humans, Male, Prisons, Surveys and Questionnaires, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Occupational Exposure, Emergency Responders

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