Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Gina Peyton

Committee Member

Gloria Kieley

Committee Member

Kimberly Durham

Keywords

Firefighters, Potentially Traumatic Event, Repeated Exposure to Trauma, Social Support, Stigma

Abstract

This applied dissertation was designed to examine stigma associated with firefighters seeking social support after experiencing a traumatic event. This quantitative study employed a survey approach with a cross-sectional design. The researcher self-selected 26 active career firefighters from a medium-sized fire department located in the southeastern United States to participate in the study. Firefighters responded to an array of emergency incidents and were repeatedly exposed to traumatic events. The Secondary Trauma Exposure Scale was employed to answer the first research question: What are the most frequent types of traumatic events that firefighters have experienced? The findings revealed that all of the firefighters (n = 26, 100.00%) had been exposed to motor vehicle accidents, other serious accidents, physical assaults, and sexual assaults. Stigma was examined within the framework of the labeling theory. Fire service culture may be contributing to the behavioral and psychological health issues because firefighters were concerned of being labeled by their peers. The Perceptions of Stigmatization by Others for Seeking Help (PSOSH) was applied to answer the second research question: Which stigma-related barriers prevent firefighters from seeking social support after experiencing a traumatic event? The majority of firefighters (n = 6, M = 3.54, SD = 1.18) contended that “say something negative about you to others” was the most significant stigma-related barrier to seeking social support. Cronbach’s alpha for the PSOSH scale measured .96, which indicated acceptable internal consistency.

Firefighters were reluctant to seek social support after experiencing a traumatic event. Stigma represented a significant barrier to treatment for many firefighters. Even though social support was readily available, the majority of firefighters did not seek treatment. The Psychiatric Treatment and Support History was utilized to answer the third research question: What type of social support do firefighters find most effective for improving behavioral and psychological outcomes? Cronbach’s alpha indicated an acceptable level of internal consistency (α = .92). A small number of participants (n = 8, 30.77%) revealed they had sought any type of support or treatment. Half of the participants reported that psychiatric treatment services (n = 4, M = 4.25, SD = 0.83) were highly effective. Pearson’s data analysis indicated the years of service (16 – 20), and the type of social support showed a strong correlation and a statistically significant result (M = 2.60, SD = 2.19, r = 1.000, p < .001) for “other medical provider” treatment type. There is a relatively small amount of literature that examines stigma within the fire service. Further research is needed to better understand perceived stigma associated with help-seeking behaviors among the firefighter population.

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