title: Firefighters, critical incidents, and drinking to cope: the adequacy of unit-level performance resources as a source of vulnerability and protection.
abstract: The authors investigated the moderating role of unit-level performance resources on the distress-mediated relationship between the intensity of involvement in workplace critical incidents and problematic drinking behavior (i.e., drinking to cope). Building on recent developments in hierarchical linear modeling, the authors tested a cross-level, moderated-mediation model using data from 1,481 firefighters in 144 companies. The findings indicate that (a) there is a significant, distress-mediated association between intensity of involvement in such incidents and drinking to cope, which varies by company (i.e., unit), and (b) the adequacy of unit-level performance resources explains much of this cross-unit variance and attenuates both individual-level mediation stages (i.e., intensity of involvement in critical incidents 3 distress, and distress 3 drinking to cope). Implications regarding the role of unit resources adequacy as a vulnerability factor in stressor-strain relations are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Smithers Institute for Alcohol-Related Workplace Studies, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University, USA.
authors.forename: Samuel B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Bacharach
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Bamberger
authors.forename: Etti
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Doveh
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology*; D003419:Crisis Intervention; D005390:Fires / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology