title: The Amplification of Common Somatic Symptoms by Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Firefighters.
abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in emergency service personnel and other trauma-exposed populations is known to be associated with a variety of physical health problems. However, little attention has been paid to the health of ageing emergency service personnel, who may be forced into early medical retirement because of a combination of these issues. Currently employed (N = 274) Australian firefighters completed a cross-sectional survey using validated, self-report measures of PTSD and somatic symptoms. Analyses examined the association between probable PTSD and a range of common somatic symptoms, and whether any association differed depending on the age of the firefighters. Firefighters with PTSD reported greater levels of neurological (p = .024), gastrointestinal (p = .015), and cardiorespiratory (p = .027) symptoms compared to those without PTSD. After adjusting for sex, age, and rank, linear regression analysis demonstrated that PTSD was significantly associated with increased total somatic symptom severity (p = .024), with PTSD accounting for 9.8% of the variance in levels of somatic symptoms. There was no interaction between age and the association between PTSD and somatic symptom severity. These results suggest that PTSD is associated with a significant increase in a wide range of somatic symptoms among firefighters, regardless of age. The implications for the identification and treatment of PTSD are discussed.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Josie S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Milligan-Saville
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Helen M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Paterson
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Emily L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Harkness
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Annabel M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Marsh
authors.affiliation: Fire and Rescue New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dobson
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Richard I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Kemp
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.|Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia.|St. George Hospital, Kogarah, Australia.
authors.forename: Samuel B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Harvey
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D061388:Firefighters / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000071896:Medically Unexplained Symptoms; D000073397:Occupational Stress / Q000523:psychology; D057566:Self Report; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D063189:Symptom Assessment