The Psychological Impact of Public Service Employment - Research Paper Example

The Psychological Impact of Public Service Employment Public service employment involves disaster management and handling emergency cases. Firefighters, police, and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are public service employees that manage such occurrences. The occurrences include traumatic events that the public servants encounter in line with their duty. However, research literature confirms that nature exposes firefighters, police, and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to different traumatic events. Consequently, the traumatic events that public servants encounter derive significant psychological impact. This research paper relies on research-based literature to contrast different types of traumatic events that firefighters, police, and EMTs. Furthermore, the paper discusses the possible psychological impact caused by the different types of traumatic events encountered by firefighters, police, and EMTs. Key words: Trauma, psychological impact, traumatic events, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder (ASD), emergency medical technicians (EMTs) The Psychological Impact of Public Service Employment The government mandates firefighters, police, and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to manage disasters and emergencies on behalf of the public. Disasters and emergencies involve traumatic events that derive significant effects on the public servants. Various studies assert that civil servants encounter different traumatic events. Consequently, the diverse traumatic events encountered by that firefighters, police, and EMTs derive significant psychological impact on the public servants. The firefighters, police, and emergency medical technicians carry out different duties while addressing emergencies or disasters. Fire fighters have a duty to rescue victims and respond to fire alarms in case of attacks, fire outbreaks, accidents, destruction of buildings, and natural disasters (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety, 2013). Indeed, firefighters manage fires using different equipment and methods like fire extinguishers (Ben, 2004). They also offer first aid and safety education to the public using relevant techniques and equipment. In addressing any accidents and emergencies caused by fire, the government mandates professional firefighters to bear the overall responsibility on behalf of the public (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety, 2013). However, it is worth noting that firefighters encounter different traumatic events while carrying out their duties. Firefighters encounter stressing events that include a stressing working and living environment, poor management style while responding to an emergency, poor leadership, ineffective protective gear, disintegrated colleagues, and exposure to hazardous and combustible materials (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety, 2013). The exposure to extreme temperatures, excessive noise, contagious and infectious diseases like AIDS is great traumatic events to firefighters (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety, 2013). Moreover, another traumatic event that firefighters encounter is the stress and fear of leaving their families and relatives while responding to fire outbreaks. Notably, various studies assert that firefighters have a higher rate of traumatic exposure compared to police and EMTs (Ben, 2004). They encounter different traumatic events that may include rescuing and offering first aid to children and infants, the experience of fatalities due to the fire or other artificial causes. Crime victim incidents and accidents with serious physical injuries are equally very common traumatic events encountered by firefighters. Subject to these traumatic events, firefighters are highly prone to physical, emotional, and psychological injury as well as death compared to other public servants. On the other hand, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) have adequate training to respond to emergency calls from the public, fire department, police, health facilities, government, or ambulance services. Indeed, EMTs offer efficient and immediate care to emergencies like accidents, traumatic events, and medical cases where they offer the necessary first aid and transport the critically ill and injured victims to a health facility (Regehr, 2004). As such, most EMTs work in ambulances where they are prone to traumatic events and injuries. Some of the traumatic events encountered by EMTs include human pain and suffering, victim’s alienation from others, profound injuries, child abuse in the emergency, death of victims on transit to hospital, and transport hitches while responding to the emergency calls (Regehr, 2004). Moreover, the experience of a victim held in an accident is another traumatic event encountered by emergency medical technicians. However, it is worth noting that the traumatic events encountered by emergency medical technicians are less than those experienced by firefighters are (Regehr, 2004). Various studies refer to policing as the most stressful profession since police officers is at a high risk of exposure to traumatic events (Colwell, 2011). Police encounter constant exposure to traumatic events since they are always at risk of violent, dangerous, tragic, and unpredictable situations that can derive significant physical, emotional, and psychological injuries as they carry out their mandate of keeping law and order (Colwell, 2011). Notably, police officers encounter traumatic events by participating or witnessing shooting incidents or responding to serious traffic accidents that entails the death or injury of a police officer or citizen (Colwell, 2011). Other traumatic events encountered by police officers include the death or serious injuries on a fellow officer or being a victim of a felony (Moad, 2011). The death or trauma of child caught up in an accident or shooting spree and the experience of multiple deaths or injuries in an accident derives trauma to police officers (Moad, 2011). Being held hostage by criminals and the death of a custodian of an injured officer is another traumatic event that police officer encounter in line with their duty. Since police officers act as peacekeepers and rescuers, they are prone to continued traumatic events that have the capacity to jeopardize the safety, performance, and functionality of police officers (Colwell, 2011). The continued stress and occurrence of traumatic events disrupt the police’s capacity to manage such traumatic events (Colwell, 2011). Indeed, just as firefighters and EMTs exposed to traumatic events, police officers face the risk of continued stress and inability to manage traumatic events (Giller, 2013). As stated here in, exposure to traumatic events derives psychological impact to firefighters, police, and EMTs. However, the psychological impact experienced by the public servants depends on the severity and type of the traumatic event as well as the profession and personality of the public servants (Colwell, 2011). In this context, traumatic event derives psychological trauma that depicts an individual fearing death, annihilation, mutilation, or psychosis (Giller, 2013). Such individuals experience betrayal, confusion, suffering, oppression, and helplessness (Giller, 2013). Various studies confirm that public servants working as military, police officers, firefighters, and EMTs have a high level of exposure to traumatic events, which enhances the likelihood of developing PTSD. Ideally, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) refers to a mental health condition that emanates from the individual’s experience of a traumatic event (Giller, 2013). PTSD can be emotional, physical, psychological, or sensual injury. In this context, public servants that include police officers, firefighters, and EMTs suffer from psychological impact that includes PTSD. Police officers involved in shooting incidents and who encountered the death of fellow officers or citizens manifest clear symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Other psychological impacts manifested by police officers who encountered traumatic events include acute stress disorder (ASD) (Cook & Mitchell1, 2013), hallucinations, flashbacks, distressing memories, hyperactive vigilance, anger, increased irritability, increased absenteeism, and a sense of isolation, restricted range of emotional responsiveness, overreaction, and distress at exposure to similar incidents (Moad, 2011). Moreover, sustained feeling of depression, hopelessness, uncertainty, self-doubt, confusion, guilt, and self-inadequacy, psychological stress, reduced performance, and increased mistrust among police officers are psychological impacts of traumatic events encountered in this profession. On the other hand, firefighters experience psychological impacts derived from traumatic events. Indeed, firefighters suffer from long-term stress, PTSD, depressive disorders, depression anxiety, and substance abuse (Cook & Mitchell1, 2013). Notably, the rate of PTSD among firefighters is higher while compared to PTSD for the general population. Other psychological impacts experienced by firefighters experience include terminal illness, a feeling of isolation, sad memories, hallucinations, and distress at exposure to similar incidents. Moreover, various researches derive possible psychological impacts on EMTs. These include insomnia, worries about the future, thoughts of unfinished work, change in sleeping habits, change in social activities, and PTSD (Cook & Mitchell1, 2013). Moreover, inability to complete works according to set deadlines and increased arguments with colleagues and spouses define psychological impacts on EMTs. However, it is notable that firefighters and EMTs experience less psychological impacts compared to police officers. In conclusion, we can ascertain that firefighters, police, and EMTs are public servants that bear the role of responding to emergencies and disasters on behalf of the public. Such emergencies may relate to shooting incidences, traffic accidents, crime, fire, natural calamities, and medical issues, among others. The firefighters, police, and EMTs offer efficient and immediate response to different emergency calls. In responding to the emergencies, these public servants encounter different types of traumatic events that derive psychological impact to the public officers. Notably, firefighters experience more events that are traumatic while the police experience the most consistent traumatic events. The magnitude and prevalence of the psychological impact depend on the severity and type of the traumatic event as well as the profession and personality of the public servants. Notably, PTSD is the most common psychological impact of traumatic events encountered by firefighters, police, and EMTs. References Ben, K. (2004). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Firefighters: A Proposed Model of Mediators and Moderators. Retrieved from: http://wvuscholar.wvu.edu:8881//exlibris/dtl/d3_1/apache_media/L2V4bGlicmlzL2R0bC9kM18xL2FwYWNoZV9tZWRpYS83MTgx.pdf Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety. (2013). Fire Fighter. Retrieved from: http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/occup_workplace/firefighter.html Colwell, L. (2011). Police Officers’ Cognitive Appraisals for Traumatic Events: Implications for Treatment and Training. Retrieved from: http://dev.cjcenter.org/_files/apcj/APCJ%207-2pdfcOLWELL.pdf_1324066232.pdf Cook, B., & Mitchell1, W. (2013). Occupational health effects for firefighters: The extent and implications of physical and psychological injuries. Retrieved from: https://www.firecrisis.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/CofFEE-report-Final.pdf Giller, E. (2013). What Is Psychological Trauma? Retrieved from: http://www.sidran.org/sub.cfm?contentID=88§ionid=4 Moad, C. (2011). Critical Incidents: Responding to Police Officer Trauma. Retrieved from: http://www.cji.edu/site/assets/files/1921/chrismoad.pdf Regehr, C. (2004). In the Line of Fire. Great Clarendon St, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read More