Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol 57(3), Jun 2026, 197-205; doi:10.1037/pro0000677
The repeated exposure to traumatic events that firefighters experience as a product of their work, results in an elevated risk to develop a trauma disorder. Despite this elevated risk, most firefighters do not develop clinically significant posttraumatic stress disorder. Still, it is postulated that most firefighters experience posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). These PTSS, while not at the severity of warranting a posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis, still manifest distress. Focusing on the factors that protect against all levels of PTSS may be more relevant as a means to decrease firefighter distress across the spectrum of experience. Yet, the protective factors that guard against negative trauma outcomes for firefighters are often ambiguous. To explore these potential protective factors, data were collected from 171 career and volunteer firefighters at both the district and state level. To explore the association with PTSS, the following variables were investigated: emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and emotional suppression), social support, resilience, and years of experience. Using Pearson correlations and hierarchical linear regression analyses, emotion regulation strategies were found to weakly predict PTSS, while resilience and social support were the strongest negative predictors of PTSS. Years of firefighting experience did not have a statistically significant association with PTSS. These findings indicate that the construct of resilience and social support systems may buffer the negative effects of firefighter trauma exposure. Focusing on practical ways to strengthen the implementation of these constructs could prepare firefighters for the traumatic events they encounter on the job and potentially decrease the severity of PTSS. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)