Research Library
Research shows there is a growing crisis for First Responder and Veteran mental health and wellness – not only in the United States, but all over the world. Our mission is to share tools to help improve those statistics with tangible, repeatable tools.
If you are aware of more studies showing issues like mental health for First Responders and Veterans, or studies showing positive effects of bodywork or breathwork, please email them to us.
First Responder Mental Health Crisis
First responders in New York, as elsewhere, are struggling
with mental health challenges. They face multiple
stressors, endure a range of mental health challenges
and conditions, and confront barriers to seeking, and
receiving, mental health care. The MHNA revealed
several important dynamics:
• The majority of first responders report significant
stressors, mental health challenges, and obstacles to
accessing support. These issues are prevalent across all
groups, though some variation by occupation, service
type, and service length could offer useful insights for
targeted interventions. Overall, the primary takeaway
is clear: many first responders face considerable mental
health challenges as a result of their work.
• While rates are high for all, emergency
communications personnel had among the highest
ratings for stressors and mental health impacts. Focus
group participants attributed this to several factors.
Explaining the high stress of the emergency
communications environment, one respondent stated,
“[we are] hypervigilant, there is no time to come back
down between calls, it’s urgency all the time.”
Another described the feeling of “cortisol rising with
every call” over the course of a shift that could last
anywhere from 8-16 hours. Other respondents
emphasized the lack of closure, stating that emergency
communications personnel are often “left out of crisis
debriefing” and in many instances, are not made
aware of the outcome of a case. Others felt that
emergency communications gets sidelined, often
a forgotten part of the first responder lifeline.
Finally, one participant noted that, “Emergency
communications does a lot more than just dispatch to
an incident. For example, we talk people through CPR
or other intervention while waiting for an ambulance
to arrive.” Taken together, these factors contribute to a
highly stressful work environment that, some felt,
lacks adequate closure, camaraderie, and supports.
• In general, career first responders reported greater
stressors and mental health challenges than
volunteers though rates were high for all. Barriers to
seeking care were also felt more strongly by career
V. Discussion
first responders, particularly those related to duty
assignment and job security.
• Overall, first responders in the middle of their career
appear to face the most challenges. Those with fewer
than five years in a first responder role had
experienced fewer, or had not yet accumulated, the
stress and trauma of first responder work. Further,
many respondents suggested that the younger
generations are more open to addressing, and
discussing, mental health issues. At the other end of
the spectrum, those with many years on the job were
reflective about their experiences and were looking
towards retirement. Those in the middle were still in
the throes of the work.
• Stigma remains a substantial barrier to seeking care.
First responders were concerned that seeking care
would make them “look weak” and that leadership
and their colleagues would treat them differently and
assume they are unreliable or “not up to the job,”
particularly in a dangerous situation. This sentiment
may be shifting, however; several respondents
acknowledged that recent attention to the issue of
mental health seemed to be lessening this stigma,
and that younger generations appear to be more
comfortable with, and open about, acknowledging
and addressing issues of mental health.
Relatedly, a fear of consequences, from a light-duty
assignment to fear of losing their job altogether,
prevented first responders from seeking mental health
care. Other consequences, such as loss of pistol license,
also kept first responders from seeking care. Many first
responders asked for clarity about job-related, and
other, consequences for seeking mental health care
(including medication).
• Leadership at all levels plays a crucial role in creating
cultures that support, or harm, the mental health of
first responders. Relatedly, leadership is key to the
successful development, implementation, and
reception of mental health initiatives and services
within the first responder community.
• Mental health providers with very particular experience
in, or deep knowledge of, first responders’ work
Substance Use Disorders in First Responders
The Vicious Cycle of Chronic Traumatic Stress Exposure
and Sleep Deprivation as Contributing Factors
Finding ways to support and encourage those in recovery to return
to the career they love, while managing the impact of ongoing traumatic
stress exposure is challenging, yet not impossible. Bringing together caring
peers, passionate and well-trained counselors, using effective treatmentmethods, along with human resource professionals who will support the
recovery process and do their best to protect the first responders’ job,
will create the best scenario for positive outcomes. Working together, all
professional helpers can protect and serve those first responders in need
of restoring the mind, body, and soul!
Research shows that all too often, Americans are taking medications that may not work or may be inappropriate for their mental health problems.
A growing body of research suggests that antidepressants aren’t as effective as many people believe. An analysis of all FDA clinical trials for four SSRI antidepressants found that the drugs didn’t perform significantly better than placebos in treating mild or moderate depression, and the benefits of the drugs were “relatively small even for severely depressed patients”
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceptions of dehumanization (i.e., meta-dehumanization and organizational meta-dehumanization) and burnout while controlling for time in the profession. Time in the profession is relevant because several studies (e.g., Makara-Studzińska et al., 2020; Witczak-Błoszyk et al., 2022) have shown correlations between time in the profession and increased burnout in first responders. Consequently, in an effort to distinguish the effect of dehumanization on burnout, statistical methods were utilized to control for time in the profession. The study was guided by the following two research questions: (1) “What is the relationship between first responders’ perceptions of dehumanization and time in the profession?,” and (2) “How do perceptions of dehumanization relate to burnout when controlling for time in the profession?” The working hypotheses were that there would be significant and positive correlations between first responders’ perceptions of dehumanization and time in the profession and between perceptions of dehumanization and burnout.
Results: In hierarchical regression analyses, PTSD symptoms were significantly associated with alcohol and drug use above and beyond all the other variables. Work-related PTE exposure was not a significant predictor of either outcome once PTSD symptoms were included, suggesting that PTEs confer risk for substance use via their association with PTSD symptoms. This finding was confirmed by an analysis showing that PTE exposure had a significant indirect effect on both alcohol and drug use via PTSD symptoms.
