Exploring the Impact of Grief on Firefighters due to Highly Stressful or Traumatic Job Situations

Nicole Marie Juarez*, Joseph Ramos Villarreal **, Elizabeth A. Wardle ***
* United Connections Counseling, Alice, Texas.
** Texas A&M University - Kingsville, Texas.
*** Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, United States.
Periodicity:September - November'2019
DOI : https://doi.org/10.26634/jhss.1.1.15529

Abstract

Firefighters regularly deal with highly stressful and traumatic employment situations. However, a majority of the fire departments lack appropriate counseling services to help employees. In this study, the researcher surveyed firefighters in a South Texas community to discover the extent of the effects of highly stressful or traumatic job situations. The results indicated that the years of active firefighting experience determines level of acceptance of coping techniques and counseling methods. The higher number of active experience correlates with a higher rate of exposure to traumatic events leading towards the willingness to seek help. Most active firefighters would not seek out private counseling to address job related stress, anxiety, or grief. They were, however, open-minded to the idea of participating in group or individual therapy sessions if provided to the department. The local firefighting departments should consider providing necessary counseling services for employees to help cope with traumatic situations or job related stress, anxiety, or grief.

Keywords

Firefighters, Stress, Job-related Trauma, Coping, Counseling.

How to Cite this Article?

Juarez. N. M., Villarreal, J. R., and Wardle, E. A. (2019). Exploring the Impact of Grief on Firefighters due to Highly Stressful or Traumatic Job Situations. i-manager's Journal on Humanities & Social Sciences, 1(1), 54-59. https://doi.org/10.26634/jhss.1.1.15529

References

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