Individual and organizational factors associated with professional quality of life in Florida fire personnel

Anastasia Miller, PhD; Lynn Unruh, PhD, RN, LHRM; Tracy Wharton, PhD, MEd, MSc, MSW, LCSW; Xinliang Liu, PhD; Ning Zhang, PhD, MD, MPH

doi:10.5055/jem.2018.0366

Authors

Anastasia Miller, PhD
Lynn Unruh, PhD, RN, LHRM
Tracy Wharton, PhD, MEd, MSc, MSW, LCSW
Xinliang Liu, PhD
Ning Zhang, PhD, MD, MPH

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.2018.0366

Keywords:

compassion satisfaction, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, perceived organizational support, perceived coworker support, ProQOL 5, psychological resilience, debriefing

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine a baseline level of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress (STS) in firefighters, as well as to examine how these constructs related to perceived organizational support, perceived coworker support, psychological resilience, and debriefing in the fire personnel.

Design: This was done through a voluntary nonrandom, cross-sectional administration of surveys.

Setting: The study was carried out in the state of Florida.

Subjects, Participants: Surveys were e-mailed out to state firefighters. Two hundred seventy surveys were completed by active firefighting personnel across the state.

Main Outcome Measure(s): The Professional Quality of Life: Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue Version 5 was also sent to establish self-reported levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and STS. The Survey of Perceived Organizational Support, Perceived Organizational Support Survey, and the Brief Resilience Survey were also used in addition to questions regarding debriefing activities.

Results: Gender, race, and education levels were significantly related to compassion satisfaction in the regression analysis. Organizational support was associated with higher compassion satisfaction as well as lower burnout and STS. Coworker support was associated with higher compassion satisfaction. Psychological resilience was positively associated with higher levels of compassion satisfaction and lower burnout and STS. Those who participated in informal debriefing methods had higher compassion satisfaction as well as lower burnout. Firefighters working at agencies that did not provide mental health professional’s services had lower compassion satisfaction.

Conclusions: Fire agencies have multiple avenues and policy options to improve the professional quality of life for firefighters.

Author Biographies

Anastasia Miller, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Healthcare Policy, Economics, and Management, University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, Texas

Lynn Unruh, PhD, RN, LHRM

Professor, Department of Health Management and Informatics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida

Tracy Wharton, PhD, MEd, MSc, MSW, LCSW

Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida

Xinliang Liu, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Health Management and Informatics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida

Ning Zhang, PhD, MD, MPH

Professor, Department of Interprofessional Health Sciences and Health Administration, Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey

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