Circumstances of intensity of anxiety among firemen – pilot study

INTRODUCTION

Stress that is inexorably connected with participation in activities involving extinguishing fires, rescuing people and their property causes physiological and psychological dangers to firemen [1–3]. These threats may be of a mutual nature, such as in the case of the co-existence of unease and sleeping disorder, which deteriorate the cognitive and emotional functioning. Research indicates that the quality and amount of sleep constitute a specific factor in terms of the physiological risk and burnout as a specific psychological risk [1,4,5]. Stress, while also the intensity of anxiety and its circumstances therefore constitute the subject matter of universal research aimed at analyzing the problems associated with health and professional activity [6–8], yet a particular type that has a strong impact on stressful situations is what is associated with extinguishing fires and rescuing people [9–12].

Anxiety is a common emotion that the majority of people experience during their lives. Nevertheless, the intensity and resistance to stress associated with the case of arousing stress varies amongst particular people. Some people are more susceptible to the feeling of anxiety, thus it is assumed that this phenomenon may be perceived as an individual feature of an individual [13]. The increased level of anxiety is usually connected with external factors, such as danger, threats, fear and panic associated with the actual situation that the particular person is dealing with. The state of anxiety warns a person about chaos, entropy and the loss of perception in terms of seeing oneself in confrontation with natural threats [14].

With relation to the reactions occurring in situations of natural disasters, it is assumed that there is an element of uncertainty in terms of predicting these reactions [17]. The substantive preparation, training, seniority and experience are all significant factors in conducting this type of rescue action. A second group of factors belongs to the area of mental health, personal resources, emotions in difficult situations, while also coping with stress [18]. This also indicates the mediatory role of social support in terms of coping with chronic stress associated with conducting rescue operations [19].

Hence, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the intensity of anxiety amongst firemen while taking account of the chosen circumstances of performing duties in the fire services. The following three questions are addressed as follows:

1. Do the people working in the fire services constitute a uniform group with regard to the anxiety in evidence ?

2. How does the correlation between the lack of peace and the position and degree held look ?

3. Does seniority have an impact on the level of unease felt ?

MATERIAL AND METHODS

RESULTS

In Table 1, a statistical description has been laid out in terms of the generally chosen factors, such as the intensity of anxiety, seniority in SFS, social support, worsening nutrition in circumstances of feeling stress, attention to making healthy nutrition choices broken down into two identified clusters on the basis of the conducted taxonomy of those analysed. In cluster no. 1 of an average seniority of 10.78 years, the level of anxiety amounted to 59.929 points. Attention to food in terms of making nutrition choices was at the level of 2.5 points. In cluster no. 2, a focus group of seniority in fire services of 4.404 years was chosen, in which the level amounted to 53.077 points, while the factor perceived to be attention to food, namely making choices of nutrition, was at the level of 1.538 points.

In Table 2, the chosen effects of the combined impact of these factors has been presented. It is possible to note that there is a statistically significant difference in terms of the effect of interaction between the “SFS Corps x Seniority in SFS”, whereas no differences have been noted in terms of the effect of the “current location serving duty*Degree in SFS”

Table 3 contains coefficients that define the relations between the intensity of anxiety and the fire services corps, the position of fire and rescue services, while also work seniority. No statistically significant coefficients were noted in the analysed group without taking account of the division into clusters.

Figure 1 illustrates the relation between the intensity of anxiety and seniority while taking account of the differentiation in the sphere of the represented corps of serving duty in the State Fire Services.

DISCUSSION

The research presented facilitated the acquisition of results that illustrate the dependencies between years of service and the represented corps in the fire services and the feeling of anxiety is more complicated than simple dependencies which are postulated in some research projects which determine that seniority is connected with the adaptation to this experience [5,22,23]. This may be certified by the findings of this research conducted, in which the consequences of the combined impact were taken into consideration, which in turn confirmed the significant effect of the interaction of two factors, namely, the location of the fire services corps and professional experience (Table 2). The acquired findings reveal the existence of internal differentiation from the viewpoint of situational anxiety, which is indicated by the findings of the analysis on the clusters conducted (Table 1), which expanded the picture of variability acquired by means of the application of absolute measurements, such as variance [24]. Cluster 2 encompasses firemen of a longer work experience and indicates a rather higher level of anxiety by approximately 6 points than cluster no. 1 encompassing firemen that have 6 years less experience. Perhaps this is the result of the phenomenon of post-traumatic growth that involves the occurrence of the paradoxical phenomenon encompassing positive changes in the perception of one’s own situation and development of personality following the experienced trauma[25]. This picture supplements the result indicating the intensity of anxiety in the context of the interaction between the position in the corps and professional experience expressed in terms of the years of service.

Research in the sphere of health psychology indicate the occurrence of elements in some people who experience traumatic events (e.g. with regard to the professional activity conducted) such as appreciation of the present moment, while also becoming sensitive to the suffering of others [25]. Likewise, the relation of this phenomenon with certain psychological features became apparent, including the feature known as resilience, which is defined as resistance and the ability to regenerate strength, while also the smooth return to the state of normality after a decrease in the unfavourable circumstances, as well as the skill of coping with adversity, problems and difficult periods, or in other words, the ability to adapt to the varying circumstances of the environment [26]. The research findings indicate the significant role of mental resilience in terms of the development of future positive change amongst the firemen experiencing traumatic events with relation to the professional activity performed [27].

This corresponds with the research findings which indicate that individual, subjective feelings and emotions fulfil a mediatory role in the case of people who, within the framework of professional activities, are actively engaged in activities associated with risk during the execution of duties connected with restoring safety [1,28].

The not so simple image of dependencies between seniority and experiences in fire services acquired in the research may probably be interpreted in the way that experiences are also the greater level of awareness of the risk of serious consequences arising from the action taken. It would seem that it is justifiable to perceive the acquired results in this manner in terms of the sphere of conscious and attentive nutrition. This is particularly true in the sub-group (cluster) of a higher intensity of anxiety where there was simultaneously a higher level of value in the sphere of making careful everyday and typical nutrition choices that are favourable for the health (Table 1). There are substantive arguments in order for this to be viewed as a factor in itself in terms of protecting against the consequences of severe stress. This is indicated by the research findings which illustrate the significant multi-dimensional and favourable role of healthy nutrition for sleep hygiene and frame of mind in the case of firemen [29].

A positive aspect is the fact that, generally speaking, no correlation was noted between the level of anxiety and the position and corps of SFS. It is possible to assume that to a certain extent this may be the image of the relation between firemen, thus the position in the hierarchy of the fire services has an impact on the level of safety (Table 3).

From the graphic interpretation of the relation between the intensity of anxiety and seniority while taking account of the differentiation in the sphere of the represented corps of the service conducted in the State Fire Services (Figure 1), it is visible that anxiety rises together with the length of work service and the lack of promotion. This may arise from, among other things, the subjective perception of the inadequacy of the gratification with relation to the psychological and physical costs incurred during operations in the face of danger. This becomes a broader problem as there are research reports that indicate the risk factors of professional burnout amongst firemen [30,31]. The acquired research findings indicate that the longer the level of seniority, the greater experience does not need to be associated with a lower level of situational anxiety felt. It is probable that it may be viewed in such a way that more experience is simultaneously greater awareness of the risk of the occurrence of serious consequences of the action undertaken. The small amount of data constitutes certain limitations. However, due to the fact that research tools were availed of that facilitated multiple research projects for the purpose of an objective comparison of changes in the intensity of anxiety, the acquired findings opens up the perspective of longitudinal study for further analysis of this phenomenon. In future research projects, it would also be worth taking account of the role of the feeling of coherence and personal resources, which determine the choice of strategy of coping with stress.

CONCLUSION

The acquired results indicate that the firemen encompassed within the research do not constitute a uniform group from the viewpoint of the anxiety in evidence. The internal differentiation revealed displayed the existence of two clusters which are different from each other both in terms of the intensity of anxiety, while also the fulfilment of duty and attention to making nutrition choices. In the former cluster identified that has a lower average intensity of anxiety, there is a shorter length of work service and lower value of definition of attention to nutrition choices than in the latter one, in which anxiety, careful nutrition choices and seniority are all higher. Likewise, there is also the existence of the combined impact of the factors in the form of interaction of such factors as the corps of SFS, as well as the seniority with regard to the intensity of anxiety amongst firemen.