J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2011 Jul;50(4):316-322.

The Relationship between Alcohol Consumption and Exposure to Traumatic Events in Male Firefighters

• Oh HJ
• Baek HS
• Chae JH
• Ahn YS
• Jeong KS
• Park JE
• Lee BC
• Choi KS

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study explored the relationship between alcohol consumption and exposure to traumatic events in male firefighters.
METHODS
Data was collected from a sample of 584 firefighters at urban fire stations. We surveyed the firefighters using self-administered questionnaires including sociodemographic and job-related characteristics such as the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Life Event Checklist (LEC), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Korean Occupational Stress Scale-Short Form (KOSS-SF), Impacted Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), Stait Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).
RESULTS
There were significant differences in smoking, traumatic events (LEC), post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (IES-R), and anxiety (STAI-T) between the two drinking groups (p<0.05). In multivariate logistic regression, smoking (OR=2.084, 95% CI=1.172-3.705), LEC (OR=1.163, 95% CI=1.010-1.339) and IES-R (OR=1.024, 95% CI=1.002-1.046) were significant predictors for AUDIT (p<0.05).
CONCLUSION
These results indicate that an appropriate intervention about the exposure to traumatic events should play a useful role in preventing firefighter alcohol problems.

Keyword

Firefighter; Traumatic events; Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms; Alcohol

MeSH Terms

Alcohol Drinking
Anxiety
Checklist
Depression
Drinking
Firefighters
Fires
Humans
Logistic Models
Male
Surveys and Questionnaires
Smoke
Smoking
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Smoke