The impact of social support on world assumptions and PTSD symptoms in a sample of public safety communicators.

Abstract

Objective: Although they are the first involved in emergency response, 9-1-1 public safety communicators (PSCs) are largely excluded from studies on the effects of repeated exposure to duty-related traumatic events. Studies have shown that 9-1-1 PSCs experience negative health outcomes, including posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS).

Method: This study aimed to understand the relationship between social support, world assumptions (e.g., beliefs regarding benevolence of the world, benevolence of people, and self-worth), and PTSS in 221 9-1-1 PSCs across the United States in a 1-year longitudinal study.

Results: Social support was positively associated with world assumptions but negatively associated with PTSS, and PTSS were negatively related to world assumptions. Mediation models revealed that world assumptions at 6 months had indirect effects on the association between baseline social support and PTSS 1 year later.

Conclusions: This study supports current conceptualizations of posttraumatic stress disorder and trauma treatments focused on identifying and challenging maladaptive beliefs. It may be beneficial to explore how public safety personnel's world assumptions impact their likelihood of reaching out for support. Because social support is largely associated with PTSS through people's assumptions about the world, other people, and themselves, interventions targeting world assumptions might be particularly advantageous for this population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).