Childhood Traumas and Dissociation in Firefighters: The Mediating Role of Suicidal Desire.

Abstract

Firefighters are public safety personnel who act as first responders to protect people and property from fire dangers. Although firefighters frequently face severe incidents in their profession, there has been limited attention given to the childhood traumas they may have experienced and the long-term psychological impact of these early traumatic experiences within this professional group. This study aims to examine the correlation between childhood traumas and dissociative experiences, as well as suicidal ideas, among firefighters. The study was conducted on firefighters employed by the Hatay Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department. Between January and June 2024, the study recruited 210 firefighters from the Fire Department. Childhood traumas, dissociative experiences, and suicidal ideas were evaluated with validated psychometric instruments. The 4th model of the Hayes was utilized to examine the mediating role of suicidal ideas on the relationship between childhood traumas and dissociative experiences. Additionally, independent samples t-test and coefficient of determination were utilized. The firefighters who scored higher on the CTQ cut-off score showed greater levels of dissociative experiences and suicidal ideas compared to the lower-scoring group. The r² values emphasized significant correlations between childhood traumas, dissociative experiences, and suicidal ideas. Dissociative experiences partially mediate the relationship between childhood traumas and suicidal desire. The establishment of specific mental health services is essential to mitigate the psychological effects of both occupational and previous traumas that firefighters have encountered. The long-term consequences of traumatic experiences should be the primary focus when developing mental health interventions for firefighters.