ArticleScientific reports2023
Mental health of UK firefighters.
Article in Scientific reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Association of Physical and Emotional Parameters with Performance of Firefighters: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Pooled it
- Evaluation of the Implementation of the NFFF Stress First Aid Intervention in Career Fire Departments: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Trial
- The Sleep Quality of Han Chinese and Tibetan Firefighters at High Altitude: A Field Study.Nature and science of sleep · 2026Article
- Occupational injury among firefighters in Canada: a trends analysis of fatality and time-loss injury claims (2007-2021).Injury epidemiology · 2025Article
- Predictors of differential PTSD and depression symptom trajectories in firefighters: a growth mixture analysis.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of a Mind-Body Intervention at Improving Mental Health and Performance Among Career Firefighters.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Cross-Sectional Analysis of Psychological Mediators Between Occupational Trauma and PTSD in Metropolitan Firefighters.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025Article
- Examining the Relationship Between Resilience, Mental Health and Fitness Outcomes in Firefighters.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025Article
- Psychological Disturbances and Associated Risk Factors in Chinese Mine Rescuers: A Cross-Sectional Study.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2025Article
- Examination of Stress Among Recruit and Incumbent Women Firefighters.Safety and health at work · 2024Article
- Fueling the Firefighter and Tactical Athlete with Creatine: A Narrative Review of a Key Nutrient for Public Safety.Nutrients · 2024Review
- The Cyclical Battle of Insomnia and Mental Health Impairment in Firefighters: A Narrative Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Contamination of UK firefighters personal protective equipment and workplaces.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Culture and awareness of occupational health risks amongst UK firefighters.Scientific reports · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Exposure to trauma, high-stress situations, and disrupted sleep are well known risk factors affecting firefighters' mental health. Little is known about the association between firefighters' exposure to fire contaminants and mental health disorders. The UK Firefighter Contamination Survey assessed firefighters' health and capacity for occupational exposure to contaminants. Participants were invited to anonymously complete its 64 questions online. Logistic regression analyses assessed the associations between self-reported mental health disorders and proxies of contaminant exposure. Results found that firefighters who notice soot in their nose/throat for more than a day after attending fires (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.8, 1.4-2.4), and those who remain in their personal protective equipment (PPE) for over 4 h after fires (OR = 1.9, 1.2-3.1), were nearly twice as likely to report mental health disorders. Significantly increased odds ratios for all three outcomes of interest (anxiety, depression and/or any mental health disorders) were also found among firefighters who take PPE home to clean. Sleeping problems were reported by 61% of firefighters. These firefighters were 4.2 times more likely to report any mental health disorder (OR = 4.2, 3.7-4.9), 2.9 times more likely to report anxiety (OR = 2.9, 2.4-3.5) and 2.3 times more likely to report depression (OR = 2.3, 1.9-2.8) when compared to firefighters who did not report sleep issues. Effective decontamination measures within UK Fire and Rescue Services, together with firefighters' wellness, may play a crucial role in protecting firefighters' mental health.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.