One in Four Firefighters Suffers from Sleep Disorders... 5.1% Report Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

'Firefighter Mental Health' Survey Results ... 3.9% Show Depression Symptoms, 4.4% in Suicide Risk Group

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] One in four firefighters suffers from sleep disorders due to work-related stress and other reasons. However, the number of firefighters reporting mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression has generally decreased slightly compared to last year.

The National Fire Agency announced the results of the "2020 Firefighter Mental Health Survey" containing these findings on the 27th.

The survey was jointly conducted by the National Fire Agency and the Public Medical Project Group of Bundang Seoul National University Hospital from February 20 to March 15, with 52,119 participants, accounting for 92% of the 56,647 firefighters nationwide.

According to the survey analysis, 2,666 firefighters reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, representing 5.1% of all respondents. This is a 0.5 percentage point decrease compared to 5.6% (2,704 people) in last year’s survey.

Symptoms of depression were reported by 3.9% (2,028 people), and sleep disorders by 23.3% (12,127 people), both showing decreases of 0.7 and 2.0 percentage points respectively compared to the previous year. However, alcohol use disorder slightly increased by 0.1 percentage points to 30.0% (15,618 people).

Notably, indicators related to emotional labor improved significantly this year. The group requiring management for "complaint response overload," which arises from calming and dealing with agitated complainants during disaster situations, accounted for 16.2% (8,462 people), a 13.2 percentage point decrease from 29.4% (14,233 people) last year.

Additionally, those who suffered "psychological damage" due to others’ anger or verbal abuse also decreased by 9.1 percentage points to 11.2% (5,847 people) from 20.3% (9,832 people) last year.

The suicide risk group, defined by a high frequency of thoughts about extreme actions, accounted for 4.4% (2,301 people), down from 4.9% (2,453 people) last year. Among them, respondents who reported "having attempted self-harm due to suicidal thoughts" remained at 0.1% (53 people), the same level as last year.

Bundang Seoul National University Hospital analyzed that although the prevalence of major stress factors among firefighters improved overall this year, continuous efforts are needed for early detection and intervention of high-risk groups through regular mental health assessments.

Shin Yeol-woo, Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, said, "We are proceeding with the construction of a National Fire Hospital to provide intensive treatment for firefighters exposed to various harmful factors such as traumatic scenes," and added, "We will also develop psychological support programs for vulnerable groups, including new firefighters."