Social Embeddedness of Firefighters, Paramedics, Specialized Nurses, Police Officers, and Military Personnel: Systematic Review in Relation to the Risk of Traumatization
Background: Firefighters, paramedics, specialized nurses working in Intensive Care Units (ICUs), Operating Rooms (OR), and Emergency Rooms (ER), police officers and military personnel are more frequently exposed to potentially traumatic events than the general population; they are considered high-ri...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.496663/full |
| _version_ | 1818601743703867392 |
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| author | Renate Geuzinge Merel Visse Joachim Duyndam Eric Vermetten Eric Vermetten Eric Vermetten |
| author_facet | Renate Geuzinge Merel Visse Joachim Duyndam Eric Vermetten Eric Vermetten Eric Vermetten |
| author_sort | Renate Geuzinge |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Firefighters, paramedics, specialized nurses working in Intensive Care Units (ICUs), Operating Rooms (OR), and Emergency Rooms (ER), police officers and military personnel are more frequently exposed to potentially traumatic events than the general population; they are considered high-risk professionals. To reduce the risk of traumatization it is of great importance to be embedded in a social environment with supportive relationships.Methods: We performed a systematic review (based on the PRISMA-Guidelines) looking for social connections within the environment in which high-risk professionals are embedded (work, home, community), to obtain evidence on the impact of these connections on the risk of traumatization. Additionally, we aim to identify relevant supportive relationships in the professionals' environments. We identified the relevant scientific literature by searching, without time, and language restriction, five electronic bibliographic databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, CINAHL, and Web of Science. These databases were last searched in January 2019.Results: A qualitative analysis of the 89 eligible (out of 9,047 screened) studies shows that for firefighters, paramedics, and emergency nurses social connections in their work environment are predominantly supportive relationships and may protect them against traumatization. In other occupations (OR-nurses, ICU-nurses, police officers), however, social connections at work are not only a source of support but are also a source of stress. For military personnel study results are inconclusive as to whether their social connections at work or at home support them against traumatization. In so far as connections are supportive, their sources vary greatly from one occupational group to another; they differ between work vs. home as well as within work between peers vs. supervisor.Conclusions: Being embedded in a social environment, i.e., having social connections, is important but not always sufficient to protect high-risk professionals against traumatization. For, while these connections may be the antecedents of supportive relationships, they can also be the antecedents of damaging relationships. Additionally, the sources of supportive relationships differ among groups. This suggests that knowledge of how the social structures of the occupational groups differ may increase our understanding of the impact of social connections and relationships, including socialization, on the risk of traumatization of high-risk professionals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T12:56:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e0fe827de3cf40f7b60192275966c0a1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T12:56:14Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-e0fe827de3cf40f7b60192275966c0a12022-12-21T22:31:01ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402020-12-011110.3389/fpsyt.2020.496663496663Social Embeddedness of Firefighters, Paramedics, Specialized Nurses, Police Officers, and Military Personnel: Systematic Review in Relation to the Risk of TraumatizationRenate Geuzinge0Merel Visse1Joachim Duyndam2Eric Vermetten3Eric Vermetten4Eric Vermetten5Humanism and Social Resilience, University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, NetherlandsCare Ethics, University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, NetherlandsHumanism and Social Resilience, University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, NetherlandsDepartment of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, NetherlandsMinistry of Defense, Military Mental Health Research Center, Utrecht, NetherlandsARQ National Psychotrauma Center, Diemen, NetherlandsBackground: Firefighters, paramedics, specialized nurses working in Intensive Care Units (ICUs), Operating Rooms (OR), and Emergency Rooms (ER), police officers and military personnel are more frequently exposed to potentially traumatic events than the general population; they are considered high-risk professionals. To reduce the risk of traumatization it is of great importance to be embedded in a social environment with supportive relationships.Methods: We performed a systematic review (based on the PRISMA-Guidelines) looking for social connections within the environment in which high-risk professionals are embedded (work, home, community), to obtain evidence on the impact of these connections on the risk of traumatization. Additionally, we aim to identify relevant supportive relationships in the professionals' environments. We identified the relevant scientific literature by searching, without time, and language restriction, five electronic bibliographic databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, CINAHL, and Web of Science. These databases were last searched in January 2019.Results: A qualitative analysis of the 89 eligible (out of 9,047 screened) studies shows that for firefighters, paramedics, and emergency nurses social connections in their work environment are predominantly supportive relationships and may protect them against traumatization. In other occupations (OR-nurses, ICU-nurses, police officers), however, social connections at work are not only a source of support but are also a source of stress. For military personnel study results are inconclusive as to whether their social connections at work or at home support them against traumatization. In so far as connections are supportive, their sources vary greatly from one occupational group to another; they differ between work vs. home as well as within work between peers vs. supervisor.Conclusions: Being embedded in a social environment, i.e., having social connections, is important but not always sufficient to protect high-risk professionals against traumatization. For, while these connections may be the antecedents of supportive relationships, they can also be the antecedents of damaging relationships. Additionally, the sources of supportive relationships differ among groups. This suggests that knowledge of how the social structures of the occupational groups differ may increase our understanding of the impact of social connections and relationships, including socialization, on the risk of traumatization of high-risk professionals.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.496663/fulltraumahigh-risk professionalssocial embeddednessenvironmentrelationships |
| spellingShingle | Renate Geuzinge Merel Visse Joachim Duyndam Eric Vermetten Eric Vermetten Eric Vermetten Social Embeddedness of Firefighters, Paramedics, Specialized Nurses, Police Officers, and Military Personnel: Systematic Review in Relation to the Risk of Traumatization Frontiers in Psychiatry trauma high-risk professionals social embeddedness environment relationships |
| title | Social Embeddedness of Firefighters, Paramedics, Specialized Nurses, Police Officers, and Military Personnel: Systematic Review in Relation to the Risk of Traumatization |
| title_full | Social Embeddedness of Firefighters, Paramedics, Specialized Nurses, Police Officers, and Military Personnel: Systematic Review in Relation to the Risk of Traumatization |
| title_fullStr | Social Embeddedness of Firefighters, Paramedics, Specialized Nurses, Police Officers, and Military Personnel: Systematic Review in Relation to the Risk of Traumatization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social Embeddedness of Firefighters, Paramedics, Specialized Nurses, Police Officers, and Military Personnel: Systematic Review in Relation to the Risk of Traumatization |
| title_short | Social Embeddedness of Firefighters, Paramedics, Specialized Nurses, Police Officers, and Military Personnel: Systematic Review in Relation to the Risk of Traumatization |
| title_sort | social embeddedness of firefighters paramedics specialized nurses police officers and military personnel systematic review in relation to the risk of traumatization |
| topic | trauma high-risk professionals social embeddedness environment relationships |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.496663/full |
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