Sponsored by Cigna
By Sara Jahnke for FireRescue1 BrandFocus
It is easy to focus on the negative behavioral health outcomes of being on the job, especially in public safety and emergency response. Rates for those within the range of concern for depression [1] have been found to be as high as 40% among firefighters, and rates of post-traumatic stress [2] can be as high as 1 in 3.
What is often missed – in the headlines and the research – are the people on the other side of those numbers. Given the extremes and traumas that firefighters are exposed to regularly, the fact that more are not struggling speaks to what is working in the fire service.
STRESS AND RESILIENCE
Individual resilience is an important factor in managing stress and reducing risk for negative outcomes. Resilience is commonly referred to as the ability to push through or recover from traumatic events. Fortunately, there are data-driven ways to promote and train for resilience among first responders.
For instance, in a study by Denkova and colleagues, mindfulness training [3] was found to increase resilience significantly more when tested against relaxation interventions. Social support also has been found to buffer the impact of trauma [4]. These factors, in addition to the standard holistic approaches to health and wellness – fitness, nutrition, sleep – are all protective against negative outcomes.
We are collectively in a stressful time as a nation and a world. Based on a national study, the Cigna Resilience Index found that 78% of people reported stress due to the pandemic, 69% were stressed by economics, and 56% said social justice issues create stress for them.
FIRST RESPONDERS AND RESILIENCE
First responders face even more acute and chronic stressors, as they are on the front line even before patients reach the hospital and in a far less controlled environment. These added stressors mean that focused efforts by both individuals and organizations to promote resilience are more important than ever before.
Resilience building that occurs in individuals does not occur in a vacuum, and increasingly, research is looking to the role that organizations play in promoting or detracting from individual resilience. Among 16,500 participants in the Cigna study, two-thirds of government workers reported less-than-optimal resilience. The key finding: Both personal and workplace factors are significantly related to overall resilience.
As first responders are tasked with doing more, questions for leaders focus on what is truly necessary, and which activities or priorities can and should be brought to the top of the list. Does organizational resilience building matter?
The short answer is yes. It matters very much.
The long answer is that organizational support efforts improve overall behavioral health, reduce burnout and improve compassion satisfaction [5]. The benefits are not only for the individuals – improved employee mental health can also head off long-term challenges that drain organizational resources. Most importantly, investing time and energy into organizational resilience has a positive impact.
BUILDING RESILIENCE TOGETHER
There are a number of ways organizations can promote resilience within their workforce:
1. Awareness: Starting the conversation about the role of resilience – both individual and organizational – is an important first step for any organization.
2. Holistic Health Management: Organizations should focus on a comprehensive view of health and wellness promotion among personnel. Being healthy is more than just working out and eating well. Also focus on sleep, behavioral health, moderating alcohol use and stress management, as all these factors interplay. The mind/body interaction cannot be understated, and access to effective programs promote resilience.
3. Relationships and Communication: Encouraging and supporting positive relationships and effective communication are key to resilient organizations, both within crews and between leaders and subordinates. Clear and ongoing two-way communication is beneficial and prevents longer term issues.
4. Supporting Work-Life Balance: Any conversation on generational differences ends up coming around to the fact that many in younger generations place less value on work and their career than on their family and social connections. That might not be all bad. We were not built to be on all day every day. Organizations need to support everyone in their ranks to take a break from time to time to unplug, take those vacation days and spend time with family and friends.
5. Resources: Sometimes all the organizational resilience-building efforts in the world are not enough. When that happens, there must be adequate and effective resources for those who need professional help. Maintain department resources to link people with culturally competent counseling and other support services.
Resilience overall is an important factor for first responders, but it is not a singular endeavor. Organizations and peers play a central role in creating a resilient workforce. Fortunately, it is built into the mission of what the fire service is built on: serving and protecting our communities and each other.
Visit the Cigna Resilience page for more information and resources.
Cigna products and services are offered by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company or its affiliates. This article is not intended for residents of New Mexico.
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