Posttraumatic Growth Among Emergency Workers: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies

Exposure to traumatic events can lead to Posttraumatic Growth (PTG). The present study aimed to was to conduct a systematic review of publications on the prevalence of PTG and its association with occupational stressors among emergency professionals. The review was based on the PRISMA method and previously registered in PROSPERO. The search was conducted in following eletronic databases: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Mediline), Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (Lilacs), and Scientific Electronic Library Online (Scielo). It was not possible to identify the prevalence of The prevalence of PTG was not identified among emergency professionals. Operational stressors were associated with to PTG. Organizational stressors were rarely investigated. We concluded that PTG is one of the focuses in studies on post-traumatic reactions among emergency professionals and it is associated with occupational stressors. Therefore, it is an important construct to understand the mental health of these professionals given the organization and the nature of their occupational tasks.

Keywords:
review; psychological trauma; emergency medical services; firefighters; police