Background: Due to the job characteristics, firefighters are repeatedly exposed to trauma incidents. However, not all firefighters exhibit the same level of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or post-traumatic growth (PTG). Despite this, few studies have looked into firefighters\' PTSD and PTG.Objective: This study identified subgroups of firefighters based on their PTSD and PTG levels, and investigated the influence of demographic factors and PTSD/PTG-related factors on latent class classification.Method: Latent profile analysis was used to examine the patterns of PTSD and PTG among 483 firefighters in South Korea. Using a cross-sectional design, demographic factors and job factors were examined as group covariates through a three-step approach. PTSD-related factors such as depression and suicide ideation, as well as PTG-related factors such as emotion-based response were analysed as differentiating factors.Results: Four classes were identified and named \'Low PTSD-low PTG (65.2%),\' \'Mid PTSD-mid PTG (15.5%),\' \'Low PTSD-high PTG (15.3%),\' and \'High PTSD-mid PTG (3.9%).\' The likelihood of belonging to the group with high trauma-related risks increased with more rotating shift work and years of service. The differentiating factors revealed differences based on the levels of PTSD and PTG in each group.Conclusions: 34.8% of firefighters experienced changes due to traumatic events while on the job, and some required serious attention. Modifiable job characteristics, such as the shift pattern, indirectly affected PTSD and PTG levels. Individual and job factors should be considered together when developing trauma interventions for firefighters.
Firefighters were classified into four groups based on their levels of PTSD and PTG. 65.2% of the participants belonged to the ‘Low PTSD-low PTG’ group.The shift pattern and years of service predicted the likelihood of group classification.This implies that, despite being frequently exposed to threatening events, not all firefighters experience trauma, and that job characteristics influence trauma-related vulnerabilities.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 deaths elevate the prevalence of prolonged grief and post-traumatic stress symptoms among the bereaved, yet few studies have examined potential positive outcomes. Moreover, how COVID-19 bereavement affects individual-level mental health outcomes is under-researched.
OBJECTIVE: This is the first study to use latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify heterogeneous profiles of prolonged grief, post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth among people bereaved due to COVID-19 and to identify predictors of latent class membership.
METHODS: Four hundred and twenty-two Chinese participants who were bereaved due to COVID-19 completed an online survey between September and October 2020. The survey included the International (ICD-11) Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale (IPGDS), the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). LPA was run in Mplus, and the 3-step auxiliary approach was used to test the predicting effects of potential predictors of latent class membership identified with chi-square tests and ANOVAs.
RESULTS: Four latent profiles were identified: resilience (10.7%), growth (20.1%), moderate-combined (42.2%) and high-combined (27.0%). The bereaved who shared a close relationship with the deceased and identified COVID-19 as the fundamental cause of death were more likely to be in the high-combined group. A conflictful bereaved-deceased relationship reduces the chance of being in the growth group. Moreover, the death of a younger person and loss of a partner attributed to maladaptive outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS: Serious attention needs to be paid to the mental health issues of people bereaved due to COVID-19 because nearly 70% of this group would have a moderate-combined or high-combined symptom profile. Special care should be given to those who lost someone younger, lost a partner or shared a close relationship with the deceased. Grief therapies that work on the conflicts between the deceased and the bereaved and unfinished business can be applied to facilitate growth.
Antecedentes: Las muertes por COVID-19 elevan la prevalencia de síntomas de duelo prolongado y estrés postraumático entre las personas en duelo, sin embargo, pocos estudios han examinado los posibles resultados positivos. Además, la forma en que el duelo por COVID-19 afecta los resultados de salud mental a nivel individual está poco investigada.Objetivo: Este es el primer estudio que utiliza el análisis de perfil latente (LPA) para identificar perfiles heterogéneos de duelo prolongado, estrés postraumático y crecimiento postraumático entre personas en duelo debido al COVID-19 y para identificar predictores de pertenencia a una clase latente.Métodos: Cuatrocientos veintidós participantes chinos que estaban en duelo debido a COVID-19 completaron una encuesta en línea entre septiembre y octubre de 2020. La encuesta incluyó la Escala Internacional de Trastorno por Duelo Prolongado (ICD-11) (IPGDS), la Lista de verificación de trastornos por estrés para el DSM-5 (PCL-5) y el Inventario de crecimiento postraumático (PTGI). Se ejecutó LPA en Mplus y se usó el enfoque auxiliar de 3 pasos para probar los efectos de concordancia de posibles predictores de pertenencia a una clase latente identificados con pruebas de chi-cuadrado y ANOVA.Resultados: Se identificaron cuatro perfiles latentes: resiliencia (10,7%), crecimiento (20,1%), combinado moderado (42,2%) y combinado alto (27,0%). Los deudos que compartían una relación cercana con el fallecido e identificaron al COVID-19 como la causa fundamental de muerte tenían más probabilidades de estar en el grupo de alta combinación. Una relación conflictiva con el fallecido reduce la posibilidad de estar en el grupo de crecimiento. Además, la muerte de una persona más joven y la pérdida de una pareja se asocian a resultados desadaptativos.Conclusiones: Se debe prestar mucha atención a los problemas de salud mental de las personas en duelo debido a COVID-19 porque casi el 70% de este grupo tendría un perfil de síntomas combinados moderados o combinados altos. Se debe prestar especial atención a quienes perdieron a alguien más joven, perdieron a una pareja o tuvieron una relación cercana con el fallecido. Las terapias de duelo que trabajan en los conflictos entre el fallecido y los deudos y en temáticas no resueltas, se pueden aplicar para facilitar el crecimiento.
背景: COVID-19 死亡增加了丧亲者的延长哀伤和创伤后应激症状的流行率, 但很少有研究考查潜在的积极结果。此外, 对 COVID-19 丧亲如何影响个体层面心理健康结果的研究不足。目的: 这是第一项使用潜在剖面分析 (LPA) 来确定因 COVID-19 丧亲者的延长哀伤, 创伤后应激和创伤后成长的异质剖面并确定潜在类别成员的预测因素的研究。方法: 422 名因 COVID-19 丧亲的中国参与者在 2020 年 9 月至 10 月期间完成了一项在线调查。该调查包括国际 (ICD-11) 延长哀伤障碍量表 (IPGDS), DSM-5创伤后应激障碍检查表 (PCL-5) 和创伤后成长量表 (PTGI) 。在 Mplus 中运行LPA, 并使用 3 步辅助方法来检验通过卡方检验和方差分析确定的潜在类别成员的潜在预测因子的预测效果。结果: 确定了四种潜在剖面:复原力(10.7%), 成长 (20.1%), 混合中等症状 (42.2%) 和混合高症状 (27.0%)。与死者关系亲密并确定 COVID-19 为根本死因的丧亲者更有可能属于混合高症状组。与死者有冲突会降低成为成长群体的几率。此外, 年轻人的死亡和丧失伴侣会增加适应不良的结果。结论: 需要认真关注因 COVID-19 丧亲者的心理健康问题, 因为该群体中有近 70% 的人具有混合中等或混合高症状剖面。应该给那些丧失更年轻人, 伴侣或与死者关系亲密的人提供特别护理。处理死者与丧亲者之间的冲突和未完成事件的哀伤疗法可用于促进成长。.