The mediating effect of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression on the relationship between personality traits and quality of life in emergency service workers

Background: Emergency service workers are often exposed to fatalities during accidents or disasters. Therefore, they may be more prone to experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. It has been shown that these comorbid disorders are related to personality traits and quality of life (QOL). Methods: We hypothesized that mental disorders, such as symptoms of PTSD and depression, mediate the relationship between personality traits, as measured on the 10-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI), and QOL, as measured on the MOS 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Results: Participants were aged 23-61 years. Questionnaires were sent to 373 participants, 220 of whom returned responses. A direct effect was found between two subscales of the TIPI (Extraversion and Emotional stability) and mental component summary scores of the SF-36 (Extraversion: beta = 0.154, p < .001; Emotional stability: beta = 0.179, p < .001), which indicated partial mediation. A significant indirect effect was revealed between two personality traits and mental health summary scores (Extraversion: beta = 0.058, p < .001; Emotional stability: beta = 0.087, p < .001). We also found a direct effect of extraversion scores of the TIPI on role/social component summary scores of the SF-36 (beta = 0.084, p < .05). However, none of the 95% confidential intervals was significant, which indicated full mediation, and the indirect effect was significant (beta = 0.023, p < .01). Sensitivity analysis indicated that a direct effect between extraversion scores of the TIPI and role/social component summary scores of the SF-36 was significant, which indicated partial mediation. Conclusions: The findings of direct and indirect effects highlight the importance of identifying effective methods for protecting individuals from developing symptoms of PTSD and depression; moreover, they may help improve QOL. The capacity of dealing with incidents among emergency service workers may vary depending on their personality traits. Therefore, the screening of mental health states that includes a personality trait inventory may be valuable.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the importance of personality traits in the risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, as well as the impact on quality of life (QOL) among emergency service workers. Personality traits can directly or indirectly influence the mental health and QOL of these individuals.