Relationship between burnout and PTSD symptoms in firefighters: the moderating effects of a sense of calling to firefighting

Abstract

Purpose

Firefighting has been reported to lead to burnout and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, burnout and PTSD symptoms may vary depending on personal characteristics, such as having a sense of calling. This study examined the role of calling in the association between burnout and PTSD symptoms. We hypothesized that burnout would be associated with more severe PTSD symptoms and calling would buffer the relationship between burnout and PTSD symptoms.

Methods

The Korean version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey, Sense of Calling Subscale of the Professionalism Scale, and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised-Korean version were used to measure burnout, calling, and PTSD symptoms. Data from 109 of 127 firefighters from Gyeonggi-do, South Korea were analyzed using hierarchical linear regression.

Results

Burnout was a significant predictor of PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, the interaction term between burnout and calling accounted for a significant variance in PTSD symptoms. Higher burnout was associated with severe PTSD symptoms, but this relationship differed by the level of calling. The increase in PTSD symptoms due to increased burnout in the high calling group was relatively higher than in the low and average calling groups.

Conclusions

Calling, though perceived as a positive variable, can be hazardous to exhausted people. A sense of calling as part of one's job identity should not be encouraged until personal circumstances and characteristics, such burnout symptoms, are evaluated. Identifying context and variables associated with PTSD for interventions with firefighters and persons in other dangerous occupations should aid in their recovery from trauma exposure.

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Relationship between burnout and PTSD symptoms in firefighters: the moderating effects of a sense of calling to firefighting

Abstract

Purpose

Firefighting has been reported to lead to burnout and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, burnout and PTSD symptoms may vary depending on personal characteristics, such as having a sense of calling. This study examined the role of calling in the association between burnout and PTSD symptoms. We hypothesized that burnout would be associated with more severe PTSD symptoms and calling would buffer the relationship between burnout and PTSD symptoms.

Methods

The Korean version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey, Sense of Calling Subscale of the Professionalism Scale, and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised-Korean version were used to measure burnout, calling, and PTSD symptoms. Data from 109 of 127 firefighters from Gyeonggi-do, South Korea were analyzed using hierarchical linear regression.

Results

Burnout was a significant predictor of PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, the interaction term between burnout and calling accounted for a significant variance in PTSD symptoms. Higher burnout was associated with severe PTSD symptoms, but this relationship differed by the level of calling. The increase in PTSD symptoms due to increased burnout in the high calling group was relatively higher than in the low and average calling groups.

Conclusions

Calling, though perceived as a positive variable, can be hazardous to exhausted people. A sense of calling as part of one's job identity should not be encouraged until personal circumstances and characteristics, such burnout symptoms, are evaluated. Identifying context and variables associated with PTSD for interventions with firefighters and persons in other dangerous occupations should aid in their recovery from trauma exposure.

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CHRONIC EXPOSURE OF A FRESHWATER MUSSEL TO ELEVATED pCO2: EFFECTS ON THE CONTROL OF BIOMINERALIZATION AND ION-REGULATORY RESPONSES

Abstract

Freshwater mussels may be exposed to elevations in pCO₂ due to both natural and anthropogenic factors. The goal of the present study was to assess the effects of a 28-d elevation in pCO₂, at 15,000 and 50,000 µatm, on processes associated with biomineralization, ion regulation, and cellular stress in adult Lampsilis siliquoidea (Barnes, 1823). In addition, the capacity for mussels to compensate for acid-base disturbances experienced following exposure to elevated pCO₂ was assessed over a 14-d recovery period. Overall, exposure to 50,000 µatm pCO₂ had more pronounced physiological consequences compared to 15,000 µatm pCO₂. Over the first 7 d of exposure to 50,000 µatm pCO₂, the mRNA abundance of chitin synthase (cs), calmodulin (cam), calmodulin-like protein (calp) were significantly affected, suggesting that shell formation and integrity may be altered during pCO₂ exposure. Following the removal of the pCO₂ treatment, mussels may compensate for the acid-base and ion disturbances experienced during pCO₂ exposure, and transcript levels of some regulators of biomineralization (carbonic anhydrase, ca; cs, cam, calp) as well as ion regulation (na⁺-k⁺-ATPase, nka) were modulated. Effects of elevated pCO₂ on heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) were limited in the present study. Overall, adult L. siliquoidea appeared to regulate factors associated with the control of biomineralization and ion regulation during and/or following the removal of pCO₂ exposure. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

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Biochemical and histopathological changes of subacute cadmium intoxication in male rats

Abstract

Biochemical and histopathological effects of subacute intoxication of rats with cadmium (Cd) were studied in rats. Twenty adult healthy male albino rats were randomly divided into two duplicate groups (five rats in each cage); (1) control group where rats were provided with standard diet and water ad-libitum, (2) Cd group where rats were subjected to freshly prepared Cd chloride solution (CdCl2) 200 mg/l in drinking water daily for 8 weeks, the whole duration of experiment. Blood samples were obtained after 4 weeks, via retro-orbital bleeding for separation of serum. Five rats were killed, each sacrifice by decapitation for collection of kidneys and heart. Disturbed renal and cardiac functions were achieved after 4 weeks as indicated by the increase of most biochemical parameters measured in the serum, renal, and cardiac tissues. Histopathological examination of kidneys and hearts showed pathological alterations in Cd-intoxicated rats after 4 and 8 weeks with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson trichrome stains. It was concluded that subacute exposure of rats to Cd (200 mg/l) in drinking water daily induced glomerular shrinkage, focal renal, and cardiac fibrosis at 4 and 8 weeks.

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Yield-scaled N2O emissions were effectively reduced by biochar amendment of sandy loam soil under maize - wheat rotation in the North China Plain

Publication date: December 2017
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 170
Author(s): Yuhui Niu, Zengming Chen, Christoph Müller, Monhammad M. Zaman, Donggill Kim, Hongyan Yu, Weixin Ding
It is increasingly recognized that the addition of biochar to soil has potential to mitigate climate change and increase soil fertility by enhancing carbon (C) storage. However, the effect of biochar on yield and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from upland fields remains unclear. In this study, a one-year field experiment was conducted in an area of calcareous fluvo-aquic soil to assess and quantify the effect of maize straw biochar in reducing N2O loss during 2014–2015 in the North China Plain. Eight treatments were designed as follows: no nitrogen (N) fertilizer (control, CK); biochar application at rates of 3 (B3), 6 (B6) and 12 (B12) t ha⁻¹; chemical fertilizer (NPK) application at 200 kg N ha⁻¹ (F); and fertilizer plus biochar application at rates of 3 (FB3), 6 (FB6) and 12 (FB12) t ha⁻¹. Crop yield, N2O fluxes, soil mineral N concentrations, and soil auxiliary parameters were measured following the application of treatments during each season. During the maize growing season, N2O emission was 0.57 kg N2O-N ha⁻¹ under CK treatment, and increased to 0.88, 0.93 and 1.10 kg N2O-N ha⁻¹ under B3, B6 and B12, respectively. In contrast, N2O emissions were significantly reduced by 31.4–39.9% (P < 0.05) under FB treatments compared with F, and the N2O emission factor of the applied N was reduced from 1.36% under F to 0.71–0.85% under FB. There was also a significant interaction effect of fertilizer and biochar on N2O emissions (P < 0.01). During the wheat growing season, biochar had no effect on N2O emissions regardless of the fertilizer regime. Biochar application did not affect maize yield; however, a significant increase in wheat yield of 16.6–25.9% (P < 0.05) was observed without N fertilization. Nevertheless, a reduction in wheat yield was measured at a biochar rate of 12 t ha⁻¹ with fertilization. Overall, under maize cropping, N2O emissions per unit yield of grain, biomass, grain N and biomass N (yield-scaled N2O emissions) were significantly reduced by 32.4–39.9% under FB compared with F treatment, regardless of the biochar application rate. Biochar did not affect yield-scaled N2O emissions in wheat. Decreased soil bulk density with biochar is suggested to reduce the denitrification potential and N2O emissions; while increased retention capacity of fertilizer N in biochar-added soil decreased wheat growth and yield. These findings suggest that N fertilization plus biochar application at 3 t ha⁻¹ is a practical strategy for reducing yield-scaled N2O emissions from maize fields in the North China Plain.

Graphical abstract

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Carbon dioxide emissions from lakes and reservoirs of China: A regional estimate based on the calculated pCO2

Publication date: December 2017
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 170
Author(s): Zhidan Wen, Kaishan Song, Yingxin Shang, Chong Fang, Lin Li, Lili Lv, Xianguo Lv, Lijiang Chen
The role of inland water in CO2 exchange with the atmosphere was evaluated on the basis of calculated partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) from sampling of 207 lakes and 84 reservoirs across China in late summer. The results suggested that almost 60% of these water bodies were supersaturated with CO2 with respect to atmosphere, and the collected reservoirs samples exhibited higher mean pCO2 than lakes. The mean pCO2 in fresh water lakes was about 3.5 times of the value in saline lakes. The lakes and reservoirs were divided into five groups (Inner Mongolia -Xinjiang plateau region, Tibetan Plateau region, Northeastern plain and mountainous region, Yunnan- Guizhou Plateau region, and Eastern plain region). The Yunnan- Guizhou Plateau region showed the highest pCO2 compared with other regions, most likely due to the typical karst landforms, karst processes may promote aqueous CO2 concentration, and karstification has a significant effect on the capture of atmospheric CO2. Inner Mongolia-Xinjiang plateau and Tibetan Plateau region reserviors showed negative CO2 flux to atmosphere, other waters in this study all supersaturated with CO2 with respect to the atmosphere. A which We analyzed the relationship between pCO2 and environmental variables, and results showed that some indicators had correlations with pCO2 in individual region such as total phosphorus, dissolved organic matter, and total suspended solids, but the relationship could not be observed with all surveyed waters. This indicated that it might be much more effective in a smaller regional scale than the broadened scale when the environmental factors were used as the predictor of pCO2 in lakes. Therefore, the common algorithm that extrapolates CO2 concentration or emission flux from the study region to a wider scale might not be accurate because of the changes in the environmental and water quality conditions.



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Assessment of long-term and large-scale even-odd license plate controlled plan effects on urban air quality and its implication

Publication date: December 2017
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 170
Author(s): Suping Zhao, Ye Yu, Dahe Qin, Daiying Yin, Jianjun He
To solve traffic congestion and to improve urban air quality, long-lasting and large-scale even-odd license plate controlled plan was implemented by local government during 20 November to 26 December 2016 in urban Lanzhou, a semi-arid valley city of northwest China. The traffic control measures provided an invaluable opportunity to evaluate its effects on urban air quality in less developed cities of northwest China. Based on measured simultaneously air pollutants and meteorological parameters, the abatement of traffic-related pollutants induced by the implemented control measures such as CO, PM2.5 and PM10 (the particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 μm and 10 μm) concentrations were firstly quantified by comparing the air quality data in urban areas with those in rural areas (uncontrolled zones). The concentrations of CO, NO2 from motor vehicles and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were shown to have significant decreases of 15%–23% during traffic control period from those measured before control period with hourly maximum CO, PM2.5, and NO2/SO2 reduction of 43%, 35% and 141.4%, respectively. The influence of the control measures on AQI (air quality index) and ozone was less as compared to its effect on other air pollutants. Therefore, to alleviate serious winter haze pollution in China and to protect human health, the stringent long-term and large-scale even-odd license plate controlled plan should be implemented aperiodically in urban areas, especially for the periods with poor diffusion conditions.



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