The relationship between personality traits and post-traumatic stress disorder among EMS personnel and hospital emergency staffs

EMS personnel and hospital emergency staffs experience many stressful situations which predispose them to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between personality traits and PTSD among EMS personnel and hospital emergency staffs in Kerman, Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2013. All 180 EMS personnel and 321 hospital emergency staffs affiliated to Afzalipour, Shafa, Bahonar, and Shahid Beheshti hospitals and the National EMS System, Kerman, Iran, were recruited by using the census method. The NEO Five-Factor Inventory and the Mississippi combat-related PTSD scale were used for data collection. The SPSS v. 19 was employed for conducting the Chi-square, the Pearson’s correlation, the independent-samples t, and the one-way analysis of variance tests. EMS personnel’s PTSD was significantly correlated with personality traits of conscientiousness and neuroticism (P value < 0.01). In the hospital emergency staffs group, PTSD was correlated with personality traits of conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness (P value < 0.05). The means of hospital emergency staffs and EMS personnel’s PTSD scores were 97.02±21.51 and 89.30±19.17, respectively. EMS personnel and hospital emergency staffs experience great levels of occupational stress and hence, are at great risk for PTSD. Both EMS personnel and hospital emergency staffs have personality traits which predispose them to PTSD. Consequently, health authorities need to implement in-service stress management programs for them and use personality traits as a condition for employing new EMS personnel and hospital emergency staffs.