Selected personality traits as predictors of coping flexibility in a group of officers of the State Fire Service

[摘要] Background: The flexibility in coping with stress is a new construct in Europe, which allows for a more insightful understanding of individual coping mechanisms, perceived as a process of continuous search for more effective solutions. An individual who is capable of coping with stress in a flexible way, notices the lack of effectiveness of some methods of coping, seeks new solutions, has a wide repertoire of coping strategies, as well as shows reflexivity to see the lack of effectiveness in coping. The profession of a firefighter is characterized by a high level of stress, so people performing this profession should be aware of the remedial actions undertaken and their actual effectiveness. Material and Methods: Altogether, 163 officers of the State Fire Service were examined. The following questionnaires were used in the study: the Polish adaptation of the Impulsiveness-Venturesomeness-Empathy (IVE) Questionnaire , the Coping Flexibility Questionnaire (Polish name: Kwestionariusz elastyczności w radzeniu sobie ze stresem – KERS-14), and a personal survey. Results: Firefighters with more risky attitudes were found to display greater flexibility in coping, in terms of having a wider repertoire and variability in the applied strategies. In the case of officers with the shortest service period ( 14 years), the level of variation in coping strategies correlated positively with the level of empathy. Conclusions: Risk taking propensity is an important predictor of flexibility in coping. The service period is a moderator (at the level of statistical tendency) of the relationship between empathy and flexibility in coping, especially in the field of variability in the use of coping strategies.

[学科分类] 内科医学

[关键词] personality traits;stress;coping strategies;State Fire Service;firefighters;coping flexibility