Dec 02, 2019 08:00:00

Firefighter men tend to feel more comfortable with their colleagues than their spouses

By

Jay Heike

Firefighters are one of the occupations that are always next to danger, such as death and serious injury. A survey of Baylor University professor Mark T. Morman revealed that for firefighters, who are dominated by men, the comforting place is not next to his wife, but near his colleagues.

Firefighters' job stress and the (un) intended consequences of relational quality with spouses and firefighter friends-Mark T. Morman, Paul Schrodt, Amber Adamson,
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0265407519886355?journalCode=spra&

Firefighters' Workplace 'Brothers' Can Ease Stress of a Dangerous Job, but Protecting Spouses from Knowing the Perils Can Ramp Up Anxiety | Media and Public Relations | Baylor University
https://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=214713

Morman says that firefighters, who are dominated by men, can be mentally burdened by the risk of their work and the desire to keep their wife away from trauma.

The work of firefighters is at risk of fire smoke, chemicals that can harm the human body, injuries, and dangerous rescues. In addition, you may be under intense stress, such as facing the injury and death of your colleagues. Firefighters also tend to have higher PTSD , suicide, alcoholism, depression, sleep disorders, and smoking rates than other occupations.

“Ironically, in many cases, the images that people expect from firefighters, such as“ protective ”,“ stoic ”, and“ strong ”, make it difficult for firefighter men to seek help from others when they are mentally driven. 'Morman says.'

Mr. Morman analyzed the data of 428 male firefighters belonging to a fire department in Texas. Of 77% of married people, the marriage period was one month to 40 years, and the firefighters worked for four years. It was from 41 months to 41 years. Participants had been building friendships with their colleagues for two months to 45 years.

To begin the study, Mr. Morman hypothesized that 'if a firefighter has a good relationship with a colleague or spouse, there is an effective stress buffer.' However, research has shown that working with a good colleague reduces some of the work stress, but not the spouse.

By Pressmaster

General men tend to have stronger immunity, less depression, and longer life expectancy, with stronger support from their spouse, friends, colleagues, and family. And unmarried men are about 2.5 times more likely to die than married men.

However, firefighters live a life far from ordinary men. Living and working together every day in an environment with many generations of men. While spending time in daily life such as cooking, watching TV, sleeping, showering, and cleaning, help, trust, and empathy are nurtured, creating a peaceful environment.

However, there are many firefighters who feel the necessity of hiding or faking their feelings and anxiety against their spouses. Firefighters are expected to be strong and stoic, but keeping that in mind can be a significant mental burden and can reduce work performance.

“There is a tendency for self-disclosure to increase and criticism / competition to decrease in close friendships between men,” Morman says. For many men, relationships with people in similar circumstances seem closer and more comfortable. “We need to investigate whether the spouse and colleague relationship for a female firefighter works like a male firefighter,” Morman says.