The Association between Fear of COVID-19,Obsession with COVID-19,and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Korean Emergency Rescue Firefighters:A Cross-Sectional Study

During the rapid spread of COVID-19,first responders are at risk of being exposed to COVID-19 due to their role in providing first aid and responding to an unspecified number of people.This uncertainty can have adverse mental health effects,such as increased anxiety and fear.This study aimed to investigate the degree of association between fear of COVID-19,obsession with COVID-19,and post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)in emergency rescue firefighters.The participants were 150 emergency rescue firefighters working in Region S,Korea.They filled out self-report questionnaires:The data obtained through the Fear of COVID-19 Scale,Obsession with COVID-19 Scale,and Impact of Event Scale-Revised Korean version were subjected to nonparametric statistical analysis using SPSS WIN 25.0.The study found a significant correlation between emergency rescue firefighters’fear of COVID-19,obsession with COVID-19,and PTSD.Fear and obsession with COVID-19 were higher among first responder firefighters who were directly involved in COVID-19-related tasks.Furthermore,a one-point increase in obsession was associated with a 2.837-point increase in PTSD.Based on the results,we found that there is a need for effective control of obsessions and fears among first responder firefighters during COVID-19,and we suggest that there is a need for mental health care for first responder firefighters during the pandemic through the development and support of programs to prevent and mitigate obsessions.