Patterns of Primary Care Use and Clinical Assessment Practices Among Treatment-seeking First Responders.

OBJECTIVE

To identify the predictors of suicide for law enforcement officers (LEOs), firefighters (FFs), and emergency medical technicians (EMTs).

METHODS

We used primary care assessments of posttraumatic stress disorder (Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5), generalized anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-2), substance use (CAGE Adapted to Include Drugs), resilience (Response to Stressful Experiences Scale-4), and suicidality (Patient Health Questionnaire-Suicidal Ideation). We conducted separate logistic regressions predicting suicide for LEOs and FFs/EMTs.

RESULTS

Among LEOs, 8% screened positive for suicide, whereas 24% of FFs/EMTs screened positive, respectively. There were no significant predictors of suicide for LEOs. However, for FFs/EMTs, depression was associated with an increase in suicidality, whereas previous mental health treatment was a buffer against it.

LIMITATIONS: These data are cross-sectional and require analysis throughout the course of treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated the utility of using primary care abbreviated assessments for first responders.