| In this study a sample of male firefighters (an occupation high in critical incident stress n = 91) were compared with a group of male workers from a range of occupations (assumed to be low in critical incident stress, n = 63). Three dimensions of the World Assumptions Scale were examined: Benevolence of the World (Benevolence of People + Benevolence of the World), Meaningfulness of the World (Justice + Controllability + Randomness), and Worthiness of Self (Self-Worth + Self-Controllability + Luck). Results revealed that firefighters were significantly different from controls in that they had stronger beliefs in a meaningful world than controls. These findings were contrary to the research hypotheses and the majority of research in the area of traumatic incident stress, given that these findings do not point toward negative world assumptions but rather toward positive or normal world assumptions (growth, strength, resilience and coping skills) instead of pathological ones. |
