Symptomatology related to trauma after the expressive writing technique: an exploratory study with Portuguese firefighters

Objective: To assess whether there are differences in symptoms before and after an intervention to promote the emotional expression about critical incidents experienced during the fire-fighters work. Method: This was a longitudinal study with three assessment moments (M1, M2 and M3) being the expressive writing technique used between the 2nd and 3rd assessment. At assessment moments the 44 participants completed a questionnaire, with measures of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), peritraumatic dissociation, health complaints, mental health and socio-demographic variables. Results: All 44 fire-fighters had experienced critical incidents at work. From M1 to M2 there was only a significant increase in health complaints. After the expressive writing, there was a significant decrease of the perception of trauma reported by the fire-fighters, a decrease in reported symptoms of PTSD and dissociation symptoms, and in pseudoneurological complaints. In general, there was a tendency for all the negative symptoms to decrease over time and for an improvement in psychological well-being. Conclusions: This study presents a contribution for the promotion of emotional expression, through the use of the expressive writing technique, in order to minimize the risk of developing psychological disorders associated with critical incidents.