Traumatic exposure and posttraumatic symptoms for train drivers involved in railway incidents

Abstract

Aims. International research highlights the occupational risk of train drivers
of being exposed to work related traumatic incidents and subsequently developing
posttraumatic symptoms or other comorbid dysfunctions.
Participants and methods. The article focuses on investigating the effects of
repeated traumatic exposure on posttraumatic reactions in a sample of 193 Romanian
train drivers. We used the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) to retrospectively
evaluate symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), The General Health
Questionnaire to investigate related mental health symptoms, and a demographic
questionnaire to assess contextual factors like frequency or severity of exposure.
Results. Sample reports of exposure to PUT (“person under train”) incidents
were high. An interesting finding was that train drivers exposed to just one or two
PUT incidents reported significantly more posttraumatic symptoms than train drivers
with more PUT experiences, accounting for a habituation effect of repeated traumatic
exposure.
Conclusions. Reported posttraumatic reactions to PUT incidents and influencing
factors provide evidence recommending systematic screening of train drivers for
posttraumatic symptoms, general emotional distress and further elaborating prevention
and treatment strategies for specific risk categories of these professionals.