Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7990-4417
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2026
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
BreAnne A Danzi
Abstract
First responders (e.g., law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians) often encounter daily stressors and are frequently exposed to potentially traumatic events. Consequently, first responders are at a heightened risk for adverse mental health outcomes. While research regarding the impact of first responders’ occupation on their well-being is abundant, few studies have investigated the potential impacts the job has on the typical experiences of their families, specifically their children. In the current study, we sought to investigate parental critical incident exposure and family-level and community-level factors that may be associated with the psychological functioning of children with a first responder parent. Participants included 195 first responder parents who reported on their experiences and their children’s functioning via an online survey. Additionally, 32 children completed an online survey about their own psychological functioning. The study found that greater parental critical incident exposure in the line of duty was associated with worse psychological functioning in their children. Parent mental health, such as anxiety, depression, and stress, was associated with higher psychological difficulties in children. Unexpectedly, parents who reported stronger adaptive coping abilities also reported higher levels of child psychopathology; this finding was mirrored in the child-report data too. Parental authoritarianism emerged as another family-level factor associated with children’s psychological functioning. Community-level factors, including community support and workplace support of trauma-informed self-care, were not directly related to children’s psychological functioning. However, these supports were associated with better mental health outcomes among parents. Overall, this study identified risk and resilience factors that may influence the psychological functioning of children with a first responder parent.
Subject Categories
Clinical Psychology | Psychology
Keywords
None Provided
Number of Pages
95
Publisher
University of South Dakota
Recommended Citation
Hermann, Emily, "EXAMINING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING OF FIRST RESPONDERS’ CHILDREN AND THE INFLUENCE OF RISK AND RESILIENCE FACTORS" (2026). Dissertations and Theses. 437.
https://red.library.usd.edu/diss-thesis/437