Temperamental correlates of trauma symptoms in firemen, policemen and soldiers

Objectives: The main goal of the research was to assess temperamental determinants of trauma symptoms in firemen, policemen and soldiers. The temperament traits which were considered were those postulated by the Regulative Theory of Temperament (briskness, perseveration, sensory sensitivity, emotional reactivity, endurance and activity). Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was run on non-clinical samples. The participants were 417 men, White-Caucasian only: 284 firemen (aged 21–55), 58 policemen (aged 22–45), and 75 soldiers (aged 21–42). Temperament was assessed using the Formal Characteristics of Behavior – Temperament Inventory. Intensity of trauma symptoms was assessed with the PTSD-Factorial Version Inventory, a quantitative measure of trauma-related symptoms. The respondents were examined in their place of work. The study included only men reporting at least 1 traumatic event during the year before the trauma diagnosis. Results: Emotional reactivity had a significant positive effect on the intensity of trauma symptoms only in the group of firemen. Emotional reactivity accounted for 16% of the variance of trauma intensity symptoms in this occupational group. Negative significant effect on trauma symptoms was found for briskness only in the soldiers group (briskness explained 20% trauma intensity variance in this group). Conclusions: Emotional reactivity was conducive to the increased trauma symptoms intensity in firemen, whereas briskness tended to reduce symptoms intensity only in the group of soldiers

Triathlon & Endurance Sports

During the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic, sitting time and physical inactivity may increase worldwide across populations. Moreover, mental disorders (such as anxiety and depression), perceived stress and negative coping strategies will increase due to uncertainty (e.g., financial uncertainty, job uncertainty), actual experience of negative life events or loss of social relations (isolation from friends and families). Physical inactivity and poor mental health constitute major disease burdens in health systems.The World Health Organization (WHO) attributes 3.2 million deaths each year to physical inactivity and sedentarism. Physical activity and regular exercise can protect mind and body against ill health. Therefore, during pandemic lockdowns, people should stay physically active and engage in regular exercise as far as possible to avoid risk of physical and mental ill health and protect well-being in the long run.In this manuscript, we briefly review the health benefits of regular aerobic exercise with special focus on mental health and well-being. Moreover, based on scientific recommendations and empirical evidence, we provide exercise interventions to support the maintenance of low- to moderate-intensity aerobic exercise across age groups during the corona pandemic.The supervised exercise interventions were evaluated by health professionals on exercise-related and psychological dimensions (e.g., cardiorespiratory fitness, motor skill-related fitness, age, exercise motivation, and exercise adherence) and are available in German and English. Key Words: Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Lockdown, Online Exercise Training, Exercise Adherence, Expert Rating