Publication: “LIKE LITTLE NICKS TO THE SOUL”: FIRST RESPONDERS EXPERIENCES WITH MORAL SUFFERING AND RESILIENCE
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Date
2026-04-16
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Type
Poster
Abstract
First responders are an interdisciplinary group of professionals who are the first to answer calls for help in emergency situations. A widespread problem first responders are facing across disciplines is an increased risk of a myriad of mental health issues and inadequate access to appropriate resources and supports to address such concerns. A potentially significant contributing factor that has been largely unexamined in the scientific literature and remains widely unknown among first responders themselves is moral suffering. Moral suffering refers to a continuum of physical, psychological, and spiritual symptoms that can occur after exposure to a moral stressor. A moral stressor is any event that creates an inner conflict with ones’ moral values. First responders frequently encounter moral stressors on duty due to the nature of their work. The purpose of this qualitative study was to 1) gain a deeper understanding of first responders’ lived experiences with moral suffering and resilience and how they cope with moral stressors encountered in the line of duty and 2) use this knowledge to contribute to addressing the problem through raising awareness with relevant community stakeholders, including first responders themselves, policy makers, and mental health professionals. A small, purposive sample of participants shared their experiences through semi-structured interviews. A detailed analysis using the methodological approach of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) yielded four themes and seven sub-themes that describe participants’ experiences with moral stressors through the types of moral stressors they encountered, how they were affected by their experiences, and how they coped with their experiences. Awareness was raised through the creation of a training presentation on moral suffering and resilience in first responders. The results of this study add to the small, but growing body of research that suggests moral suffering is a significant occupational hazard for first responders.