Occupational stress and psychological capital in firefighters

Abstract

The study aimed to explore the relationship between psychological capital and occupational stress among firefighters in Vietnam. Data were collected from 535 firefighters using two instruments: The Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ), which includes four components: self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience, and the Stress in Fire Service Scale (SFSS). Correlational analysis showed that psychological capital was negatively associated with occupational stress, indicating that firefighters with higher levels of psychological capital tended to report lower levels of work-related stress. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that only two components of psychological capital - self-efficacy and optimism - significantly contributed to the reduction of overall occupational stress, as well as several specific sources of stress (including pressure and job control, working conditions and lifestyle, coworker relationships, and feelings of isolation). In contrast, resilience emerged as a positive predictor of stress related to pressure and job control. These findings suggest that enhancing psychological capital, particularly self-efficacy and optimism, along with improving working conditions, may help reduce occupational stress among firefighters.