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Mental Health of Women First Responders: Clinical Considerations

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First Responder Mental Health

Abstract

Although rates of women onboarding into the field of first responder work are increasing, there is little empirical research focusing on this group specifically. The current chapter aims to discuss extant research on the mental health of women first responders, including unique occupational stressors and common mental health symptoms. We highlight important clinical considerations as well as suggestions for future work focusing on women first responders.

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Correspondence to Shelby J. McGrew .

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McGrew, S.J., Slaughter, C., Tran, J.K., Buser, S.J., Vujanovic, A.A. (2023). Mental Health of Women First Responders: Clinical Considerations. In: Bourke, M.L., Van Hasselt, V.B., Buser, S.J. (eds) First Responder Mental Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38149-2_24

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