Post-traumatic stress and subthreshold autism spectrum among divers of the Italian Navy employed in search and rescue activities

Introduction Rescue emergency personnel is at high risk to develop PTSD due to possible extreme and repetitive exposition to “cruel details of traumatic events”. Objective This study aimed to explore posttraumatic stress and subthreshold autism symptomatology and their impact on social and working functioning level among sub mariner of Italian Navy, who were employed in the Costa Concordia and Genova tower rescue operation. Methods Eighty-five subjects were enrolled and investigated by the following instruments: Trauma and Loss Spectrum Self-Report (TALS-SR), Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum) and Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS). Results The response rate was about 50%. Ninety-five percent of the subjects were employed in recovering corpses and 80% reported at least one rescue operation in the last three years. Full and partial DSM-5 PTSD rates were 8% and 27.5%, respectively. A strong correlation emerged between several TALS-SR and ADAS domain. Furthermore, TALS-SR domain scores were related to WSAS domain. Conclusion This data showed rescue personnel to be at risk for post-traumatic stress spectrum and related work and social impairment. Further studies are needed to better investigate possible risk and resilience factors associated to PTSD.