CReD 

Examining the relationship between PTSD Symptomology and Inhibitory Control performance in Emergency Service Personnel

This research study aims to examine the relationship between inhibitory control performance and PTSD symptom severity in a sample of emergency service personnel, specifically paramedics and firefighters. It is hoped that this will contribute to the wider literature examining whether executive functioning difficulties, and inhibitory control difficulties more specifically, reflect a potential cognitive marker of PTSD. Exclusion criteria include neurological conditions/factors known to affect neurological functioning (e.g., ADHD, Epilepsy, neurological conditions associated with brain/head injuries). Interested participants will be provided with a online link to complete the study. Consenting participants will asked to complete the online versions of self-report questionnaires asking about experiences of traumatic events and PTSD symptoms as well as experiences of symptoms of depression. Participants will then proceed to complete an online version of two computerised inhibitory control tasks (the Go/No-Go and Irrelevant Singleton tasks). The study procedure is expected to take approximately one hour to complete and participants will be compensated with a £25 Amazon Voucher.

Do emergency service personnel with higher levels of PTSD symptoms exhibit worse inhibitory control performance on two computerised tasks measuring inhibitory control? Is the relationship between PTSD symptomology and inhibitory control performance affected by depression levels?

Quantitative Survey

2025-07-08

2025-05-01

2025-07-08

https://collegeofparamedics.co.uk/COP/ProfessionalDevelopment/Research_Centre_Content/Survey_Listings/Understanding_PTSD_and_Depression_Study.aspx

University of Leicester

United Kingdom

ew296@leicester.ac.uk

Ellie Webster;