TITLE: The impact of the traditional male role norms on the post-traumatic stress disorder. A cross-sectional study on Polish male firefighters.
AUTHORS: Tomasz  Jakubowski, Magdalena  Sitko-Dominik

[DESCRIPTION]
The aim of the current study is to assess potential associations between compliance with masculinity norms, social support, sociodemographic and trauma-related data, and PTSD symptomatology; and potential differences in social relations/support and compliance with traditional masculinity norms (social status, toughness and anti-femininity norms) between firefighters who meet the criteria for PTSD and those who do not; and assess potential predictive values of male role norms, sociodemographic and trauma-related data, and social relations/ support for PTSD symptomatology. 

[STEPS]
SECTION: Protocol
1. Tomasz Jakubowski, Magdalena Sitko-Dominik
The impact of the traditional male role norms on the post-traumatic stress disorder. A cross-sectional study on Polish male firefighters.


Design Plan
The project will be realized as an observational cross-sectional study. It will not use any blinding nor any experimental manipulations.

Aims of the study/Hypothesis
The aim of the current study is to assess potential associations between compliance with masculinity norms, social support, sociodemographic and trauma-related data, and PTSD symptomatology; and potential differences in social relations/support and compliance with traditional masculinity norms (social status, toughness and anti-femininity norms) between firefighters who meet the criteria for PTSD and those who do not; and assess potential predictive values of male role norms, sociodemographic and trauma-related data, and social relations/ support for PTSD symptomatology. The following hypotheses were formulated:
-traditional male norms increase the chances of developing PTSD symptoms among firefighters;
-social relations/support decrease the chances of developing PTSD symptoms among firefighters.

Sampling procedures
The Academic Ethics Committee in the University of Silesia in Katowice granted the authors of this paper the permission to conduct the study (number 13/2019) as well as the permission to conduct it outside of the institution in the field sites.
    The participants will be selected by means of the chain referral method and the convenience sampling. During the recruitment of participants, the authors will turn to the commandants of the Municipal Headquarters of the State Fire Service for permission to conduct the research in their respective units. Each potential participant will be thoroughly informed about the aims of the study, its anonymity and confidentiality, and voluntary participation. If a potential participant expresses consent to participate in the study,he/she will be receive theset of three questionnaires and sociodemographic questions in an envelope. On the completion of the questionnaires, the participants will be asked if they know anyone who might also want to participate. The participants will not receive any financial or any kind of gratification for the participation in the study. The minimum sample size is 120 participants, while maximum 200.The registration of the plan has been done following the analysis of the data.

Measures and variables
The study will utilize the following measures:
Sociodemographic data – gender, age, education, relationship status, relationship length, length of service
Traumatogenic events list adapted from Dudek (2008) and frequency of those events
Social relations/ support as measured by the Relations/Social Support Scaleby Skarżyńska (2002)
Post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology as measured by the Impact Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) by Weiss & Marmar (1997), in Polish adaptation by Juczyński & Ogińska-Bulik (2009).
Traditional male role norms as measured by the Male Role Norms Scale by Thompson & Pleck (1986), in Polish translation by Jakubowski.

Statistical analysis
To examine the hypotheses, we will conduct an analysis of the association between intrusions, hyperarousal, avoidance and the IES-R total score, social relations/ support, social status norms, toughness norms, anti-femininity norms, age, relationship length, length of service, number of types of events, frequency of events.
    Then we will examine potential intergroup differences (with either one-way ANOVA or the Mann-Whitney U test) in the level of compliance with traditional male role norms and social relations/support between firefighters with probable PTSD and those without it.
    Next, univariate and multivariate regressions will be conducted to explore potential predictors of the development of PTSD symptomatology. The analyses will include the IES-R total score, intrusions, hyperarousal and avoidance as the dependent variables, and social relations/ support, social status, toughness and anti-femininity norms, age, education, relationship length, length of service, number of types of events, frequency of events as the independent variables.