Burnout and Psychological Distress During the Iron Swords War: First Responders at Greater Risk

The October 7, 2023, attack on Israel marked a traumatic escalation in the Israel-Gaza conflict, placing immense psychological pressure on first responders (FRs). This study examined whether the relationship between burnout and psychological distress was moderated by profession (FR vs. non-FR) during the ‘Iron Swords’ war. Data were collected between December 2024 and February 2025, from a convenience sample and snowball sampling of 885 Israeli participants (257 FRs and 628 non- FRs). Participants completed validated measures of burnout and distress, along with socio-demographic information. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that burnout significantly predicted distress across the full sample. No main effect of FR on distress was found. However, a significant interaction emerged: burnout's effect on distress was significantly stronger among FRs than non-FRs. The findings suggest that FRs are more vulnerable to the psychological toll of burnout, particularly in trauma-exposed environments. These results align with the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, highlighting the depletion of emotional resources as a key mechanism driving distress under chronic occupational strain. The study underscores the importance of assessing burnout alongside trauma exposure when evaluating FR mental health. Clinically, results emphasise the need for early identification and tailored interventions targeting burnout among FRs, with an emphasis on resilience-building, psychological flexibility, and organizational support (e.g., peer debriefings, workload management). Future longitudinal research is needed to clarify causality and examine profession-specific effects. Overall, burnout appears to be a key amplifier of wartime distress in FRs, with implications for intervention policy and mental health strategy during crisis contexts.