Association Between Sleep Disturbances and Suicide Risk Among Firefighters: the Moderating Role of Mindfulness
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Association Between Sleep Disturbances and Suicide Risk Among Firefighters: the Moderating Role of Mindfulness Danya M. Serrano 1 & Katrina A. Rufino 1 & Jana K. Tran 2 & Anka A. Vujanovic 3
# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Objectives Firefighters are at increased risk for suicide. The evaluation of correlates of suicide risk among firefighters is necessary to inform evidence-based prevention efforts. Firefighters are chronically exposed to traumatic events and sleep disturbances (e.g., shift work) given the nature of the occupation. Thus, the aims of this study were to examine (a) the association of sleep disturbances with suicide risk among firefighters after controlling for occupational stress, trauma load, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms and (b) whether mindfulness moderates the association of sleep disturbances with suicide risk. Methods Participants were 865 firefighters working for a fire department located in a large city in the southern USA. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted. Results Findings indicated that firefighters who reported greater sleep disturbances reported increased risk of suicide (β = .19, p < .001), after controlling for covariates. Moderation analyses indicated that higher levels of the mindfulness facets of acting with awareness (β = − .15, p < .001) and nonjudging of inner experiences (β = − .23, p < .001) as well as overall mindfulness (β = − .10, p < .01) significantly reduced the magnitude of the association of sleep disturbances with suicide risk. Conversely, the observing facet of mindfulness (β = .17, p < .001) strengthened the association between sleep disturbances and suicide risk. Conclusions Preventive interventions for suicide among firefighters might incorporate evidence-based sleep interventions and mindfulness-based practices with an emphasis on improving skills in acting with awareness and accepting without judgment. Keywords Suicide . Sleep . Mindfulness . Depression . Occupational stress . Firefighters
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among men ages 25–34, the third leading cause of death among men ages 35–44, and the fourth leading cause of death among men ages 35–44 (CDC 2018), precisely the demographic groups strongly associated with the composition of many fire departments (Hom et al. 2017; Stanley et al. 2019). Firefighters are at increased risk of suicide (Stanley et al. 2016). For instance, Stanley et al. (2015) examined the prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among firefighters and found that out of the 1027 US firefighters surveyed, 46.8% indicated having suicidal thoughts, 19.2% had made suicide plans, and 15.5% had attempted suicide during * Anka A. Vujanovic [email protected] 1
University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX, USA
2
Houston Fire Department, Houston, TX, USA
3
Trauma and Stress Studies Center, Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 3695 Cullen Boulevard, 126 Heyne Building, Suite 202, Houston, TX 77204, USA
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