Mental Health of Canadian Firefighters: The Impact of Sleep

Heidi Cramm, Rachel Richmond, Laleh Jamshidi, Megan Edgelow, Dianne Groll, Rose Ricciardelli, Joy Christine MacDermid, Michael Keiley and R. Nicholas Carleton
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Heidi Cramm: School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Rachel Richmond: School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Laleh Jamshidi: Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
Megan Edgelow: School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Dianne Groll: Department of Psychiatry, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Rose Ricciardelli: Department of Sociology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1C 5S7, Canada
Joy Christine MacDermid: School of Physical Therapy and Surgery, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
Michael Keiley: Kingston Fire & Rescue, Kingston, ON K7P 1N3, Canada
R. Nicholas Carleton: Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 24, 1-14

Abstract: Volunteer and career firefighters are at risk of major depressive disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol use disorder, and other mental health disorders due to the demanding and unpredictable nature of their employment. The mental health risks are exacerbated by the need to work extended hours, night shifts, and/or rotating schedules, or the competing demands of other employment, especially in volunteer firefighters. The mental health disorders and risk factors interact with altered sleeping patterns. In the current study, we examined volunteer and career firefighters regarding the association between mental health and sleep, drawing from a national Canadian mental health survey of 1217 firefighters. Most (69%) of the firefighters reported less than ideal sleep quality and 21% screened positive for clinical insomnia, with no significant difference between volunteer and career subgroups. Firefighters with insomnia had higher odds ratios (OR) and frequencies for PTSD (OR = 4.98), generalized anxiety disorder (OR = 7.15), panic disorder (OR = 6.88), social phobia (OR = 4.98), and major depressive disorder (OR = 7.91), than firefighters without insomnia. The burden of sleep disorders and their association with mental health disorders suggests that sleep should be considered in health monitoring and self-management, environmental design, fire service work-organization policies, and health programming.

Keywords: insomnia; shift worker; mental health; public safety personnel (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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