Correlates of suicidality in firefighter/EMS personnel

- Depression was significantly associated with lifetime suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.
- PTSD symptom severity was significantly associated with lifetime suicidal ideation and attempts.
- Rates of suicidal ideation were higher before joining the department than ideation after joining.
- Rates of suicide attempts were higher before joining the department than attempts after joining.

BackgroundFirefighter and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel experience higher rates of lifetime suicidal ideation and attempts than the general population and other protective service professions. Several correlates of suicidality (alcohol use, depression, posttraumatic stress) have been identified in the literature as applicable to firefighter/EMS populations; however, few studies to date have examined the specific correlates of suicidality (lifetime suicidal ideation and/or attempts) in a firefighter/EMS sample.MethodsParticipants (N=3036) from a large, urban fire department completed demographic and self-report measures of alcohol dependence, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity, and lifetime suicidal ideation and attempts. Participants in this sample performed both firefighter and EMS duties, were predominately male (97%), White (61.6%), and 25-34 years old (32.1%).ResultsThrough hierarchical linear regressions, depression (β=.22, p<.05) and PTSD symptom severity (β=.21, p<.05) were significantly associated with lifetime suicidal ideation (R2 =17.5). Depression (β=.15, p<.001), and PTSD symptom severity (β=.07, p<.01) were significantly associated with lifetime suicide attempts (R2=5.1).LimitationsSeveral limitations are addressed in the current study. The survey was a self-report pre-existing dataset and lifetime suicidal ideation and attempts were measured using sum scores. Additionally, the disproportionately large sample of males and large, urban setting, may not generalize to female firefighters and members of rural community fire departments.ConclusionsThe current study highlights the importance of targeting depression and PTSD symptom severity in efforts to reduce suicidality in firefighter/EMS personnel.