Psychological Distress
Conditions
Brief summary
The more than one million firefighters in the United States provide critical emergency medical services in communities they serve and are on the front lines of healthcare delivery, including in the post-pandemic world. As a result of exposure to occupational stressors, a high proportion of firefighters experience considerable stress-related burden including psychological distress (i.e., increased features of anxiety and depression). To address this need, this project will test the efficacy of a 10-day meditation intervention (i.e., 10 individual prerecorded audio units delivered by smartphone app) among career firefighters to decrease psychological distress (i.e., anxiety and depression).
Detailed description
The goal of this study is to test the efficacy of a 10-day meditation intervention (i.e., 10 individual prerecorded audio units delivered by smartphone app) versus an active attention control (i.e., 10-day health education intervention with 10 individual prerecorded audio units delivered by smartphone app) to reduce psychological distress among N=160 career firefighters (to address possible attrition, N=192 firefighters will be consented and enrolled). The following specific aims will guide the research: Aim 1. Examine whether firefighters' psychological distress (i.e., features of anxiety \[primary outcome\], depression) is reduced at 10 days, 30 days, and 3 months after the meditation intervention versus an active attention control. Features of anxiety, features of depression will be assessed at baseline (T1), after the 10-day intervention (T2), 30 days later (T3), and 3 months later (T4). Aim 2: Explore the extent to which reductions in psychological distress from the meditation intervention are mediated by mindfulness and perceived social connection.
Interventions
BEHAVIORAL10-day meditation intervention
prerecorded meditation units delivered by smartphone app
BEHAVIORAL10-day health education intervention
prerecorded health education units delivered by smartphone app
Sponsors
University of Arizona
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Randomized controlled trial
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1) currently employed as a career firefighter, 2) 18 or older, 3) speak and understand English, and 4) own a smartphone (iPhone or Android) able to download and run the intervention apps. Exclusionary factors: 1) diagnosis of an illness requiring use of corticosteroids (e.g., asthma), and 2) have ongoing or past regular meditation experience in the last 4 years (i.e. more than two meditation session \[completed or attempted\] per year either with a group or individually), as determined by the PI.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| anxiety features | before, immediately after, 30 days after, and 3 months after the 10-day interventions | PROMIS (Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) Short Form Emotional Distress - Anxiety - 8a |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| depression features | before, immediately after, 30 days after, and 3 months after the 10-day interventions | PROMIS Short Form Emotional Distress - Depression - 8a |
Countries
United States
Contacts
Primary ContactThaddeus Pace, PhD
Outcome results
None listed