Other Titles
Rising Star Poster/Presentation - Rapid Presentation Round
Abstract
Problem Statement: Firefighters experience high levels of stress related to their occupation that negatively impacts their physical and mental health and can lead to loss of occupation, decreased work productivity, and suicide. Occupational stress in firefighters impacts firefighters as individuals, as well as their places of work and communities; therefore, this phenomenon should be investigated further. Mindfulness is a strategy which is shown to be effective in the reduction of occupational-related stress. Mindfulness-based strategies can be delivered through a variety of methods including mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, virtual mindfulness interventions, and other structured programs. Increased mindfulness has been shown to be effective in improving stress through increased emotional regulation, improvement of sleep, development of coping strategies, and enhancement in psychological resilience.
Purpose: The aim of this Doctor of Nursing (DNP) project was to explore the effects of an evidence-based mindfulness intervention for professional firefighters utilizing a pre-test and post-test experimental design with the goal of reduction in perceived stress levels.
Methods & Analysis: Professional firefighters were recruited from a fire department in a suburban area in South Central, Pennsylvania. Participants engaged in an online mindfulness-based intervention once weekly for a total of six weeks. Perceived stress levels were measured utilizing the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) pre- and post-intervention and analyzed using descriptive statistics. An analysis of the findings is pending and will be accessible and discussed during the presentation. A two-sample t test will be utilized to determine the difference between the mean results of the pre-intervention survey and the post-intervention survey. If the intervention is successful, results will indicate that the intervention helped to improve perceived stress scores in firefighters.
Implications: Results of this project are pending, however, if successful, the project will support the use of mindfulness interventions to decrease stress in firefighters. Additional evidence to support the use of mindfulness in firefighters is warranted. The education provided through this project may positively impact participants and motivate them to improve their perceived stress through the use of mindfulness interventions. The education provided in this project holds the potential to reduce stigma related to mental health within the fire service by raising awareness about the harmful impacts of stress on firefighters and encourages their participation in mental wellness initiatives.
Notes
Presenter notes available in slide deck.
References:MacDermid, J.C., Lomotan, M., & Hu, M.A. (2021). Canadian career firefighters’ mental health impacts and priorities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(23), 12666. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312666
Counson, I., Hosemans, D., Lal., T.J., Mott, B., Harvey, S.B., & Sadhbh, J. (2019). Mental health and mindfulness amongst Australian fire fighters. BMC Psychology, 7(34), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-019-0311-2
Pace, T.W., Zeiders, K.H., Cook, S.H., Sarsar, E.D., Hoyt, L.T., Mirin, N.L., Wood, E.P., Tater, R., & Davidson, R.J. (2022). Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an app-based meditation intervention to decrease firefighter psychological distress and burnout: A one group pilot study. JMIR Formative Research, 6(6), e34951. https://doi.org/10.2196/34951
Ma, Y., Zeng, X., She, Z., Siu, A.F., Zeng, X., & Liu, X. (2018). Effectiveness of online mindfulness-based interventions on psychological distress and the mediating role of emotion regulation. Frontiers Psychology, 2018(9), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02090
Lee, J.H., Lee, J., & Lee, K.S. (2020. Moderated mediation effect of mindfulness on the relationship between muscular skeletal disease, job stress, and turnover among Korean firefighters. Safety and Health at Work, 2020(11), 222-227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2020.03.006
Kaplan, J.B., Bergman, A.L., Christopher, M., Bowen, S., & Hunsinger, M. (2017). Role of resilience in mindfulness training for first responders. Mindfulness, 2017(8), 1373-1380. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0713-2
Joyce, S., Shand, F., Bryant, R.A., Lal, T.J., & Harvey, S.B. (2018). Mindfulness-based resilience training in the workplace: Pilot study of the internet-based resilience@work (RAW) mindfulness program. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 20(9), e01326. https://doi.org/10.2196/10326
Gulliver, S.B., Pennington, M.L., Torres, V.A., Steffen, L.E., Mardikar, A., Leto, F., Ostiguy, W., Zimering, R.T., & Kimbrel, N.A. (2018). Behavioral health programs in fire service: Surveying access and preferences. Psychological Services, 16(2), 340-345. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ser0000222
Garmaise-Yee, J.S. & LeBlanc, R.G. (2021). Reducing stress and increasing mindfulness in nursing students: An online mindfulness intervention study. Nursing Education Perspectives, 43(6), 375-377. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000887
Denkova, E., Zanesco, A.P., Rogers, S.L, & Jha, A.P. (2020). Is resilience trainable? An initial study comparing mindfulness and relaxation training in firefighters. Psychiatry Research, 285(2020), 112794. https://doi.org/10.106/j.psychres.2020.112794
Sigma Membership
Xi Chi
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Occupational Stress, Firefighters -- Psychosocial Factors, Mindfulness
Recommended Citation
Mowry, Rachel L., "Implementation of a Mindfulness Intervention Among Professional Firefighters and the Effect on Perceived Stress Levels" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 29.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2024/presentations_2024/29
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2024
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-02-16
Implementation of a Mindfulness Intervention Among Professional Firefighters and the Effect on Perceived Stress Levels
Washington, DC, USA
Problem Statement: Firefighters experience high levels of stress related to their occupation that negatively impacts their physical and mental health and can lead to loss of occupation, decreased work productivity, and suicide. Occupational stress in firefighters impacts firefighters as individuals, as well as their places of work and communities; therefore, this phenomenon should be investigated further. Mindfulness is a strategy which is shown to be effective in the reduction of occupational-related stress. Mindfulness-based strategies can be delivered through a variety of methods including mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, virtual mindfulness interventions, and other structured programs. Increased mindfulness has been shown to be effective in improving stress through increased emotional regulation, improvement of sleep, development of coping strategies, and enhancement in psychological resilience.
Purpose: The aim of this Doctor of Nursing (DNP) project was to explore the effects of an evidence-based mindfulness intervention for professional firefighters utilizing a pre-test and post-test experimental design with the goal of reduction in perceived stress levels.
Methods & Analysis: Professional firefighters were recruited from a fire department in a suburban area in South Central, Pennsylvania. Participants engaged in an online mindfulness-based intervention once weekly for a total of six weeks. Perceived stress levels were measured utilizing the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) pre- and post-intervention and analyzed using descriptive statistics. An analysis of the findings is pending and will be accessible and discussed during the presentation. A two-sample t test will be utilized to determine the difference between the mean results of the pre-intervention survey and the post-intervention survey. If the intervention is successful, results will indicate that the intervention helped to improve perceived stress scores in firefighters.
Implications: Results of this project are pending, however, if successful, the project will support the use of mindfulness interventions to decrease stress in firefighters. Additional evidence to support the use of mindfulness in firefighters is warranted. The education provided through this project may positively impact participants and motivate them to improve their perceived stress through the use of mindfulness interventions. The education provided in this project holds the potential to reduce stigma related to mental health within the fire service by raising awareness about the harmful impacts of stress on firefighters and encourages their participation in mental wellness initiatives.
Description
Firefighters experience high levels of stress related to their occupation that negatively impacts their physical and mental health. The aim of this project was to evaluate the impact of an evidence-based online mindfulness intervention on the perceived stress levels of firefighters.