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Dissertation
Managing the mental load: a mixed methods study of firefighter mental health, safety climate, and organizational interventions
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
May 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011064
Abstract
Firefighters face significant physical and psychological hazards, which increases their risk of developing adverse mental health outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Despite growing behavioral health awareness, significant gaps remain regarding the mental health landscape of the fire service, the role of organizational safety climate, and strategies employed by fire departments to support the psychological well-being of their members. This dissertation uses data from the Fire Service Organizational Culture of Safety (FOCUS) 3.0 survey, to conduct a descriptive epidemiologic analysis of a large, diverse sample of firefighters, focusing on leadership and mental health metrics. The findings showed that 13% of individuals reported depression symptoms, 10% reported anxiety symptoms, and 9% reported suicidal ideation. Further, mental health outcomes differed by individual demographic characteristics (e.g., officer status, veteran status, and years of experience) and department characteristics (e.g., roster size, annual call volume, FEMA region, and organization type). Of note, mental health symptoms increased with years of experience. Career departments, with high annual call volumes, and serve larger populations had the highest mental health scores. Higher department safety climate scores, measured as management commitment to safety and supervisor support for safety, were associated with lower mental health scores and was moderated the negative impact of burnout. Accompanying these quantitative analyses, qualitative interviews with fire departments were conducted to explore real-world strategies used to support firefighter mental health and well-being. Peer support emerged as a primary strategy, with departments emphasizing the importance of ensuring the availability and accessibility of mental health resources, communication, and breaking stigma surrounding mental health. Departments also highlighted the critical role of company-level officers in peer support efforts. These interviews also outlined organizational strategies for addressing burnout, including the voluntary transfer of members, changes in response districts, and the integration of work-families to foster community within the department. Despite the interventions described, departments continue to experience challenges with recruitment and staffing, a decline in volunteerism, and ill-equipped physical environments to house full time staff or support the development of community. Overall, this dissertation provides a comprehensive understanding of mental health in the fire service, underscoring the importance of organizational safety climate. Additionally, this work provides a foundation for the future development of interventions aimed at improving mental health and reducing burnout among firefighters.
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Details
- Title
- Managing the mental load
- Creators
- Madison Elizabeth Raposa
- Contributors
- Jennifer Taylor (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- xi, 132 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Dana and David Dornsife School of Public Health; Drexel University; Environmental and Occupational Health
- Other Identifier
- 991022058935904721