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 Nearly half of U.S. firefighters are likely experiencing burnout and
associated health problems, the study authors report in the Journal
of Sleep Research.
"Burnout can have a negative impact on the individual worker, the
people they provide a service to and their organization, with
consequences including increased absenteeism, job turnover, health
problems and reduced performance," said Alexander Wolkow of the
Monash University Institute for Brain and Mental Health in Notting
Hill, Australia, who led the study.
"Given the critical role firefighters play in assisting the
community in times of emergency, it is important we identify the
factors which contribute towards burnout in order to help promote
the health of this workforce," he told Reuters Health by email.
Wolkow and colleagues surveyed more than 6,300 North American
firefighters at 66 fire departments with a questionnaire designed to
assess burnout. It asked about feelings of emotional exhaustion,
"depersonalization" of the people firefighters help, and about the
individual's own sense of personal accomplishment.
Firefighters were also screened for sleep disorders and reported any
current mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety or
post-traumatic stress disorder. With regard to sleep, participants
were asked about the quantity of sleep they typically need to feel
well rested, and about how much sleep they usually got in the
24-hour period that included working an overnight or 24-hour shift,
after working overnight or for 24 hours, while working day shifts,
and after more than two days off work.
The research team found that 49% of firefighters reported short
sleep, meaning six hours or less, when they worked overnight or
24-hour shifts, and 32% reported short sleep during the period
following an overnight or 24-hour shift. More than a third of
firefighters screened positive for a sleep disorder, particularly
obstructive sleep apnea or insomnia. About half of firefighters also
experienced high burnout.
Those who screened positive for insomnia had triple the risk of
those without sleep problems for emotional exhaustion. Those who
reported a current mental health condition also had triple the risk
of emotional exhaustion. Sleepiness and a sleep deficit were
associated with an increased risk of burnout, exhaustion,
depersonalization and low personal accomplishment, even among those
without a sleep disorder.
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At the same time, the research team found that getting sufficient
sleep during the period a firefighter worked an overnight or 24-hour
shift lowered these risks. Sleep quantity when working these shifts
was the primary driver of the association between burnout and having
a sleep disorder or mental health condition, the researchers
calculated, and was more important than getting more sleep following
an overnight shift or during days off.
"This finding is interesting, as it could suggest that maximizing
sleep opportunities during overnight shifts may be one possible way
to reduce burnout risk among vulnerable personnel," Wolkow said.
These findings could help other workers as well, including those who
must be on call at night or have high-stress jobs, he noted.
"In particular, efforts that are tailored to the unique needs and
work schedules of first responders may be especially helpful," said
Melanie Hom of Florida State University in Tallahassee, who wasn't
involved in the study.
"I think it is also critical to note that burnout is a malleable
factor that can be intervened upon and prevented," she told Reuters
Health by email. This could include non-medication options, such as
cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, Horn added.
"Practicing mindfulness may decrease physiological stress reactivity
and increase resilience to stress," said Kia Gluschkoff of the
University of Helsinki, who also wasn't involved in the study.
Public service occupations such as teaching and firefighting are
often emotionally taxing and stressful, and workers in these jobs
need to relieve the stress in order to prevent it from building up
and turning into burnout, she noted.
"Successful recovery from work demands is crucial for health,"
Gluschkoff said in an email. "Sleep is a fundamental part of
recovery, and getting good quality sleep in sufficient amounts helps
to maintain physical and mental health."
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2YjLI02 Journal of Sleep Research, online May
26, 2019.
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