Examining anxiety sensitivity as a mediator of the association between PTSD symptoms and suicide risk among women firefighters

Anxiety sensitivity and suicide risk among firefighters: A test of the depression-distress amplification model

“…The average scores of CES-D depression symptoms in our study were lower than the CES-D scores reported by Hom et al [23] in a separate sample of 880 current and retired firefighters ( M [ SD ] = 10.60 [7.80] vs. M [ SD ] = 13.49 [11.24], t [1709] = −6.145, p < 0.001). The average scores of ASI-3 global AS were also lower in our study than the ASI-3 scores reported by Stanley et al [17] in a separate sample of 254 current women firefighters ( M [ SD ] = 8.10 [10.46] vs. M [ SD ] = 16.92 [13.38], t [1083] = −10.974, p < 0.001), although gender differences in the AS construct may in part account for these differences [47–49]. Finally, the average scores of SBQ-R suicide risk were also lower than those reported by Stanley et al [17] among that same sample ( M [ SD ] = 3.85 [1.79] vs. M [ SD ] = 5.83 [2.90], t [1083] = −13.135, p < 0.001).…”

“…The average scores of ASI-3 global AS were also lower in our study than the ASI-3 scores reported by Stanley et al [17] in a separate sample of 254 current women firefighters ( M [ SD ] = 8.10 [10.46] vs. M [ SD ] = 16.92 [13.38], t [1083] = −10.974, p < 0.001), although gender differences in the AS construct may in part account for these differences [47–49]. Finally, the average scores of SBQ-R suicide risk were also lower than those reported by Stanley et al [17] among that same sample ( M [ SD ] = 3.85 [1.79] vs. M [ SD ] = 5.83 [2.90], t [1083] = −13.135, p < 0.001). In the present sample, a total of 15.9% ( n = 132) and 8.2% ( n = 68) of participants exceeded previously established cutoff scores indicating clinically significant depression symptoms [34,35] and suicide risk [41], respectively.…”

“…While global AS concerns are linked to suicide risk [14], it appears that the association is most robust for AS cognitive concerns [9,15,16]. AS cognitive concerns are characterized by perceptions that anxiety-related sensations have catastrophic psychological outcomes, such as “going crazy.” Recently, Stanley et al [17] found that AS—specifically, AS cognitive concerns—mediated the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD) symptoms (cf. anxiety-related sensations) and suicide risk among a sample of female firefighters; this finding was replicated in a sample of male firefighters [18].…”

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and mindfulness facets in relation to suicide risk among firefighters

“…Relatedly, body vigilance—attending to internal cues—is exaggerated in individuals with anxiety‐related pathology (Schmidt, Lerew, & Trakowski, ), converging with our findings. Moreover, anxiety sensitivity, the fear of anxiety‐related sensations (Taylor et al, ), is implicated in suicide risk (see I. Stanley et al, for review) and has been found to statistically explain the link between PTSD symptoms and suicide risk within samples of firefighters (Boffa et al, ; Stanley et al, ). Thus, there is conceptual coherence to our empirical finding that merely observing internal sensations related to PTSD might potentiate suicide risk.…”

PTSD from a suicide attempt: An empirical investigation among suicide attempt survivors

“…A separate study of U.S. military service members at elevated suicide risk found that elevated PTSD symptoms at baseline were associated with an increased odds of making a SA over the 3-month follow-up period (I. H. Stanley, Rogers, Hanson, Gutierrez, & Joiner, 2019). Moreover, PTSD symptoms are associated with higher levels of suicidal intent (I. H. Stanley, Hom, Spencer-Thomas, & Joiner, 2017), that is, the self-reported probability that one will engage in suicidal behavior in the future (Chu et al, 2015). Interestingly, among a sample of SA survivors, higher levels of baseline suicidal intent distinguished between those who died by suicide and those who did not during the 9.5-year average follow-up period (Stefansson, Nordström, & Jokinen, 2012).…”