Toward an understanding of suicidal ideation among career firefighters

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to examine the sociodemographic, sociocultural, psychological, and occupational correlates of suicidal ideation among professional firefighters. Research Questions The research questions for this study were as follows: Research Question 1: What is the influence of perceived social support on the relationship between occupational stress and suicidal ideation among professional firefighters Research question 2: What is the relationship between perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and suicidal ideation among professional firefighters Research question 3:What are the relationships between and among thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, occupational stress, perceived social support and suicidal ideation among professional firefighters. Manuscripts Manuscript One Suicide continues to be a major public health concern in the United States, and has become a significant concern among firefighters. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a public health approach to prevent suicide and suicidal behavior that focuses on identifying patterns of suicide and suicidal behavior of a group or population (WHO, 2019). A public health approach essentially comprises surveillance, the identification of risk and/or protective factors, prevention/intervention, and evaluation. The first manuscript of this dissertation focuses on both the identification of risk/protective factors and the prevention/intervention aspects of a public health approach to preventing suicidal ideation among firefighters. Despite an increased focus on understanding suicide in the fire service, there