Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Firefighters -- Prevalence, Correlates, and Points of Intervention

W21
Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Firefighters -- Prevalence, Correlates, and Points of Intervention
Ian Stanley, Florida State University Melanie Hom, Florida State University

Suicide among firefighters has been a growing area of concern. In 2011, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) convened a workgroup of researchers, clinicians, and fire service stakeholders which issued an alarm for rigorous scientific inquiry into suicide among U.S. firefighters. Through a grant from NFFF, in 2015, the group conducted a large nationwide study (the first of its kind) of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among current and retired firefighters (N=1,027). This session will present findings from the study, including career prevalence rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors; demographic and occupational factors associated with increased suicide risk; rates and correlates of help-seeking among at-risk firefighters; and the role of PTSD in conferring suicide risk. Comparisons will be made to the general population to highlight differential risk factors. Importantly, points of intervention (e.g., social connectedness) will be highlighted.

Presented by:

Ian Stanley, Florida State University
Ian Stanley is a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at Florida State University, working under the mentorship of Dr. Thomas Joiner. Ian serves as a Graduate Research Assistant for the Department of Defense-Funded Military Suicide Research Consortium. His research and clinical work is focused on suicide prevention, with an emphasis on first responder populations. Additionally, he aims to understand how to enhance treatment engagement, adherence, and retention of individuals at elevated risk for suicide. Ian has held research assistantships and fellowships in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center, the Intramural Research Program at the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Center for Innovative Care in Aging at Johns Hopkins University. He has authored numerous scientific publications.

Melanie Hom, Florida State University
Melanie Hom is a Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student and Adelaide Wilson Fellow at Florida State University. She works under the mentorship of Dr. Thomas Joiner. Through her research and clinical work, she aims to enhance suicide prevention efforts and increase connection to care among individuals at elevated risk for suicide. She has authored numerous scientific publications and coordinated several projects focused on suicide prevention among first responders. Melanie has previously worked as a Research Assistant within the Department of Psychology and as Lab Manager in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.