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Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to Examine the Effects of Duty Status on Acute Stress and Tiredness in
Jimikaye B Courtney1, Tiffany Lipsey, Barry Braun
1Department of Health and Exercise Science, 1582 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1582 (Dr Nelson, Dr Courtney, Lipsey, Dr Braun, Dr Li); Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, 314 Biobehavioral Health Building, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 (Dr Courtney); Department of Psychology, 1876 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1876 (Dr Henry); Colorado School of Public Health, Colorado State University, 1612 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1612 (Dr Henry, Dr Nelson, Dr Li).
Objective:
Characterize firefighters' acute stress and tiredness by duty status (ie, "off night/day," "on night/day").
Methods:
Thirty nine career firefighters completed three, eight-day smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment periods with seven surveys per day assessing stress and tiredness. Mixed-effects location scale models examined duty status effects on stress and tiredness.
Results:
Firefighters' lowest stress and tiredness levels were when off-duty (β = 16.27 and β = 24.71, respectively) and their highest levels were when on-duty (β = 24.47 and β = 32.18, respectively). Within-subject effects of duty status accounted for a larger proportion of variability in stress and tiredness for all duty types, except for stress when "on-duty night/off-duty day."
Conclusions:
Firefighters had more similar stress and tiredness outcomes when they were on-duty and less similar outcomes when off-duty. This could be due to firefighters having more similar experiences when they are on- versus off-duty.
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