Association between burnout and insomnia in U.S. Air Force Pararescue personnel: A cross-sectional study

Studies have examined burnout and its impact on health, to include its influence on sleep. While many studies report a significant relationship between burnout and insomnia in civilian populations, no studies have examined this relationship in a military population. The United States Air Force (USAF) Pararescue personnel are an elite combat force who are specially trained to conduct both first-line combat and full spectrum personnel recovery and may be at high risk of burnout and insomnia. The current study investigated the association between dimensions of burnout and insomnia, and also examined potential moderators of the associations. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 203 Pararescue personnel (Mean Age = 32.1 years; 100% Male; 90.1% Caucasian) recruited from six US bases. The survey included measures of three dimensions of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal achievement), insomnia, psychological flexibility, and social support. Emotional exhaustion was significantly associated with insomnia with a moderate to large effect size, when controlling for covariates. Depersonalization, but not personal achievement, was also significantly associated with insomnia. There was no evidence that associations between burnout and insomnia were moderated by psychological flexibility or social support. These findings help to identify individuals at risk of insomnia and may ultimately be useful in developing interventions for insomnia in this population.