The Effects of Job stress on Suicidal Thoughts among Firefighters: Alcohol Use and Cognitive Emotion Regulation as a Moderator

Abstract

This study aims to examine the effect of occupational stress on suicidal thoughts among firefighters and verify the impact of alcohol use and cognitive-emotional regulation on the relationship between occupational job stress and suicidal thoughts. To achieve this, the authors surveyed and measured occupational job stress, alcohol use, and the Korean culture in relation to suicidal thoughts and cognitive-emotional control. The result showed that the hierarchical regression analysis that examined the effect of alcohol use and cognitive-emotional regulation on the relationship between occupational job stress and suicidal thoughts indicated that alcohol use had a moderating effect on occupational job stress leading to an increase in the frequency of suicidal thoughts. Based on these results, the necessity of follow-up studies along with the academic and clinical implications are discussed.