Mindfulness as a Moderator of the Association Between Anxiety and Alcohol Use Severity and Drinking Motives in Professional Firefighters.

Objective

Firefighters are at risk of experiencing heightened anxiety and alcohol use perhaps due to occupational stress. Mindfulness is related to both anxiety and alcohol use; however, research on the relations of mindfulness with anxiety and alcohol use and drinking motives among firefighters is limited. This study examined (1) whether higher anxiety was positively related to alcohol use severity and drinking related motives (e.g., coping, enhancement, social, and conformity) and (2) whether higher mindfulness would moderate the association between anxiety symptom severity and alcohol use severity and alcohol use coping motives.

Methods

Participants included urban firefighters (N = 679; Mage = 38.6; SD = 8.58; 93.5% male) who completed an online survey. Five hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the main and interactive effects of anxiety symptom severity and mindfulness on all study outcomes (i.e., alcohol use severity and four drinking motives).

Results

Anxiety symptom severity was significantly and negatively associated with mindfulness and, incrementally, positively associated with all alcohol use-related outcome variables. Mindfulness was negatively correlated with alcohol use severity and all alcohol use motives except social motives. Mindfulness moderated the effects of anxiety symptom severity on coping alcohol use motives only.

Conclusion

Mindfulness moderated, or attenuated, the positive association between anxiety symptom severity and coping-oriented alcohol use motives among professional firefighters. Results have the potential to inform treatment development and wellness programming for the fire service.