Sleep Disturbance Among Firefighters: Understanding Associations with Alcohol Use and Distress Tolerance

Sleep disturbance is related to a variety of health issues and represents a prominent occupational concern among firefighters. Two potential predictors relevant to disturbed sleep are alcohol use and distress tolerance, which refers to the perceived ability to withstand negative emotional states. Main and interactive effects of alcohol use and distress tolerance on sleep disturbance were examined, after controlling for the covariates of service years and occupational stress. Participants included 652 firefighters (93.7% male; 77.9% white; Mage = 38.4 years), of whom 23.5% screened positive for hazardous alcohol use and 48.6% for disturbed sleep. Results indicated that higher alcohol misuse and lower distress tolerance were each significantly associated with greater sleep disturbance. Distress tolerance moderated the association between alcohol misuse and sleep disturbance, and the total model accounted for 28% of variance. Results indicate that firefighters with higher levels of hazardous alcohol use and lower levels of distress tolerance may exhibit higher levels of sleep disturbance.