Peer Delivered, Emotion Regulation-Focused Mental Health Prevention Training for Fire Fighter Trainees

Peer Delivered, Emotion Regulation-Focused Mental Health Prevention Training for Fire Fighter Trainees

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine if a peer-delivered emotion regulation training (Brief-Unified Protocol) workshop is effective for preventing posttraumatic stress and other psychological health symptoms in firefighter trainees. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Do firefighter recruits who receive peer-delivered Brief-Unified Protocol report lower PTSD symptom severity over time compared to those who receive psychoeducation?
• Do firefighter recruits who receive peer-delivered Brief-Unified Protocol report lower AUD, depression, anxiety, and functional impairment symptom severity over time compared to those who receive psychoeducation?
• Do changes in neuroticism or emotion regulation mediate the effect of receiving the Brief-Unified Protocol on the treatment outcomes?

Participants will:

• Participate in a Brief-Unified Protocol workshop or psychoeducation workshop during fire academy training.
• Complete a questionnaire prior to the workshop.
• Complete a questionnaire immediately following the workshop and follow up questionnaires at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after completing the fire academy.

Researchers will compare firefighters who receive a peer-delivered Brief-Unified Protocol workshop to firefighters who receive peer-delivered psychoeducation to see if the Brief-Unified Protocol is effective for preventing posttraumatic stress and other psychological health symptoms.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 21 years of age or older
• English speaking
• Able to sign an informed consent form
• Able to complete the self-report assessment
• Willing to be contacted to complete post and follow-up assessments

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant
• Have plans to relocate within two months of protocol initiation
• Report psychotic symptoms or suicidal behavior within the past 2 weeks
• Are currently dependent on substances other than tobacco or caffeine