The more than one million firefighters in the United States provide critical emergency medical services in communities they serve and are on the front lines of healthcare delivery, including in the post-pandemic world. As a result of exposure to occupational stressors, a high proportion of firefighters experience considerable stress-related burden including psychological distress (i.e., increased features of anxiety and depression). To address this need, this project will test the efficacy of a 10-day meditation intervention (i.e., 10 individual prerecorded audio units delivered by smartphone app) among career firefighters to decrease psychological distress (i.e., anxiety and depression).

The goal of this study is to test the efficacy of a 10-day meditation intervention (i.e., 10 individual prerecorded audio units delivered by smartphone app) versus an active attention control (i.e., 10-day health education intervention with 10 individual prerecorded audio units delivered by smartphone app) to reduce psychological distress among N=160 career firefighters (to address possible attrition, N=192 firefighters will be consented and enrolled). The following specific aims will guide the research:

Aim 1. Examine whether firefighters' psychological distress (i.e., features of anxiety [primary outcome], depression) is reduced at 10 days, 30 days, and 3 months after the meditation intervention versus an active attention control. Features of anxiety, features of depression will be assessed at baseline (T1), after the 10-day intervention (T2), 30 days later (T3), and 3 months later (T4).

Aim 2: Explore the extent to which reductions in psychological distress from the meditation intervention are mediated by mindfulness and perceived social connection.

Inclusion criteria: 1) currently employed as a career firefighter, 2) 18 or older, 3) speak and understand English, and 4) own a smartphone (iPhone or Android) able to download and run the intervention apps.

Exclusionary factors: 1) diagnosis of an illness requiring use of corticosteroids (e.g., asthma), and 2) have ongoing or past regular meditation experience in the last 4 years (i.e. more than two meditation session [completed or attempted] per year either with a group or individually), as determined by the PI.