Date of Award

Summer 8-22-2026

Document Type

Doctoral Research Paper

Degree Name

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Professional Psychology

First Advisor

Carrie Landin

Second Advisor

Sara Metz

Third Advisor

Shelly Smith-Acuña

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords

Firefighters, Trauma processing, Sleep disruption, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Moral injury, Shift work, Substance use, Sleep health, Occupational mental health, First responders, Psychoeducation

Abstract

This doctoral paper presents a comprehensive review of the literature supporting the need for an integrated training program addressing sleep disruption, trauma exposure and processing, and substance use as a self-medication strategy among firefighter populations. Drawing on empirical research, the paper examines the prevalence and interaction of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), moral injury, sleep disturbances, and substance use within this occupational group. The introduction provides operational definitions of PTSD and moral injury and synthesizes existing research on trauma exposure, sleep impairment, and substance use functions among firefighters. The literature review also highlights evidence-based, exposure informed interventions to facilitate adaptive trauma processing during waking hours, as well as the critical role of sleep in memory consolidation and trauma recovery. Based on these findings, the paper proposes an integrated, evidence-informed in-service training program developed specifically for the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD). The proposed program targets occupational sleep challenges, trauma exposure and processing, substance use functions, and coping skill development and integration to address the aforementioned targets. Although tailored to CSFD, the program is designed with the potential for broader implementation across U.S. fire departments pending evaluation of its efficacy. Limitations, future research directions, and recommendations for systemic and organizational change within CSFD are discussed.

Copyright Date

7-6-2026

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Megan Griffin

Provenance

Received from author

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

56 pgs

File Size

372 KB

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