Mortality Salience Enhances Safety Attitudes Without Reducing Risk-Taking in Junior Firefighters

Objective To evaluate the association between MS, work experience, and risky decision making, including its psychological and behavioral effects, on field-firefighters. Methods cross-sectional study was conducted using a sample of field firefighters (n = 300). Half of the participants (n = 150) were randomly assigned to the MS priming condition and the other half to the negative affect priming condition. Before priming, the participants completed questionnaires to assess their demographic information, including age, gender, educational level, and job-related information. After priming, they performed a neuroeconomic lottery choice task to assess risk-taking behavior, and a safety work attitude survey. Variables such as work stress, burnout, work-family conflict, work engagement, and death anxiety were also evaluated. Results Risky behaviors correlated with shorter reaction times (RTs) in the neuroeconomic lottery choice task. We observed a moderating effect of MS on the relationship between RT speed and risky decision making dependent on working experience among senior firefighters, who showed increased RTs when making low-risk decisions under MS priming. MS did not reduce risk-taking among junior firefighters, but did increase their safety attitudes. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the effects of MS on risk-taking behaviors and safety attitudes in firefighters. It is important to devote more training to senior field-firefighters on the importance of PPE utilization, while aiming for more resources towards the development of a system that minimizes goal conflicts (e.g., self-protection vs. mission objective) and rewards safer choices for junior field-firefighters.