Date of Conferral

11-20-2025

Date of Award

November 2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Carlos Diaz-Lazaro

Abstract

Notwithstanding knowledge of the high stress levels experienced by firefighters, little is known about their coping strategies as compared with the general population. To address this gap, the differences in humor styles between firefighters and nonfirefighters in the prediction of life satisfaction and burnout were assessed. The study was grounded in the PERMA theory of well-being and the job demands-resources theory. A cross-sectional, correlational survey research design was used to assess if there are differences between firefighters and nonfirefighters in the types of humor (i.e., self-enhancing, affiliative, aggressive, and self-defeating) used and in the prediction of burnout and life satisfaction by humor types. A nonprobabilistic sample of 153 firefighters and 175 nonfirefighters was used for data analyses. A MANOVA yielded that firefighters use all four humor categories more than nonfirefighters, with the largest difference being in aggressive humor. Moderated multiple regression analyses yielded that firefighter status was not moderator of the relationship between humor styles and burnout, but it did moderate the relationship between affiliative humor and life satisfaction. The study’s findings have the potential to inform social change initiatives by providing a better understanding of how firefighters cope with their stressful occupational demands. Furthermore, the results can also help increase awareness within the firefighter community of how to more effectively use humor as a strategy for protecting against potentially traumatic stressors.

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