  We address the modulation instability of the Hirota equation in the presence
of stochastic spatial incoherence and linear time-dependent
amplification/attenuation processes via the Wigner function approach. We show
that the modulation instability remains baseband type, though the damping
mechanisms substantially reduce the unstable spectrum independent of the
higher-order contributions (e.g. the higher-order nonlinear interaction and the
third-order dispersion). Additionally, we find out that the unstable structure
due to the Kerr interaction exhibits a significant resilience to the
third-order-dispersion stabilizing effects in comparison with the higher-order
nonlinearity, as well as a moderate Lorentzian spectrum damping may assist the
rising of instability. Finally, we also discuss the relevance of our results in
the context of current experiments exploring extreme wave events driven by the
modulation instability (e.g. the generation of the so-called rogue waves).
