Abstract
Emergency workers are frequently exposed to hazardous situations and such life patterns can influence their wellbeing. This study examined the relationships among South Korean emergency workers’ precedents and consequences of positive emotion, engagement, relationship, meaning, and achievement (PERMA), a wellbeing concept, and offered solutions. A total of 597 emergency workers in Daegu, South Korea, participated in a survey. This study measured post-traumatic stress disorder syndrome, burnout, depression, PERMA, quality of life, life satisfaction, and sleep quality to test the relationships. Results demonstrated that post-traumatic stress disorder syndrome and burnout predicted distracting sleep behavior and sleep health. Depression was significantly related to PERMA. The better the emergency workers’ PERMA was, the better their quality of life and life satisfaction were. PERMA significantly predicted sleep behavior, a portion of sleep quality. Depression had an indirect influence on quality of life mediated by PERMA. Post-traumatic stress disorder syndrome, burnout, and PERMA were significant predictors of low sleep health and sleep behavior. The results indicate that South Korean emergency workers struggle with depression and sleep quality. As the data were collected during the coronavirus disease 19 pandemic, individual efforts and relevant programs to improve South Korean emergency workers’ PERMA and sleep quality in a crisis are recommended. Possible solutions to improve the wellbeing of South Korean emergency workers are suggested.
Highlights
As emergency workers are frequently exposed to perilous situations resulting from car accidents, fires, and massive disasters, they tend to suffer from psychological disorder such as post-traumatic stress disorder syndrome (PTSD), burnout, and depression [1]
Results demonstrated that there were no significant differences in PTSD, burnout, depression, PERMA, quality of life, life satisfaction, sleep health, and sleep behavior by position
The results demonstrate that South Korean emergency workers are distracted by sleep quality, which is affected by negative mental disorders such as PTSD and burnout amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
As emergency workers (e.g., paramedics and firefighters) are frequently exposed to perilous situations resulting from car accidents, fires, and massive disasters, they tend to suffer from psychological disorder such as post-traumatic stress disorder syndrome (PTSD), burnout, and depression [1]. The emergency system in South Korea, an Asian country, is in transition. South Korea is still above the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average in the annual number of deaths resulting from disasters [2]. South Korean experts in emergency medical services (EMS) argue that the country needs to improve its emergency medical system, decrease the heavy workload of emergency workers, and address the shortage of personnel [3]. For the last two decades, the South
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