Abstract
Introduction:Mental stress amongst pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers is an iceberg phenomenon; owing to unique occupational stressors faced by them. This study was aimed to examine the mental health status of pre-hospital EMS workers and its correlation with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Work Environment Scale (WES).Methods:This cross-sectional study incorporated 224 emergency EMS members from urban and road EMS bases in eastern Iran in 2018. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian version (PTSD-C), and Work Environment Scale (WES) were used as research instruments. Data were analyzed via SPSS Statistics software (version 21); while p<0.05 was considered significant.Results:The mean age of participants was 31.91±6.9 years; 36(16.1%) had PTSD ≥50, which increased with age (p-0.01), number of offspring (p-0.022) and time working at the EMS (p-0.002). Mean WES scores were 73.41±12.27; with a significant impact of marital status (p-0.007), the number of offspring (p-0.023), qualification (p-0.019) and less time working at the EMS (p-0.008). Mental distress was recorded in 89(39.7%) individuals. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that members at higher risk of mental distress were; those with associate’s degree (adjusted OR 3.192; 95% CI, 1.456-6.998), individuals with 1 or 2 offspring (adjusted OR 2.03; 95% CI, 0.992-4.156; adjusted OR 3.380; 95% CI, 1.483-7.704, respectively), and those with PTSD equal or higher than 50 (adjusted OR 2.504; 95% CI, 1.063-5.903), with a reverse impact of WES (p>0.05).Conclusion:PTSD adversely affected mental health and clinical performance of the subjects; while work-place environment augmented working spirit as well as psychological resilience. Strategies aiming at stress-dilution and improvements in a professional environment cannot be over-emphasized.
Highlights
Mental stress amongst pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers is an iceberg phenomenon; owing to unique occupational stressors faced by them
Married, with 1 child, more than 2 children, with associate’s degree and bachelors(crude odds ratio (OR) 1.207; 95% CI, 0.525-2.775), with ≥10 years time working at the EMS, and PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) ≥50 as compared to PTSD
Results revealed that 39.7% of the individuals had high levels of mental stress; which were in line with the inferences of Alexander and Klein who examined the effects of accident and emergency activities on mental health and emotional wellbeing among EMS staff in the UK (32%) [33]
Summary
Mental stress amongst pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers is an iceberg phenomenon; owing to unique occupational stressors faced by them. This study was aimed to examine the mental health status of pre-hospital EMS workers and its correlation with PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Work Environment Scale (WES). Individual, professional and social aspects of every human must be monitored to mandate prompt management of psychosomatic challenges [4]. Working dynamics play a pivotal role in manipulating environmental stressors; once un-questioned, they lead to health deterioration, attenuated work performance, and threatened organizational goals [5, 6]. Cole et al reiterated that 93% of nurses faced psychosomatic issues owing to professional distress [7]. Lack of coping skills further aggravates behavioral problems [6, 8]
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