TY - JOUR
T1 - Post-traumatic stress disorder and its predictors in emergency medical service personnel
T2 - A cross-sectional study from Karachi, Pakistan
AU - Kerai, Salima Mansoor
AU - Khan, Uzma Rahim
AU - Islam, Muhammad
AU - Asad, Nargis
AU - Razzak, Junaid
AU - Pasha, Omrana
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Author(s).
PY - 2017/8/29
Y1 - 2017/8/29
N2 - Background: Emergency medical service (EMS) personnel who work to provide emergency medical care at the scene and during transportation are exposed to various kinds of stressors and are particularly susceptible to developing stress-reactions. This study assesses symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and its predictors among the personnel of a selected EMS in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: Data were gathered from 518 personnel working in an EMS setting from February to May 2014. Participants were screened for post-traumatic stress symptoms using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Demographic and work-related characteristics, coping styles and the social support systems of the participants were assessed. Linear regression was used on the IES-R to identify predictors of post-traumatic stress symptoms. Results: The mean score of the IES-R was 23.9 ± 12.1. EMS personnel with a dysfunctional coping style (β = 0.67 CI 0.39 - 0.95), anxiety, and depression (β = 0.64 CI 0.52 - 0.75) were more likely to have increased severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms. Age was found to have an inverse relationship with stress symptoms (β = 0.17 CI 0.33 - -0.023), indicating the susceptibility of younger EMS personnel to stress. Conclusion: The EMS personnel in this setting were found to have a moderate level of post-traumatic stress symptoms. The significant predictors of post-traumatic stress symptoms in this EMS population were age, coping style, and levels of anxiety and depression. These predicting factors can be a potential avenue for interventions to improve the mental health of these frontline workers.
AB - Background: Emergency medical service (EMS) personnel who work to provide emergency medical care at the scene and during transportation are exposed to various kinds of stressors and are particularly susceptible to developing stress-reactions. This study assesses symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and its predictors among the personnel of a selected EMS in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: Data were gathered from 518 personnel working in an EMS setting from February to May 2014. Participants were screened for post-traumatic stress symptoms using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Demographic and work-related characteristics, coping styles and the social support systems of the participants were assessed. Linear regression was used on the IES-R to identify predictors of post-traumatic stress symptoms. Results: The mean score of the IES-R was 23.9 ± 12.1. EMS personnel with a dysfunctional coping style (β = 0.67 CI 0.39 - 0.95), anxiety, and depression (β = 0.64 CI 0.52 - 0.75) were more likely to have increased severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms. Age was found to have an inverse relationship with stress symptoms (β = 0.17 CI 0.33 - -0.023), indicating the susceptibility of younger EMS personnel to stress. Conclusion: The EMS personnel in this setting were found to have a moderate level of post-traumatic stress symptoms. The significant predictors of post-traumatic stress symptoms in this EMS population were age, coping style, and levels of anxiety and depression. These predicting factors can be a potential avenue for interventions to improve the mental health of these frontline workers.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85028464246&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85028464246&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12873-017-0140-7
DO - 10.1186/s12873-017-0140-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 28851280
AN - SCOPUS:85028464246
SN - 1471-227X
VL - 17
JO - BMC Emergency Medicine
JF - BMC Emergency Medicine
IS - 1
M1 - 26
ER -