Workplace violence for EMS first responders and the relationship with mental health
Date
2022-12
Authors
Miller, Alexis
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
It is important to study the relationship of workplace violence to mental health of EMS first responders. It is critical to raise public awareness of this issue. Research has shown that EMS personnel experience a 22 times higher rate of exposure to workplace violence than any other worker, thus prompting the need for recognition and further action (Maguire et al., 2018). Maguire et al. (2018) found that workplace violence is prevalent, but more research is needed to show the possible links of workplace violence to depression, anxiety, and alcohol use. The current study aimed to add to the literature by assessing the relationship between workplace violence against EMS first responders and mental health symptoms. The use of a correlational study was implemented, and 19 EMS first responders recruited on Facebook participated in a Qualtrics self-report survey. The survey measured workplace violence (verbal, physical and sexual harassment) along with scores from self-assessment tools measuring depression symptoms, alcohol use, and anxiety symptoms: the PHQ-9, AUDIT, and the GAD-7. The results showed workplace violence, specifically verbal abuse occurrences in the past 12 months, had a positive and significant correlation with first responder alcohol use (r = .65, p < .01). Verbal abuse occurrences in the past 3 months was positively correlated with first responder alcohol use but was approaching the traditional significance level (p = .067). There were no significant correlations involving physical abuse and sexual harassment with depression, anxiety, and alcohol use. The findings of this study point toward a needed awareness of the occupational hazards of EMS work and the ways they may impact EMS first responders' mental health. There is a need for further research on this topic and interventions to support EMS first responder mental health.
Description
Keywords
EMS, first responder, workplace violence, mental health, Honors College
Citation
Miller, A. (2022). Workplace violence for EMS first responders and the relationship with mental health (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.