Levels of work-related stress and mental health problems among emergency ambulance workers in Edirne – Turkey

Aim: This study is aimed to examine the levels of work-related stress and prevalence of anxiety and depression in a sample of emergency ambulance personnel in
Edirne – Turkey.
Methods: Data were gathered from 71 ambulance workers in Edirne – Turkey in a cross-sectional design. The respondents completed demographic questionnaire and standardized questionnaires to assess mental health, such as the Work-Related Stress Scale (WRSS), the Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale (HADS). Work-related stressors were assessed with specific questions.
Results: Forty-eight (67.6%) of the emergency ambulance workers assessed their health good and very good and 23 (32.4%) of them assessed intermediate and bad, in the last year.
Emergency ambulance workers listed the work-related stressors as; working system (63.1%), difficult patients (35.2%), lack of professional communication with patients (47.9%), infection contamination risk (47.9%), limited sources and tools (42.3%), working with limited and inadequate personnel (38%), critical decisions about emergency patients (21.1%), fear of doing mistakes while running their job (26.8%).
The mean score of Work-related Stress Scale of respondents was 33.9± 6.4 (22.0 – 51.0). Nearly one in five (19.7%) of the emergency ambulance workers reported probable clinical levels of anxiety and 29.6% reported probable clinical levels of depression based on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale Scores.
It is determined that the personnel who feel stress because of having fear of doing mistakes while running their jobs have the highest WRSS scores and the personnel who feel stress because of infection contamination risk, have the highest rate to have probable clinical levels of depression.
Conclusion: Ambulance personnel are at risk to develop mental health symptoms due to work related stressors. A key imperative for any emergency service is to develop strategies for both the prevention and treatment of the significant levels of mental health problems associated with emergency work.