RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Analyzing the Impact of COVID-19 Trauma on Developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Emergency Medical Workers in Spain
A1 Martínez Caballero, Carmen M.
A1 Cardaba García, Rosa María
A1 Varas Manovel, Rocío
A1 García Sanz, Laura María
A1 Martínez Piedra, Jorge
A1 Fernández Carbajo, Juan J.
A1 Pérez Pérez, Lucía
A1 Madrigal Fernández, Miguel Ángel
A1 Barba Pérez, María Ángeles
A1 Olea Fraile, Elena
A1 Durántez Fernández, Carlos
A1 Herrero Frutos, M. Teresa
K1 Emergency medical services
K1 Servicios médicos
K1 Post-traumatic stress disorder
K1 Estrés postraumático
K1 Mental status
K1 Estados mentales
K1 Sleep disorders
K1 Sueño, Trastornos del
K1 COVID-19 pandemic
K1 COVID-19 (Enfermedad)
AB The early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic presented the characteristics of a traumatic event that could trigger post-traumatic stress disorder. Emergency Medical Services workers are already a high-risk group due to their professional development. The research project aimed to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on EMS professionals in terms of their mental health. For this purpose, we present a descriptive crosssectional study with survey methodology. A total of 317 EMS workers (doctors, nurses, and emergency medical technicians) were recruited voluntarily. Psychological distress, post-traumatic stress disorder, and insomnia were assessed. The instruments were the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS-8), and the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS-8). We found that 36% of respondents had psychological distress, 30.9% potentially had PTSD, and 60.9% experienced insomnia. Years of work experience were found to be positively correlated, albeit with low effect, with the PTSD score (r = 0.133). Finally, it can be stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a traumatic event for EMS workers. The number of professionals presenting psychological distress, possible PTSD, or insomnia increased dramatically during the early phases of the pandemic. This study highlights the need for mental health disorder prevention programmes for EMS workers in the face of a pandemic.
PB MDPI
SN 1660-4601
YR 2021
FD 2021
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/53265
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/53265
LA eng
NO International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021, vol. 18, 9132
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 22-dic-2024