O051 Trauma, distress and coping in the first 12-months paramedic employment

Abstract Paramedics provide critical pre-hospital healthcare, and are at risk of poor mental health outcomes due to occupational hazards such as traumatic events and exposure to shift work. An understanding of mental health in the first year as a paramedic may be useful for informing early interventions. We followed 21 intern paramedics (71% female, MAge = 24.2(4.1)) across their first year of employment. Baseline assessment was conducted in the first weeks of employment (pre-shift work), with subsequent quarterly follow-ups. Participants completed the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Standard Shiftwork Index: including General Health Questionnaire and Coping Strategies Inventory. We examined whether PTSD symptoms and/or psychological distress changed during the first year of paramedic employment, accounting for baseline symptoms. We also tested whether coping style may impact these changes. Finally, we examined whether pre-shift work sleep quality predicted changes in PTSD or psychological distress. The first 12 months of paramedic work were associated with significant changes in PTSD symptoms (B = 0.9, [95%CI:0.1-1.5], p=.017) and psychological distress (0.9, [0.2-1.6], p=.019), neither of which were moderated by coping styles. Poorer sleep quality at baseline was associated with a greater increase in PTSD symptoms (1.6 [0.9-2.2], p<.0001) and psychological distress (0.8 [0.2, 1.4], p=.015). Sleep quality at commencement of employment as a paramedic is associated with mental health changes over the first year of work. Observed changes in mental health occur irrespective of coping styles. Supporting sleep before commencing paramedic work may promote an improved transition to shift work, and management of mental health.