The mental health of emergency services personnel in the UK Biobank: a comparison with the working population: La salud mental del personal de servicios de emergencia en el Biobanco del Reino Unido: una comparación con la población trabajadora
The mental health of emergency services personnel in the UK Biobank: a comparison with the working population: La salud mental del personal de servicios de emergencia en el Biobanco del Reino Unido: una comparación con la población trabajadora
Background: There is evidence that mental disorders are more frequently reported among emergency services personnel due to the stressful nature of the job in combination with a high exposure to traumatic events. However, most of this research is based on occupational surveys that may lead to a contextual bias in the prevalence estimates or lack an adequate comparison group.
Objectives: To investigate mental health outcomes and associations with individual, job and trauma related characteristics among emergency services personnel compared to other workers.
Method: Participants were identified from the UK Biobank, a large study that collected a variety of genetic, physical and health data on individuals from across the UK. UK Biobank participants were aged between 40-69 years at recruitment. Those employed in the emergency services were identified based on job titles. A comparison sample of other workers was selected and matched to the gender composition of emergency services personnel.
Results: 5052 participants were included, and 842 were currently working in the emergency services. The majority were male (77.4%) and the mean age at Biobank enrolment was 52.5 years. Alcohol misuse was reported in 32.8% of emergency services personnel compared to 29.2% in non-emergency services personnel, followed by PTSD (9.2% vs 6.0%), depression (6.8% vs 5.1%) and anxiety (3.9% vs 3.6%). An increased risk of PTSD was found among emergency services personnel compared to other workers (odds ratio 1.58, 95% confidence interval 1.21-2.06), but this association was no longer significant after adjustment for exposure to traumatic events and job characteristics.
Conclusions: The substantial levels of alcohol misuse and increased risk of PTSD, possibly as a result of traumatic exposures in the line of duty in combination with job stressors such as shift work, call for continued monitoring of the health and wellbeing of emergency services personnel.
Alcohol misuse, ambulance personnel, common mental disorder, emergency services, fire fighters, police, post-traumatic stress disorder, prevalence
Stevelink, Sharon A.M.
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Pernet, David
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Dregan, Alexandru Dregan
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Davis, Katrina
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Walker-Bone, Karen
ad7d1336-ed2c-4f39-ade5-da84eb412109
Fear, Nicola T.
6fe53df5-e30f-46be-82d1-0ebb5543baa1
Hotopf, Matthew
5a23f5d8-579f-4386-ae4b-07bfebe1b5fa
23 September 2020
Stevelink, Sharon A.M.
304385d7-ab62-4abb-80c2-ca80127c5a06
Pernet, David
00ba120e-a981-4bf0-9c41-be7c31bb0108
Dregan, Alexandru Dregan
6e8823fb-3d3d-40f3-9090-6eb1a4f93e69
Davis, Katrina
85d2380b-7166-4504-a50d-19c90155f78c
Walker-Bone, Karen
ad7d1336-ed2c-4f39-ade5-da84eb412109
Fear, Nicola T.
6fe53df5-e30f-46be-82d1-0ebb5543baa1
Hotopf, Matthew
5a23f5d8-579f-4386-ae4b-07bfebe1b5fa
Stevelink, Sharon A.M., Pernet, David, Dregan, Alexandru Dregan, Davis, Katrina, Walker-Bone, Karen, Fear, Nicola T. and Hotopf, Matthew
(2020)
The mental health of emergency services personnel in the UK Biobank: a comparison with the working population: La salud mental del personal de servicios de emergencia en el Biobanco del Reino Unido: una comparación con la población trabajadora.
European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 11 (1), [1799477].
(doi:10.1080/20008198.2020.1799477).
Abstract
Background: There is evidence that mental disorders are more frequently reported among emergency services personnel due to the stressful nature of the job in combination with a high exposure to traumatic events. However, most of this research is based on occupational surveys that may lead to a contextual bias in the prevalence estimates or lack an adequate comparison group.
Objectives: To investigate mental health outcomes and associations with individual, job and trauma related characteristics among emergency services personnel compared to other workers.
Method: Participants were identified from the UK Biobank, a large study that collected a variety of genetic, physical and health data on individuals from across the UK. UK Biobank participants were aged between 40-69 years at recruitment. Those employed in the emergency services were identified based on job titles. A comparison sample of other workers was selected and matched to the gender composition of emergency services personnel.
Results: 5052 participants were included, and 842 were currently working in the emergency services. The majority were male (77.4%) and the mean age at Biobank enrolment was 52.5 years. Alcohol misuse was reported in 32.8% of emergency services personnel compared to 29.2% in non-emergency services personnel, followed by PTSD (9.2% vs 6.0%), depression (6.8% vs 5.1%) and anxiety (3.9% vs 3.6%). An increased risk of PTSD was found among emergency services personnel compared to other workers (odds ratio 1.58, 95% confidence interval 1.21-2.06), but this association was no longer significant after adjustment for exposure to traumatic events and job characteristics.
Conclusions: The substantial levels of alcohol misuse and increased risk of PTSD, possibly as a result of traumatic exposures in the line of duty in combination with job stressors such as shift work, call for continued monitoring of the health and wellbeing of emergency services personnel.
Text
Emergency Services UK biobank Manuscript EJPT non-anonymous revised 072020
- Accepted Manuscript
Text
The mental health of emergency services personnel in the UK Biobank a comparison with the working population
- Version of Record
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 13 July 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 23 September 2020
Published date: 23 September 2020
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This paper represents independent research part-funded by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King?s College London (SAMS, MH, KD, AD). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Keywords:
Alcohol misuse, ambulance personnel, common mental disorder, emergency services, fire fighters, police, post-traumatic stress disorder, prevalence
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 442508
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/442508
ISSN: 2000-8198
PURE UUID: 3dc6e907-a6b7-4cfe-8b6f-77394fee0cd5
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Date deposited: 17 Jul 2020 16:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 02:50
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Contributors
Author:
Sharon A.M. Stevelink
Author:
David Pernet
Author:
Alexandru Dregan Dregan
Author:
Katrina Davis
Author:
Nicola T. Fear
Author:
Matthew Hotopf
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