Measuring Depression, Anxiety, Stress and Burnout in Paramedics, Dispatchers, and Call Takers of Western Canada

The following dissertation examines depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout in dispatchers and paramedics of Western Canada. This study is meant to bridge a research gap in mental health among emergency health workers in British Columbia, Canada. The samples were collected through two self-reporting surveys, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Maslach Burnout Index (MBI), both of which are strongly validated and widely used in similar research. Of the 948 dispatchers and paramedics who participated, 771 (81.3%) responses qualified to be included. The data was entered into the Intellectus software where a variety of tools were utilized to evaluate the results statistically. This analysis leads to a discussion of the findings, followed by recommendations. As this data was gathered through self-reporting surveys, there is a possibility of skewed results. Therefore, future research designs should consider developing methodologies that lessen possible inaccuracies. Further research may include studying the benefits of developing a mental health curriculum for paramedic schools and using pre-employment filtering systems during interviews, exploring resilience and suitability of potential EMS candidates, and the mental health status of retirees from the field.