Destress 9-1-1 – an Online Mindfulness-Based Intervention in Reducing Stress Among Emergency Medical Dispatchers: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Details

• Personal Author:
  Baseman J ; Beaton R ; Calhoun R ; Lilly M ; Meischke H ; Painter I ; Revere D ; Stangenes S
• Description:
  Objectives: Emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) experience significant stress in the workplace. Yet, interventions aimed at reducing work-related stress are difficult to implement due to the logistic challenges associated with the relatively unique EMD work environment. This investigation tested the efficacy of a 7-week online mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) tailored to the EMD workforce. Methods: Active-duty EMDs from the USA and Canada (n=323) were randomly assigned to an intervention or wait list control condition. Participants completed surveys of stress and mindfulness at baseline, post intervention, and 3 months follow-up. Repeated measures mixed effects models were used to assess changes in stress and mindfulness. Results: Differences between the intervention group and control group in pre-post changes in stress using the Calgary Symptoms of Stress Inventory were statistically significant, with a difference of -10.0 (95% CI: -14.9, -5.2, p<0.001) for change from baseline to post intervention, and a difference of -6.5 (95% CI: -11.9, -1.1, p=0.02) for change from baseline to 3 months follow-up. Change in mindfulness scores did not differ between groups. However, increases in mindfulness scores were correlated with greater reductions in stress for all participants, regardless of group (r = -0.53, p<0.001). Conclusions: Development of tailored online MBIs for employees working in challenging work environments offer a promising direction for prevention and intervention. This study found that a short, weekly online MBI for EMDs resulted in reductions in reports of stress. Implications of online MBIs in other emergency responding populations and directions for future research are discussed. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Decision Making
  • Emergencies
  • Emergency Responders
  • Mental Health
  • Nervous System
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
  • Software
  • Stress, Psychological
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  More +
• Keywords:
  • Humans
  • Telephone operators
  • Communication workers
  • Emergency response
  • Emergency medical services workers
  • EMS
  • Communication systems
  • Emergency management
  • Job stress
  • Decision making
  More +
• ISSN:
  1351-0711
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  76
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056046
• Citation:
  Occup Environ Med 2019 Oct; 76(10):705-711
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr Michelle Lilly, Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
• Email:
  mlilly1@niu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington, Seattle
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20140901
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20180831
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213743/cdc_213743_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 462.53 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1c7856b33c55d14bcf96817893f1ce0fc0498d4a088c7ac758a9d9e5467f1abbdaa8d0dbd917efe8e2290a9ba27d9fb5022c79824cccd479a9918584d431d893