An Exploration of Sources, Symptoms and Buffers of Occupational Stress in 9-1-1 Emergency Call Centers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Basemen J ; Beaton R ; Calhoun B ; Carslay Y ; Lilly M ; Meischke H ; Moe C ; Painter I ; Revere D ; Seeley KD
• Description:
  Introduction: 9-1-1 telecommunicators are uniquely exposed to numerous occupational stressors on an ongoing basis. Yet little is known about the sources of occupational stress and symptoms of stress in these workers and even less is known about variables that can serve as stressors or buffers to stress in the 9-1-1 call center work environment. Objective: We sought to explore the inter-relationships amongst job stressors, potential risk and protective factors, and symptoms of stress in 9-1-1 telecommunicators. Our long-term goal was to use outcomes of this study to guide and conceptualize a stress management intervention that may be targeted and tailored for the 9-1-1 call center work environment and workforce. Methods: An online survey was administered in April 2013 to 9-1-1 telecommunicators in six call centers in a state in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The survey collected information regarding self-reported job effort, job reward, overcommitment, technostress, perceived job control, work-related social support, participation in stress reduction programs, mindfulness, and symptoms of stress. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted on the sample responses to explore and document independent and joint relationships between stressors, buffers to stress, and symptoms of stress. Results: Overcommitment was positively associated with higher stress scores while mindfulness-the ability to pay attention to, recognize, and process one's experiences and emotions without judgment and in the moment-was negatively associated with higher symptoms of stress scores after all covariates were considered. Conclusion: This is one of the first studies to explore the inter-relationships among job stressors, potential risk and protective factors, and symptoms of stress in 9-1-1 telecommunicators. Our findings suggest that the associations between stress, overcommitment and mindfulness provide guidance regarding the benefits of providing mindfulness-based interventions to assist this workforce in managing stress. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Emergencies Occupational Health Safety Stress, Psychological Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Burnout Communication Workers Emergency Response Job Stress Mindfulness Occupational Exposure Professional Psychological Stress Telephone Operators Work Environment Workplace Studies

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• ISSN:
  2326-6856
• 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
• Pages in Document:
  28-35
• Volume:
  3
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056998
• Citation:
  Ann Emerg Dispatch Response 2015 Aug; 3(2):28-35
• Contact Point Address:
  Hendrika Meischke, PhD, MPH, Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, Box 354809, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-4809
• Email:
  hendrika@uw.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington, Seattle
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20140901
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Emergency Dispatch & Response
• End Date:
  20180831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:58a6bb0d68be500e8209e36aa164509ac1e8ef2485a9b349b6c64808e5627560541e0608a73aab86df1c24aa8c1f43c312dc6b823e031f515a2a92098c6f8b15
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214482/cdc_214482_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 206.98 KB ]