Abstract:
Previous research around mental health in first responder populations has been centralized around post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, suicide, anxiety and sleep disturbances. While these issues are of great importance in treating work-related psychopathologies in first responders, little to no research has been conducted to evaluate life style differences in these populations in comparison to members of the general public. This study addresses EMTs and paramedics’ attitude towards personal mortality following the loss of a patient (“code”) during an ambulance call and assesses whether their general attitude towards death is different from a control group of non-EMTs. This study hypothesized that EMTs and paramedics would exhibit higher levels of death awareness, as measured by the Multidimensional Mortality Awareness Measure and Model (Levasseur, McDermott and Lafreniere, 2015). A sample of 167 EMTs/Paramedics from the Western New York region and 54 non-EMTs completed the MMAMM scale which measures mortality awareness among five domains: legacy, fearfulness, acceptance, disempowerment and disengagement. In addition, EMTs/Paramedics completed a demographic survey. An ANOVA test yielded significant results for the domains of mortality fearfulness, mortality acceptance and mortality disengagement, supporting the hypothesis that EMTs would demonstrate heightened mortality awareness in these domains in comparison to members of the general public. Significance was found using a Chi Squared analysis between attitudes towards personal Do Not Resuscitate orders (DNRs) and EMT status. However, there were no significant results between EMTs and Non-EMTs in the domains of mortality legacy and mortality disempowerment. The results of this study highlight the importance of mental health among first responders and the effects of traumatic calls on personal mortality awareness.
