Abstract Background Adjusting to the physical and psychological demands of emergency care may be particularly challenging for first-year paramedic trainees and may increase the risk for stress-related disorders, with adverse effects on quality of life (QoL). This longitudinal cohort study aimed to investigate whether psychological distress, resilience, and social support predict changes in QoL among first-year paramedic trainees over a 12-month period. Methods First-year paramedic trainees ( N = 103), recruited from a local university, completed the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q), at enrolment, 6 months and 12 months. Psychological distress, resilience and social support were analysed as predictors of change in QoL in relation to general activities, such as work, household and leisure time activities, over time, using a mixed linear regression model, adjusting for baseline non-work-related trauma exposure. Results Higher levels of psychological distress and lower levels of resilience were significant predictors of a decrease in QoL over time. Social support was not a significant predictor of QoL. Higher non-work-related baseline trauma exposure was associated with decreased QoL at 6 months only. Women trainees reported decreased general QoL at 6 months and 12 months, compared to male trainees. Conclusion Interventions aimed at strengthening resilience may reduce psychological distress and enhance QoL in paramedic trainees. This could form part of existing wellness- and self-care-related psychoeducational components in paramedic training.
Nöthling et al. (Tue,) studied this question.