Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers serve a critical function in disaster response. While technical preparedness remains essential, psychological resilience is equally vital for sustaining performance amidst stressful conditions. This research endeavored to assess disaster readiness and resilience among EMS providers in Tehran Province, Iran, and to identify the factors associated with resilience. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in 2025, involving 467 pre-hospital EMS providers, using online self-administered questionnaires. Data collection encompassed demographics, Persian Version of the Disaster Nursing Readiness Evaluation Index (F-DNREI), and Disaster Resilience Measurement Tool. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression were employed to identify factors associated with resilience. Participants’ mean disaster readiness score was 95.88 ± 10.62, whereas resilience mean score was 44.81 ± 9.50, with only 3.85% classified as highly resilient. Resilience was significantly correlated with readiness ( r = 0.562, p < 0.001) and was positively associated with work experience, higher education, and prior attendance at a disaster management workshop. In the final multivariable regression model, age was excluded due to near-perfect collinearity with work experience, disaster readiness, holding a bachelor’s degree, and prior workshop participation; these variables were retained as independent predictors of disaster resilience (R² = 0.606). Despite adequate disaster readiness, resilience was low, indicating a critical gap between technical preparedness and psychological adaptability. Education, experience, and prior training emerged as significant factors associated with resilience. Based on these observational associations, integrating simulation-based training with resilience-enhancement and psychosocial-support components warrants evaluation as a potential strategy to strengthen both readiness and adaptive capacity. Future research should examine these dynamics in real emergency scenarios.
Sarmadi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.