Outcomes of Mental Health Promotion Programme for Emergency Medical System Staff Working in Thailand’s Three Southernmost Border Provinces
Keywords:
stress, happiness index, general health, EMS, three southern border provincesAbstract
Objective: To evaluate the impact of a mental health promotion programme on emergency medical system (EMS) staff operating in the three southernmost border provinces of Thailand
Design: One group quasi-experimental design, with a pre-test and a post-test
Methodology: This study was conducted between November 2020 and March 2021 on a sample of 264 EMS staff members, consisting of: 1) EMS nurses; 2) mental health caregivers; and 3) volunteers, rescuers, and life-support providers. The staff members participated in a mental health promotion programme. The programme started with one-day on-line training on attitudinal and behavioural adjustment. It was, then, followed by a one-month training on self-performed stress management and stress relieving, supervised by 10 specially trained nursing instructors. Data on mental health status were collected using three tools: 1) the Stress
Questionnaire (SPST-20); 2) the Short-Form Happiness Index (THI-15); and 3) the General Health Questionnaire (Thai GHQ-28). The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The comparison of the participants’ pre-intervention and post-intervention mental health status was conducted using the Wilcoxon rank signed test.
Results: Before the intervention, the participants had displayed a moderate level of stress, a similar happiness index to the general public, and an absence of general health problems. After having taken part in the one month programme, the participants were found to exhibit a signifcantly lower level of stress (p < .001). The participants’ general health status also improved signifcantly after their completion of the programme (p < .001). However; no signifcant difference was found between the participants’ pre-intervention and post-intervention happiness index.
Recommendations: It is suggested that this mental health care promotion programme be applied by a wide range of agencies to cover every risk area. Further studies are also recommended to design methods for long-term monitoring of the emergency staff members’ mental health status.
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