TY - JOUR AU - Songwathna, Praneed AU - Saesia, Wipa AU - Mintrasak, Emnasaree AU - Salae, Rusta AU - Wichatdit, Sujira PY - 2022/01/31 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Outcomes of Mental Health Promotion Programme for Emergency Medical System Staff Working in Thailand’s Three Southernmost Border Provinces JF - The Journal of Thailand Nursing and Midwifery Council JA - J Thai Nurse midwife Counc VL - 37 IS - 01 SE - Research Articles DO - UR - https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/TJONC/article/view/252075 SP - 75-88 AB - <p><span class="fontstyle0"><strong>   Objective</strong>: </span><span class="fontstyle2">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<br /></span><span class="fontstyle0">   <strong>Design</strong>: </span><span class="fontstyle2">One group quasi-experimental design, with a pre-test and a post-test <br /></span><span class="fontstyle0">   <strong>Methodology</strong>: </span><span class="fontstyle2">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<br />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.<br /></span><span class="fontstyle0">   <strong>Results</strong>: </span><span class="fontstyle2">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 &lt; .001). The participants’ general health status also improved signifcantly after their completion of the programme (p &lt; .001). However; no signifcant difference was found between the participants’ pre-intervention and post-intervention happiness index.<br /></span><span class="fontstyle0">   <strong>Recommendations</strong>: </span><span class="fontstyle2">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.</span> </p> ER -