@article {bnh-7880, title = {Mental health and wellbeing of Australian police and emergency services employees}, journal = {Archives of Environmental \& Occupational Health}, year = {2021}, month = {03/2021}, abstract = {

Answering the Call, the Australian National Police and Emergency Services Mental Health and Wellbeing Study, surveyed 14,868 Australian ambulance, fire and rescue, police, and state emergency service employees. Emergency services personnel had lower rates of mental wellbeing and higher rates of psychological distress and probable PTSD than the general adult population. Overall 30\% had low wellbeing, 21\% had high and 9\% had very high psychological distress, and 10\% had probable PTSD. An estimated 5\% had suicidal ideation and 2\% had a suicide plan in the past 12 months, while 16\% binge drink at least weekly. Only one in five of those with very high psychological distress or probable PTSD felt they received adequate support for their condition. These findings highlight the risk of mental health conditions associated with work in the emergency services sector.

}, keywords = {Ambulance, common mental disorders, firefighters, mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychological distress, service users, stigma and discrimination}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1080/19338244.2021.1893631}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19338244.2021.1893631?journalCode=vaeh20}, author = {Michael Kyron and Wavne Rikkers and Jennifer Bartlett and Emma Renehan and Katherine Hafekost and Michael Baigent and Rebecca Cunneen and David Lawrence} } @article {bnh-7869, title = {Sexual Orientation and Prevalence of Mental Health Difficulties among Emergency Services Employees}, journal = {Journal of Affective Disorders}, year = {2021}, month = {02/2021}, abstract = {

Background

LGBQ+ people (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer) are at-risk of discrimination and developing mental health issues within general populations. Limited research has assessed their mental health in emergency services occupations, a population which are known to experience poorer mental health. The current study explores the extent to which sexual orientation is associated with higher rates of mental health issues among emergency personnel.

Methods

A stratified random sample of employees from twenty-nine police (N = 8,088), ambulance (N = 3,473), and fire and rescue (N = 2,975) agencies from around Australia participated in a cross-sectional mental health survey (N = 14,536, male = 64.2\%, 42.7\% over 45 years of age, heterosexual = 92.7\%).

Results

Employees with a bisexual/pansexual orientation or those who were not sure about their sexual orientation were significantly more likely to report suicidal thoughts, suicide plans, psychological distress, and illicit drug use when compared with heterosexual employees. LGBQ+ employees reported significantly higher rates of lifetime suicide plans and attempts. Specifically, LGBQ+ fire and rescue personnel were roughly six times more likely to report lifetime suicide attempts, and approximately five times more likely to use illicit drugs weekly than their heterosexual colleagues in the fire and rescue sector. Female LGBQ+ personnel were significantly less likely to consume illicit drugs weekly and monthly than male LGBQ+ personnel.

Conclusions

Emergency services personnel are already at-risk of developing pervasive mental health difficulties. It is important that organisations foster positive working environments, particularly for LGBQ+ people who may be more marginalized within organisations.

}, keywords = {Bisexual, emergency services, Gay, Lesbian, mental health, Queer}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.02.032}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032721001506}, author = {Michael Kryon and Peter McEnvoy and Dylan Gilbey and Ashleigh Lin and Catherine Mazza and Wavne Rikkers and Jennifer Bartlett and David Lawrence} } @article {bnh-7040, title = {Experiences of Police and Emergency Services Employees with Workers{\textquoteright} Compensation Claims for Mental Health Issues}, journal = {Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation}, year = {2020}, month = {07/2020}, pages = {1-10}, abstract = {

Purpose\ To assess employees{\textquoteright} experiences of the workers{\textquoteright} compensation claim process for psychological trauma, stress or a mental health condition sustained during the course of work in the police and emergency services sector.\ Methods\ 14,868 employees (69.4\% male, response rate = 22\%) from around Australia participated in\ Answering the Call: the Beyond Blue National Mental Health and Wellbeing Study of Police and Emergency Services, and were asked questions regarding their workers{\textquoteright} compensation experiences for mental health reasons.\ Results\ 14\% of all employees in police and emergency services organisations had made a workers{\textquoteright} compensation claim for mental health reasons. Only 8.2\% of employees making a claim had a positive experience (95\% CI 6.6{\textendash}9.8) while 70.3\% had a poor experience (95\% CI 67.6{\textendash}73.0). Two-thirds of employees who had made a claim reported that the process was unsupportive and stressful, and over half reported that it had an overall negative impact on their recovery. Employees with poor overall support from their managers and those who perceived negative stigma about mental health in their workplace were more likely to report poor experiences.\ Conclusions\ The workers{\textquoteright} compensation process is perceived negatively by most police and emergency services employees who have experience with it, and a majority found that it negatively impacted on their recovery. Ways to reform the system to better support employees experiencing significant functional impairments related to mental health issues should be urgently considered.

}, keywords = {emergency responders, mental health, police, worker{\textquoteright}s compensation}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-020-09909-8}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10926-020-09909-8}, author = {Michael Kyron and Wavne Rikkers and Patrice O{\textquoteright}Brien and Jennifer Bartlett and David Lawrence} }