Enhancing Psychological Resilience: Examining the Impact of Managerial Support on Mental Health Outcomes for Saudi Ambulance Personnel

• Published in: Healthcare (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 9; p. 1277
• Main Authors: Al-Wathinani, Ahmed M, Almusallam, Mohannad A, Albaqami, Nawaf A, Aljuaid, Mohammed, Alghamdi, Abdullah A, Alhallaf, Mohammad A, Goniewicz, Krzysztof
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 29-04-2023; MDPI
• Subjects: ambulance personnel; Analysis; Behavior; Care and treatment; critical care; Demographics; Diagnosis; Emergency medical care; emergency medical services; Emergency service; Emergency services; Employees; Health aspects; Health risks; Hospitals; Intensive care; Managers; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Paramedics; Post traumatic stress disorder; Professional ethics; Questionnaires; Resilience (Personality trait); Stress (Psychology); Surveys; Work environment; Saudi Arabia; United Kingdom; Riyadh Saudi Arabia; emergency medical services; medical risk factor; mental health; ambulance personnel; critical care; behavior; paramedics; psychological and psychosocial
• ISSN: 2227-9032; 2227-9032
• DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11091277

Ambulance personnel are among the groups with high mental health risks. This study aims to investigate the role of managerial support in determining the mental well-being of ambulance personnel, a group at high risk for mental health issues. A descriptive, cross-sectional survey design was conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in February 2022, involving a convenience sample of 354 ambulance personnel. An online survey was distributed via social media platforms. Manager behavior and mental well-being were assessed using the Manager Behavior Questionnaire (MBQ) and the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS). The participants represented nearly equal-sized groups from different agencies, with 50.3% residing in the Riyadh Region and 67.5% aged between 25 and 34. The mean score for manager behavior was 2.92 ± 1.124, while the mental well-being scale's mean score was 3.398 ± 0.8219. Variance analyses revealed statistically significant differences in manager behavior concerning gender, age, residence, and years of experience (
< 0.05), as well as in the mental well-being of ambulance personnel. Generalized linear regression analysis demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between manager behavior and mental well-being (
< 0.01). Focusing on improving organizational management behaviors is a promising strategy for enhancing mental health interventions among ambulance personnel. Further research is recommended to monitor the mental health of these professionals and develop evidence-based interventions to support their well-being.