Resilience levels in paramedic students: a cross-sectional study
International Journal of Emergency Services
ISSN: 2047-0894
Article publication date: 10 September 2021
Issue publication date: 25 March 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Paramedics responding to emergencies have proven to have an impact on their mental health and well-being. Therefore, measuring and initiating resilience promotion and development during the educational process could promote health in this group. This study aims to cross-sectionally examine the self-reported resilience levels of bachelor paramedic students at a large Australian university.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional study using a convenience sample of first-, second- and third-year bachelor paramedic students was used from a large Australian university. The student’s resilience was measured using the 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) during 2019.
Findings
Two-hundred and twenty-nine students participated in the study, of which 55% were females. The total mean score for the CD-RISC was 72.6 [standard deviation (SD) = 13.2). The CD-RISC mean score of the first-, second- and third-year levels were 75.3 (SD = 13.2), 70.5 (SD = 14.4) and 73.8 (SD = 10.4), respectively, with no significant statistical difference (p-value = 0.1) and of which the second year formed the major sample (44.5%). Additionally, our findings show no significant variation in the CD-RISC mean score between males [70.8 (SD = 12.9)] and females [74.1 (SD = 13.3)], with p-value = 0.09.
Originality/value
The study findings suggest that paramedic students have moderate levels of self-reported resilience. These results, while specific to one university, provide essential data for the paramedic profession in addressing an important issue facing all paramedics around the world.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the students who participated in this study for their contribution.
Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Citation
Safori, M., Alqudah, Z. and Williams, B. (2022), "Resilience levels in paramedic students: a cross-sectional study", International Journal of Emergency Services, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 74-83. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-09-2020-0056
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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