Abstract
Objective
Within the last 20 years, there has been a 500% increase in public safety suicides,
the exact cause of which is unknown.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional survey of emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. Nine
EMS agencies were selected to participate based on geography and population. The survey
assessed sociodemographic, occupational, and military factors. Childhood adversity
and traumatic experiences were evaluated using the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire
and the Life Events Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, respectively. Using factors significant in univariate analyses, a logistic regression
was conducted to determine predictors of suicidality while controlling for potential
confounders.
Results
A total of 681 EMS providers participated; 56.1% were male, 12.6% were minorities,
and 72.8% were paramedics. Nearly a quarter (24.4%) had considered suicide. Approximately
twice as many had received counseling for a stress-related event, and 1.5 times as
many identified as currently in counseling. Indigenous populations were 4.76 times
more likely to have suicidality (odds ratio [OR] = 4.76; 95% confidence interval [CI],
1.22-18.62). Suicidality was 97% more likely in EMS professionals with prior military
service (OR = 1.97; 95% CI, 1.08-3.57) and 2.22 times more likely in sexual minorities
(OR = 2.22; 95% CI, 1.16-4.25). Emotional abuse (OR = 1.86; 95% CI, 1.08-3.21) and
burnout (OR = 2.88; 95% CI, 1.78-4.66) were also predictive.
Conclusions
Suicidality is an indisputable concern for the EMS profession and represents a multifaceted
issue that must be addressed.
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: June 12, 2022
Footnotes
The authors would like to acknowledge participating emergency medical services agencies for their contribution to this project.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Air Medical Journal Associates. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
