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Cited by 382Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchStress and Burnout ResearchHealthcare professionals’ stress and burnout

Exposure to human tragedy, empathy, and trauma in ambulance paramedics.

Regehr, Cheryl, Goldberg, Gerald, Hughes, Judy·2002·American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
DOI 10.1037/0002-9432.72.4.505
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Abstract

Paramedics are exposed to events involving human pain and suffering on a daily basis, many of which are the result of violence perpetrated by 1 individual on another. For the most part, these emergency workers have learned to deal with such events and take them in stride. At times, however, certain circumstances lead workers to develop an emotional connection with the victim or his or her family. When this occurs, paramedics report increased symptoms of traumatic stress. Aspects that can trigger this connection include the victim's alienation from others, profound loss, or the abuse of an innocent child. One of the coping strategies described in these circumstances is to manage the events on a cognitive and technical level while maintaining an emotional distance. Although such a strategy may be protective, it may also have long-term negative effects in terms of interpersonal relationships. This mixed-methods study attempts to better understand factors that lead to higher levels of distress among paramedics within the theoretical framework of emotional and cognitive empathy.

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  • Commonly reported job demands among paramedics are environmental, sociocultural and organisational, including critical incidents causing psychological distress, traumatic events concerning patient care, threat of violence from patients and bystanders, risks related to alarm-vehicle driving, uncertain working environments and physical injuries.

    “Other commonly reported job demands among paramedics are environmental, sociocultural and organisational; critical incidents causing psychological distress [19]; traumatic events concerning patient care [20]; the threat of violence from patients and bystanders [21]; and the risks related to alarm-vehicle driving [22], uncertain working environments [8] and physical injuries [23, 24].”

    From Paramedics’ perceptions of job demands and resources in Finnish emergency medical services: a qualitative study (2022) · cites this paper as [21]

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Authors
Regehr, C., Goldberg, G., & Hughes, J.
Affiliations
  • University of Toronto (CA)
  • York University (CA)
ORCID
Venue
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2002-10
Volume
72
Issue
4
Pages
505-513
ISSN
  • 0002-9432 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-0025
DOI
10.1037/0002-9432.72.4.505
OpenAlex
W2145903803
Cited by
382
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 33 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 14
FWCI
2.21
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • American Journal of Orthopsychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
Keywords
ambulance paramedics, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, empathy, emotional exposure, trauma, violence against victims, emotional distancing, coping strategies, interpersonal relationships, occupational distress, child abuse
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Ambulances, Depression, Emergency Medical Technicians, Empathy, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Occupational Diseases, Surveys and Questionnaires, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Time Factors, Occupational Exposure, Substance-Related Disorders

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