Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among first responders for medical emergencies during COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis
Open accessAbstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been shown to cause enormous psychological burden among health care workers, including first responders. However, psychological well-being of first responders, essential in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, has often been ignored. We performed the first meta-analysis to explore the prevalence of 1) depression, 2) anxiety, and 3) stress among first responders for medical emergencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: statistics were used to examine heterogeneity. Sub-group analysis was conducted to identify moderator variables. Results: We identified 765 records, from which 17 studies were included with 8096 first responders. The pooled prevalence was 31% (95% CI = 21%-41%) for depression; 67% (95% CI = 64%-70%) for mild depression, 24% (95% CI = 17%-31%) for moderate depression, and 16% (95% CI = 4%-34%) for severe depression. The pooled prevalence for anxiety was 32% (95% CI = 20%-44%); 60% (95% CI = 46%-73%) for mild anxiety, 27% (95% CI = 14%-42%) for moderate anxiety, and 14% (95% CI = 7%-22%) for severe anxiety. The pooled prevalence for stress was 17% (95% CI = 4%-34%); 58% (95% CI = 38%-77%) for mild stress, 22% (95% CI = 5%-44%) for moderate stress, and 19% (95% CI = 5%-37%) for severe stress. The prevalence of depression was 37% (95% CI = 25%-52%) for paramedics, 28% (95% CI = 12%-54%) for EMS personnel and 22% (95% CI = 13%-33%) for police. Similarly, the prevalence of anxiety was 38% (95% CI = 20%-60%) for paramedics, 28% (95% CI = 11%-53%) for EMS personnel, and 19% (95% CI = 10%-32%) for police. Married responders were likely at risk for depression (1.50, 95% CI = 1.26-1.78) and anxiety (1.94, 95% CI = 1.62-2.33), while unmarried responders were less likely at risk for depression (0.67, 95% CI = 0.56-0.79) and anxiety (0.50, 95% CI = 0.43-0.63). Conclusions: High prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic among first responders for medical emergencies emphasizes the need for monitoring their psychological well-being. Early assessment and management of mild depression, anxiety, and stress among first responders are crucial in preventing progression into moderate and severe types.
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A recent meta-analysis of 8096 first responders reported that 60% met criteria for mild anxiety, 27% for moderate anxiety, and 14% for severe anxiety.
“A recent meta-analysis assessed 8096 first responders and reported 60% met criteria for mild anxiety, 27% met criteria for moderate anxiety, and 14% met criteria for severe anxiety [52].”
From The Cyclical Battle of Insomnia and Mental Health Impairment in Firefighters: A Narrative Review (2024) · cites this paper as [52]
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“Compared to other first responders, including firefighters and police officers, EMS clinicians report elevated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms (Huang et al., 2022).”
An Analysis of Psychiatric Morbidity and Its Related Factors in Ambulance Workers
Lebimoyo, A. A., & Sanni, M. O. (2023) · Taiwanese Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.4103/tpsy.tpsy_23_23
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Martin, C. E. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-38149-2_11
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Desafios profissionais no atendimento pré-hospitalar móvel durante a pandemia
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Sense of community and its relationship to emotional detachment in Australasian paramedics
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Resilientes Arbeiten in einer lernenden Organisation
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- Authors
- Huang, G., Chu, H., Chen, R., Liu, D., Banda, K. J., O’Brien, A. P., Jen, H.-J., Chiang, K.-J., Chiou, J.-F., & Chou, K.-R.
- Affiliations
- Australasian College of Paramedicine (AU)
- Tri-Service General Hospital (TW)
- Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital (TW)
- Wan Fang Hospital (TW)
- Kamuzu Central Hospital (MW)
- Monash University (AU)
- Taipei Medical University Hospital (TW)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Global Health
- Publisher
- International Global Health Society
- Published
- 2022-07-25
- Volume
- 12
- Pages
- 05028-05028
- ISSN
- 2047-2978 (ISSN-L)
- 2047-2986
- PMC
- PMC9309001
- OpenAlex
- W4286817040
- Cited by
- 64
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 2
- FWCI
- 2.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Journal of Global Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Greater South Information System
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Burnout
- Keywords
- depression, anxiety, stress, first responders, COVID-19 pandemic, medical emergencies, paramedics, emergency medical personnel, police, psychological well-being, prevalence, workplace mental health, psychological burden, COVID-19 pandemic response, mental health screening, mental health interventions, mental health education
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, Anxiety, Depression, Emergencies, Humans, Stress, Psychological, Prevalence, Pandemics, Emergency Responders
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