Khan Wahaj Anwar A, Conduit Russell, Kennedy Gerard A, Abdullah Alslamah Ahmed, Ahmad Alsuwayeh Mohammad, Jackson Melinda L
Psychology Discipline, College of Science, Engineering & Health, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, P.O. Box 71, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia;
Occupational Health Department, Faculty of Public Health and Health Informatics, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, P.O. Box 715, Saudi Arabia.
Clocks Sleep. 2020 Jun 8;2(2):246-257. doi: 10.3390/clockssleep2020019. eCollection 2020 Jun.
Paramedics face many challenges while on duty, one of which is working different types of shifts. Shift work has been linked to a number of health issues such as insomnia, depression, and anxiety. Besides shift work, Saudi paramedics, a group that has not been investigated for sleep or mental health issues previously, may be facing more demands than Australian paramedics due to lower numbers of paramedics in comparison to the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of sleep and mental health disorders among paramedics in Saudi Arabia and Australia. Paramedics were invited to complete a survey to assess stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, daytime sleepiness, insomnia, sleep quality, shift work disorder, obstructive sleep apnoea, fatigue, and general health. A total of 104 males Saudi paramedics ( age = 32.5 ± 6.1 years) and 83 males paramedics from Australia ( age = 44.1 ± 12.1 years) responded to the survey. Significantly higher rates of depression, PTSD, insomnia, and fatigue, along with significantly poorer physical functioning were observed among Saudi paramedics in comparison with Australian paramedics. However, Australian paramedics reported significantly poorer sleep quality and general health in comparison to Saudi paramedics. After removing the effect of driving and working durations, outcomes were no longer significant. The higher burden of depression and PTSD among Saudi paramedics may be explained by longer hours spent driving and longer work durations reported by this group. Taking into consideration the outcomes reported in this study, more investigations are needed to study their possible effects on paramedics' cognition, performance, and safety.
护理人员在值班时面临许多挑战，其中之一是要应对不同类型的轮班工作。轮班工作与许多健康问题有关，如失眠、抑郁和焦虑。除了轮班工作外，沙特护理人员（此前尚未针对其睡眠或心理健康问题进行过调查）由于与总人口相比护理人员数量较少，可能比澳大利亚护理人员面临更多的工作要求。本研究的目的是调查沙特阿拉伯和澳大利亚护理人员中睡眠和心理健康障碍的患病率。邀请护理人员完成一项调查，以评估压力、创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）、抑郁、焦虑、日间嗜睡、失眠、睡眠质量、轮班工作障碍、阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停、疲劳和总体健康状况。共有104名沙特男性护理人员（年龄=32.5±6.1岁）和83名澳大利亚男性护理人员（年龄=44.1±12.1岁）回复了该调查。与澳大利亚护理人员相比，沙特护理人员中抑郁、PTSD、失眠和疲劳的发生率显著更高，身体功能也明显更差。然而，与沙特护理人员相比，澳大利亚护理人员报告的睡眠质量和总体健康状况明显更差。在消除驾驶和工作时长的影响后，结果不再显著。沙特护理人员中较高的抑郁和PTSD负担可能是由于该群体报告的驾驶时间更长和工作时长更长。考虑到本研究报告的结果，需要进行更多调查，以研究其对护理人员认知、表现和安全可能产生的影响。
