School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Psychology department, Faculty of Arts and Humanity, King Abdulaziz university, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
BMC Emerg Med. 2022 Jun 27;22(1):116. doi: 10.1186/s12873-022-00666-w.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common among ambulance personnel, but its prevalence varies between developed and developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the lived experience of potentially traumatic work events between Saudi and UK ambulance personnel.
Semi-structured interviews with 16 ambulance workers from Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom (8 participants from each country) were conducted to explore their lived experiences of potentially traumatic events at work. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Four key themes were identified from interviews: (1) some events are inherently more stressful than others; (2) pressure of organizational and interpersonal stressors; (3) convergence and divergence in cross-cultural coping strategies; and (4) preferring formal and confidential support.
There were differences in the nature of traumatic events and the ways of coping between the two cultures, but paramedics in both cultures had an agreement about their preference for individual and formal support. The results of this study may help inform the development of interventions and PTSD prevention programs for ambulance personnel.
创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）在急救人员中很常见，但在发达国家和发展中国家之间其患病率有所不同。本研究旨在调查沙特阿拉伯和英国急救人员之间潜在创伤性工作事件的生活体验。
对来自沙特阿拉伯和英国的 16 名急救人员（每个国家 8 名参与者）进行半结构化访谈，以探讨他们在工作中经历潜在创伤性事件的生活体验。使用主题分析对数据进行分析。
从访谈中确定了四个主要主题：（1）有些事件本质上比其他事件更具压力；（2）组织和人际压力源的压力；（3）跨文化应对策略的趋同和分歧；（4）更喜欢正式和保密的支持。
两种文化之间创伤性事件的性质和应对方式存在差异，但两种文化中的护理人员都对他们对个人和正式支持的偏好达成一致。这项研究的结果可能有助于为急救人员制定干预措施和 PTSD 预防计划提供信息。
