A systematic review of well-being interventions and initiatives for Australian and New Zealand emergency service workers

Abstract

Objective Emergency service workers (i.e., police, fire, ambulance, rescue personnel) are exposed to stressful events that can adversely impact their mental health and well-being. This systematic review investigated (1) what well-being initiatives and interventions have been implemented with Australian and New Zealand emergency service workers, (2) how they have been evaluated, and (3) whether they were effective. Methods A systematic literature search identified 19 peer-reviewed studies eligible for inclusion. Results Eleven studies examined secondary interventions, seven examined primary interventions and only one study examined a tertiary intervention. Most studies measured mental health outcomes (e.g., depression, anxiety). However, some studies used evaluation measures that were not directly related to mental health or well-being (e.g., satisfaction, changes to attitudes). Interventions including physical activity, manager mental health training, social support, psychological debriefing, mindfulness, and an ambulance chaplaincy initiative were found to lead to improvements in mental health and well-being in Australian and New Zealand emergency service workers. Only two ongoing and self-sustaining mental health initiatives were reported. Conclusions Further research is required into primary interventions and organisational-level initiatives to enable a preventative approach to mitigate daily stress and enhance the mental and physical well-being of emergency workers.

Keywords

• emergency service workers
• occupational stress
• employee well-being
• workplace well-being interventions
• systematic review