Supporting paramedics experiencing mental ill-health or suicidal distress is rewarding yet challenging for family, friends, and colleagues, but little is known about these carers’ specific experiences and needs. This study explores carers’ experiences of providing support and their requirements for online support programs. Seventy-two carers completed an online survey, with 14 participating in interviews. Survey data is presented using descriptive statistics and content analysis was applied to open-ended survey responses, while thematic analysis was conducted on interview transcripts. Carers provide significant emotional and practical support to paramedics facing mental health concerns or suicidal distress, emphasizing the importance of self-care despite accompanying guilt. Positive views were expressed regarding online programs offering confidentiality, accessibility, and information on paramedics’ challenges. The study highlights the necessity for accessible online interventions, ensuring confidentiality and equipping carers with tools to address paramedics’ mental health needs while prioritizing self-care.
AndrewsG.SladeT. (2001). Interpreting scores on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 25(6), 494–497. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-842X.2001.tb00310.x
2.
BakerK. L.RobertsonN. (2008). Coping with caring for someone with dementia: Reviewing the literature about men. Aging & Mental Health, 12(4)Routledge, 413–422. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607860802224250
3.
BarrattP.StephensL.MickP. (2018) When helping hurts: PTSD in first responders. Report following a high-level roundtable. Australia21.
4.
Beyond Blue Ltd (2018). Good practice framework for mental health and wellbeing in first responder organisations.
5.
BolandL. L.MinkP. J.KamrudJ. W., et al. (2019). Social support outside the workplace, coping styles, and burnout in a cohort of EMS providers from Minnesota. Workplace Health & Safety, 67(8)SAGE Publications Inc, 414–422. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165079919829154
CarletonR. N.AfifiT. O.TurnerS., et al. (2018). Suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts among public safety personnel in Canada. Canadian Psychology / Psychologie Canadienne, 59(3), 220–231. https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000136
8.
CroweM.InderM.PorterR. (2015). Conducting qualitative research in mental health: Thematic and content analyses. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 49(7)SAGE Publications Ltd, 616–623. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867415582053
9.
Dionne-OdomJ. N.Demark-WahnefriedW.TaylorR. A., et al. (2017). The self-care practices of family caregivers of persons with poor prognosis cancer: Differences by varying levels of caregiver well-being and preparedness. Supportive Care in Cancer, 25(8), 2437–2444. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-017-3650-7
10.
DonnellyE. A.BradfordP.DavisM., et al. (2016). Predictors of posttraumatic stress and preferred sources of social support among Canadian paramedics. Canadian Journal of Emergency Medical Care, 18(3), 205–212. https://doi.org/10.1017/cem.2015.92
11.
EdwardsB.HigginsD. J. (2009). Is caring a health hazard? The mental health and vitality of carers of a person with a disability in Australia. Medical Journal of Australia, 190(S7), S61–S65. https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2009.tb02472.x
12.
GallicchioL.SiddiqiN.LangenbergP., et al. (2002). Gender differences in burden and depression among informal caregivers of demented elders in the community. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 17(2), 154–163. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.538
13.
GraesselE.BerthH.LichteT., et al. (2014). Subjective caregiver burden: Validity of the 10-item short version of the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers BSFC-s. BMC Geriatrics, 14(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2318-14-23
14.
GriffithsK. M.CrispD. A.BarneyL., et al. (2011). Seeking help for depression from family and friends: A qualitative analysis of perceived advantages and disadvantages. BMC Psychiatry, 11(1), 196. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-11-196
15.
HalpernJ.GurevichM.SchwartzB., et al. (2009). Interventions for critical incident stress in emergency medical services: A qualitative study. Stress and Health, 25(2), 139–149. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.1230
KesslerR. C.AndrewsG.ColpeL. J., et al. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32(6)Cambridge University Press, 959–976. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291702006074
18.
LawnS.RobertsL.WillisE., et al. (2020). The effects of emergency medical service work on the psychological, physical, and social well-being of ambulance personnel: A systematic review of qualitative research. BMC Psychiatry, 20(348), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02752-4.
19.
LawrenceD.KyronM.RikkersW., et al. (2018). Answering the call: National Survey of the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Police and Emergency Services. Detailed Report. Graduate School of Education, The University of Western Australia. Epub ahead of print 2018.
20.
MackinnonK.EverettT.HolmesL., et al. (2020). Risk of psychological distress, pervasiveness of stigma and utilisation of support services: Exploring paramedic perceptions. Australasian Journal of Paramedicine, 17. https://doi.org/10.33151/ajp.17.764
21.
MahonyK. L (2001) Management and the creation of occupational stressors in an Australian and a UK ambulance service. Australian Health Review, 24(4). CSIRO PUBLISHING, 135–145. https://doi.org/10.1071/AH010135a
22.
McCrearyD. (2019). Veteran and first responder mental ill health and suicide prevention: A scoping review of prevention and early intervention programs used in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Donald McCreary Scientific Consulting.
23.
McKechnieV.BarkerC.StottJ. (2014). Effectiveness of computer-mediated interventions for informal carers of people with dementia—a systematic review. International Psychogeriatrics, 26(10)Cambridge University Press, 1619–1637. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610214001045
24.
McKeonG.WellsR.SteelZ., et al. (2021). Self-reported physical and mental health of informal caregivers of emergency service workers. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 26(6). Routledge, 507–518. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2020.1845020
25.
McMunnA.BirdL.WebbE., et al. (2020). Gender divisions of paid and unpaid work in contemporary UK couples. Work, Employment and Society, 34(2). Sage Publications Ltd, 155–173. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017019862153
PetrieK.SmallwoodN.PascoeA., et al. (2022). Mental health symptoms and workplace challenges among Australian paramedics during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(2), 1004. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19021004
28.
PetrieK.SpittalM.ZeritisS., et al. (2022). Suicide among emergency service workers: A retrospective mortality study of national coronial data, 2001–2017. Psychological Medicine, 53(12), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291722002653
29.
PinquartM.SörensenS. (2003). Associations of stressors and uplifts of caregiving with caregiver burden and depressive mood: A meta-analysis. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 58(2), P112–P128. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/58.2.P112
30.
PriceM. A.ButowP. N.CostaD. S. J., et al. (2010). Prevalence and predictors of anxiety and depression in women with invasive ovarian cancer and their caregivers. Medical Journal of Australia, 193(S5), S52–S57. https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2010.tb03929.x
RegehrC.MillarD. (2007) Situation critical: High demand, low control, and low support in paramedic organizations. Traumatology13(1). Sage Publications Inc STM, 49–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534765607299912
33.
RheeY.YunY. H.ParkS., et al. (2008). Depression in family caregivers of cancer patients: The feeling of burden as a predictor of depression. Journal of Clinical Oncology : Official Journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 26, 5890–5895. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2007.15.3957
34.
SchmidtA. E.IlincaS.SchulmannK., et al. (2016). Fit for caring: Factors associated with informal care provision by older caregivers with and without multimorbidity. European Journal of Ageing, 13(2), 103–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-016-0373-4
35.
SeidelD.ThyrianJ. R. (2019). Burden of caring for people with dementia—comparing family caregivers and professional caregivers. A descriptive study. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 12. Dove Medical Press, 655–663. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S209106
36.
SharmaN.ChakrabartiS.GroverS. (2016). Gender differences in caregiving among family—caregivers of people with mental illnesses. World Journal of Psychiatry, 6(1), 7–17. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v6.i1.7
37.
SherifaliD.AliM. U.PloegJ., et al. (2018) Impact of internet-based interventions on caregiver mental health: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research20(7). Toronto, Canada: Gunther Eysenbach MD MPH, Associate Professor. https://doi.org/10.2196/10668
38.
SmallwoodN.KarimiL.PascoeA., et al. (2021). Coping strategies adopted by Australian frontline health workers to address psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. General Hospital Psychiatry, 72, 124–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2021.08.008
39.
TakahashiM.TanakaK.MiyaokaH. (2005). Depression and associated factors of informal caregivers versus professional caregivers of demented patients. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 59(4), 473–480. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1819.2005.01401.x
40.
WaddellE.LawnS.RobertsL., et al. (2020). ‘Why do you stay?’: The lived-experience of partners of Australian veterans and first responders with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Health & Social Care in the Community, 28(5). Wiley-Blackwell, 1734–1742. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12998
41.
WeissC.ParkinsonD.DuncanA. (2015). Living longer on less: Women, paid work, and superannuation in Victoria, Australia. Sage Open, 5(3). Sage Publications, 2158244015597966. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015597966
