The Silent Struggle: Mental Distress among Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care Students in South Africa
1
Emergency Medical Care and Rescue, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa
2
Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A2491
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care (BEMC) students are trained to qualify as the highest level of paramedics in South Africa and routinely work in high-pressure settings, including long shifts in unpredictable environments, exposure to critically ill or dying patients, and intensive rescue activities. Evidence on the prevalence of mental distress within this group is limited. This study aimed to address that gap.
METHODS:
A cross-sectional study was conducted using validated mental health instruments: the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-R), and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), along with demographic variables. The electronic survey was distributed to students from three of the four South African universities offering the BEMC programme. Of the 366 eligible BEMC students, 139 completed the survey.
RESULTS:
Most students reported moderate to high perceived stress (n = 125; 89.9%), personal burnout (n = 100; 79.1%), work-related burnout (n = 107; 77%), and nearly half screened positive for probable PTSD (n = 66; 47,5%). Many students (n = 44; 31.7%) reported subthreshold depression symptoms, 12.9% (n = 18) met the criteria for major depressive episode (MDE), and 7.2% (n = 10) were classified as having probable MDE. There was a significant association between perceived stress and work-related burnout (p < .001).
CONCLUSIONS:
Mental distress was highly prevalent amongst BEMC students, signaling a critical challenge for emergency medical care training as well as potential health and workforce concerns for the South African emergency medical care profession. Beyond understanding the contributing factors and developing evidence-informed guidelines, there is a need to intentionally integrate mental health strategies into the BEMC curriculum.
Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care (BEMC) students are trained to qualify as the highest level of paramedics in South Africa and routinely work in high-pressure settings, including long shifts in unpredictable environments, exposure to critically ill or dying patients, and intensive rescue activities. Evidence on the prevalence of mental distress within this group is limited. This study aimed to address that gap.
METHODS:
A cross-sectional study was conducted using validated mental health instruments: the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-R), and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), along with demographic variables. The electronic survey was distributed to students from three of the four South African universities offering the BEMC programme. Of the 366 eligible BEMC students, 139 completed the survey.
RESULTS:
Most students reported moderate to high perceived stress (n = 125; 89.9%), personal burnout (n = 100; 79.1%), work-related burnout (n = 107; 77%), and nearly half screened positive for probable PTSD (n = 66; 47,5%). Many students (n = 44; 31.7%) reported subthreshold depression symptoms, 12.9% (n = 18) met the criteria for major depressive episode (MDE), and 7.2% (n = 10) were classified as having probable MDE. There was a significant association between perceived stress and work-related burnout (p < .001).
CONCLUSIONS:
Mental distress was highly prevalent amongst BEMC students, signaling a critical challenge for emergency medical care training as well as potential health and workforce concerns for the South African emergency medical care profession. Beyond understanding the contributing factors and developing evidence-informed guidelines, there is a need to intentionally integrate mental health strategies into the BEMC curriculum.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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