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other·public health, psychiatry, epidemiology, emergency medicine, observational study·PMC10163716

Causes of stress and poor wellbeing among paramedic students in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom: a cross-cultural qualitative study

BMC Health Services Research · 4 authors, 5 centres

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TL;DR

It identified four major similar stressors in both cultures: exposure to traumatic events, relationship and communication issues, programme atmosphere, and career concerns.

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A qualitative exploratory study used reflexive thematic analysis of 20 semi-structured interviews with paramedicine students from Saudi Arabia and the UK to identify factors affecting their wellbeing. Four major themes emerged: exposure to potentially traumatic events (e.g., during clinical placements), challenges in relationships and communication (with faculty, peers, and training proctors), issues with programme atmosphere (like course structure and support), and pressures related to future career expectations. The study found that these stressors were similar across both cultural contexts.

STUDY TYPE

other

SPECIALTY

public health

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AI pipeline

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100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10163716

Causes of stress and poor wellbeing among paramedic students in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom: a cross-cultural qualitative study

BMC Health Services Research

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ABSTRACT

Background Paramedicine presents students with numerous challenges, including factors threatening their wellbeing. Over the last two decades studies have illustrated that paramedics and paramedic students are more likely to have mental disorders than the general population. These findings suggest that course-related factors could be important in contributing to poorer mental health. However, few studies have examined factors related to stress in paramedic students, and none of these have included paramedic students from cross-culture. To address this, the present study (1) explored paramedicine students’ training experiences and other education-related factors that could affect their wellbeing, and (2) illustrated the possible differences and similarities between two cultures (Saudi Arabia and the UK) to determine whether the students’ cultural environment influenced factors related to their wellbeing. Methods A qualitative exploratory research design was used. Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with paramedicine students from the United Kingdom and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (ten participants from each country). Reflexive thematic analysis was employed as the analytical approach in this study. Results Four major themes were identified which captured the contributors to paramedic students’ stress levels: (1) exposure to potentially traumatic events, (2) relationships and communication, illustrating the student’s personal and professional experiences with others, (3) programme atmosphere, demonstrating the challenges and support students encounter during their coursework and training, and (4) career, elucidating the pressure of future career expectations and predictions. Conclusion The study revealed contributors to stress were similar in both countries. Better preparation can help to reduce the negative impacts of the possible traumatic events encountered on placements and supportive relationships, especially with proctors, can boost student wellbeing. Universities are able to address both these factors and help foster a positive environment for paramedicine students. As such, these results should help educators and policymakers when identifying and delivering interventions to support paramedic students.

CITATION EXPORT

Adnan Alzahrani, Chris Keyworth, Caitlin Wilson et al.. Causes of stress and poor wellbeing among paramedic students in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom: a cross-cultural qualitative study. BMC Health Services Research. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09374-y

AUTHORS

4 · 5 CENTRES

Adnan Alzahrani, Chris Keyworth, Caitlin Wilson, Judith Johnson

1grid.9909.90000 0004 1936 8403School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS29JT UK
2grid.56302.320000 0004 1773 5396Department of Basic Science, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz College for Emergency Medical Services, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11466 Saudi Arabia
3grid.439906.10000 0001 0176 7287Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Wakefield, UK
4grid.418447.a0000 0004 0391 9047Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK
5grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia