Family and friends supporting the mental health of paramedics

Do you love, live with, or support a paramedic experiencing mental ill-health or suicidal distress symptoms?

There are over 21,000 paramedics registered in Australia. Paramedics are regularly ranked as one of the most trusted professions in Australia. But due to the high stress, exposure to trauma, long and shifting work hours and low rates of help-seeking – ambulance service personnel are nearly twice as likely as the general population to experience mental ill-health.

What is Everymind doing to help?

Paramedics experience higher levels of psychological distress, trauma, PTSD and suicidal behaviour. We know that family and friends provide most of the practical and emotional support, so your support is key to improving the mental health and wellbeing of paramedics. While rewarding, this support role can impact your time, energy, finances and emotions. Our new program aims to reduce these impacts and prevent mental ill-health and suicidal distress in family and friends.

How does the research project work?

As part of the trial of our new program, you will be invited to take a series of online surveys on REDCap, a secure and confidential online survey platform.

After the first survey you will be allocated into two groups:

Group A. You will receive automatic access to the program and a social forum to connect with other family and friends supporting a paramedic. You will take an online survey after finishing the program and again six months later. You will also be invited to an optional phone interview seeking feedback on the program, social forum and your experiences as a caregiver.

Group B. You will receive the program after eight weeks. Before you access the program, we will ask you to complete a second survey. If you are part of this second group, you still play a very important role in our research project. We appreciate your patience while you wait to access the program.

Participation in this research is completely voluntary and unpaid. You can go in the draw to win a grocery voucher by sharing your insights in our surveys. Read the Participant Information Sheet to learn more.

This project is funded under a Veterans and First Responders Mental Health Grant Program, provided through a collaboration between Movember and The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. Our project partners include The University of Newcastle, NSW Ambulance and Fortem Australia.