Status and correlations of psychological distress, job satisfaction, and sleep quality among prehospital emergency medical personnel in Guangzhou

Jiarui LIANG; Huilin JIANG; Baoling WU; Hanxiang GONG; Jiangli WU; Tongtong DENG; Zhengyu CHEN; Xiaohui CHEN

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Status and correlations of psychological distress, job satisfaction, and sleep quality among prehospital emergency medical personnel in Guangzhou

VernacularTitle:广州市院前急救医护人员心理困扰、工作满意度和睡眠质量现状及相关性研究
Author: Jiarui LIANG ¹ ; Huilin JIANG ¹ ; Baoling WU ¹ ; Hanxiang GONG ¹ ; Jiangli WU ² ; Tongtong DENG ² ; Zhengyu CHEN ³ ; Xiaohui CHEN ¹
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1. The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510260, China.
2. .
3. The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.
Publication Type:Investigation
Keywords: prehospital emergency medical personnel; psychological distress; job satisfaction; sleep quality; mediation effect
From: Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2026;43(5):614-620
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: Background Prehospital emergency medical personnel (PEMP) are exposed to long-term high-pressure work, which can exacerbate psychological distress and impair job satisfaction and sleep quality. However, in-depth research on the interactions among these factors is lacking. Objective To assess the status of psychological distress, job satisfaction, and sleep quality of PEMP in Guangzhou and to explore the mediating role of sleep quality in the relationship between psychological distress and job satisfaction. Methods From February to May 2025, 1085 PEMP from "120" emergency network hospitals in Guangzhou were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected via the General Information Questionnaire, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0, and The mediation model of sleep quality in linking psychological distress and job satisfaction was constructed using AMOS 28.0. The bias-corrected Bootstrap method was employed to assessed the significance of the mediating effect. Results A total of 1063 valid responses were received (97.97% valid response rate). The mean scores were: psychological distress (27.99±10.75), job satisfaction (69.45±15.84), and sleep quality (9.82±4.47). Significant differences in the three scores were found across gender, age, monthly night shift frequency, and hospital grade (P<0.05). Higher job satisfaction was linked to lower psychological distress and better sleep quality and its dimensions, while psychological distress directly correlated with poorer sleep quality (P<0.01). Sleep quality partially mediated the relationship between psychological distress and job satisfaction, with a mediating effect of −0.195, accounting for 43.62% of the total effect. Conclusion The participants report moderate psychological distress, moderate-to-high job satisfaction, and poor sleep quality. Psychological distress directly affects job satisfaction and indirectly through its impact on sleep quality. Interventions aimed at improving sleep health and mental health are essential to improve personnel well-being and work efficiency.