Investigating the Interplay of Stress, Emotional Intelligence, and Work-life Balance among the Ambulance Personnel

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the interplay of stress, emotional intelligence, and work-life balance among ambulance personnel.

Methods: This study is a descriptive-correlational involving 120 ambulance paramedics personnel with at least 2 years of experience and were recruited from two regional ambulance services. Online self-assessment questionnaires were administered from April through June 2023.  Descriptive statistics (i.e. frequency distribution, mean, SD) and inferential statistics to explore relationships between variables.

Results: Ambulance personnel work long, demanding hours (often exceeding 10 hours daily) with frequent night calls and weekend duties, leading to fatigue and moderate stress (average score 87.07). Though they display high emotional intelligence, their work-life balance suffers (score 41.26), particularly due to work intruding on their personal life. Higher emotional intelligence is linked to slightly increased stress but also slightly better work-life balance.

Conclusions: Despite having a high emotional intelligence, ambulance personnel struggle with considerable stress and fatigue due to their busy schedules and poor work-life balance. Although there are links between these parameters, more study is still required. It is still essential for their performance and general well-being to prioritize sleep, breaks, and healthier work habits.