Background: Workplace sense of belonging is an important contributor to health and wellbeing. It may be even more important for paramedics to buffer against distress inherent in the workplace. To date, however, there has been no research on paramedic workplace sense of belonging and wellbeing.
Methods: Using network analysis, this study aimed to identify the dynamic relationships of workplace sense of belonging in paramedics with variables associated with wellbeing and ill-being-identity, coping self-efficacy and unhealthy coping. Participants were a convenience sample of 72 employed paramedics.
Results: The results showed workplace sense of belonging linked to other variables through distress, distinguishable by the relationship with unhealthy coping for wellbeing and ill-being. The relationships between identity (perfectionism and sense of self) as well as the relationship between perfectionism and unhealthy coping were stronger for those with ill-being than observed for those with wellbeing.
Conclusions: These results identified the mechanisms by which the paramedicine workplace can contribute to distress and unhealthy coping strategies, which can lead to mental illnesses. They also highlight contributions of individual components of sense of belonging highlighting potential targets for interventions to reduce the risk of psychological distress and unhealthy coping amongst paramedics in the workplace.
Keywords: Belonging; Connectedness; First responders; Mental health; Workplace.
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