# General Health (GHQ-28/CGHQ-28) and Psychosocial Risks (COPSOQ-ISTAS21) in Prehospital Emergency Professionals: A Pre-COVID-19 Cross-Sectional Study in Southern Spain

## TL;DR

This study found that prehospital emergency workers in Spain had good self-perceived health but faced high psychosocial stress, including work-family conflict and low esteem.

## Contribution

The study provides a pre-COVID-19 baseline for psychosocial risks and health in prehospital emergency professionals in Spain.

## Key findings

- Most participants reported good self-perceived health, but chronic difficulties like anxiety and insomnia were common.
- High exposure to psychosocial risks such as psychological demands and work-family conflict was observed across roles and shifts.
- Double presence (work-family conflict) was most strongly linked to chronic distress.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
Cross-sectional, pre-COVID-19 (July–September 2019) study of prehospital emergency professionals (061 Health Emergency Center, Granada, Spain; n = 51) assessing general health and psychosocial risks.Uses GHQ-28/CGHQ-28 and COPSOQ-ISTAS21 to quantify self-perceived health, chronic strain, and exposure across key dimensions (psychological demands, double presence/work–family conflict, esteem, support/leadership).

Cross-sectional, pre-COVID-19 (July–September 2019) study of prehospital emergency professionals (061 Health Emergency Center, Granada, Spain; n = 51) assessing general health and psychosocial risks.

Uses GHQ-28/CGHQ-28 and COPSOQ-ISTAS21 to quantify self-perceived health, chronic strain, and exposure across key dimensions (psychological demands, double presence/work–family conflict, esteem, support/leadership).

What are the implications of the main findings?
Despite good self-perceived health, chronic difficulties were common and exposure to adverse psychosocial dimensions was high—notably psychological demands, double presence, and esteem—across sex, shift type, and role.Actionable implications: Prioritize organizational measures to reduce demands and work–family conflict, strengthen leadership and peer support, and establish routine monitoring (GHQ-28 + COPSOQ-ISTAS21); the study provides a pre-COVID-19 baseline for future comparisons.

Despite good self-perceived health, chronic difficulties were common and exposure to adverse psychosocial dimensions was high—notably psychological demands, double presence, and esteem—across sex, shift type, and role.

Actionable implications: Prioritize organizational measures to reduce demands and work–family conflict, strengthen leadership and peer support, and establish routine monitoring (GHQ-28 + COPSOQ-ISTAS21); the study provides a pre-COVID-19 baseline for future comparisons.

Background: Prehospital emergency professionals are exposed to high psychosocial demands that may impact their mental health, but pre-COVID-19 baseline data from Spanish services are scarce. This study aimed to assess the general health and psychosocial risk factors in a regional prehospital emergency service before the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study (September–December 2019) including 51 physicians, nurses, and emergency medical technicians working at the 061 Health Emergency Center in Granada (Andalusia, Spain). General health and chronic problems were assessed with the Goldberg General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28/CGHQ-28), and work-related psychosocial risks were evaluated using the COPSOQ-ISTAS21 questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, group comparisons, and exploratory Spearman correlations between health indicators and psychosocial dimensions were performed. Results: Most participants reported good self-perceived general health, but the chronic coding of the GHQ (CGHQ-28) indicated long-term difficulties mainly related to social dysfunction, somatic symptoms, and anxiety/insomnia. Exposure to unfavorable psychosocial risk was frequent, particularly in psychological demands, double presence (work–family conflict), and low esteem, with intermediate–unfavorable patterns in active job/development, insecurity, and social support/leadership. Exploratory correlations suggested that double presence was the psychosocial factor most consistently associated with chronic distress. Conclusions: In this pre-COVID-19 cohort of prehospital emergency professionals, good perceived general health coexisted with chronic psychological strain and high exposure to adverse psychosocial work factors. These findings support the need for organizational measures to reduce psychological demands and work–family conflict and to strengthen social support and leadership in prehospital emergency teams.