A Cross-sectional Analysis of Traumatic Stress and Burnout Symptoms in Search and Rescue Volunteers

Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers are regularly exposed to traumatic events in their work, leading to increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes, burnout, and stress injuries. This study was designed to estimate the prevalence of mental health and burnout symptoms among SAR volunteers.

A cross-sectional study of SAR volunteers in all 64 counties in Colorado was conducted between November 9^th-30^th 2021. The survey included the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, short-form Beck Hopelessness Scale, and Substance Use Behavior Scale. Analysis of data was conducted using SPSS version 28. This study was approved by the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board, Protocol #: 22-0246.

We had a 23% response rate with 657 survey responses out of 2800 of all volunteers in the state. 47 out of 52 SAR agencies were represented in the survey. Age of participants was 47 ± 21, 26% identified as female, and 97% identified as non-Hispanic White. We found that 24% are experiencing worsening health status, with 26% with some level of burnout, while 54% are at risk for burnout. 25.5% reported intrusive experiences, 10% were at risk for suicide, and 1/3 met criteria for alcohol use disorder. Between 10-33% of SAR volunteers reported severe enough symptoms to qualify for immediate mental health referrals.

The effects of stress injuries are of paramount importance to the SAR community as they can increase risk factors that lead to adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Burnout and stress levels among SAR are higher than the general population and comparable to other first-responder groups, including firefighters, police, emergency medical systems, and emergency and critical care health workers.