Psychological Readiness and Stress Management Among Health Security Officers During Medical Emergencies

Abstract

Background: Health security officers play a critical role in maintaining safety and continuity within healthcare environments, especially during medical emergencies. Their responsibilities require a high degree of psychological readiness and the ability to manage stress effectively. Understanding their preparedness and coping capacity is essential to ensuring efficient emergency response and maintaining overall institutional resilience.

Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 210 health security officers working in healthcare facilities. A stratified random sampling method was used. Data were collected through a validated, self-administered questionnaire that included demographic information, a Psychological Readiness Scale, a Stress Management Scale, and an Emergency Experience Checklist. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 28. Descriptive statistics summarized the sample, while t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and regression analyses examined associations between variables. A significance level of p < 0.05 was used.

Results: Most officers were male (75.2%) and aged 30–39 years (41.9%). A majority had formal emergency training (77.1%) and participated in real emergencies (65.7%). Psychological readiness was generally high, with 62.9% scoring in the high range and the strongest domain being knowledge of emergency protocols (65.7%). Stress management levels were moderate overall: 43.8% demonstrated good coping ability, 40% moderate, and 16.2% poor. A significant positive correlation was found between psychological readiness and stress management (r = 0.48, p = 0.001), indicating that officers with higher readiness tended to manage stress more effectively.

Conclusion: Health security officers demonstrated strong psychological readiness but only moderate levels of stress management, revealing a meaningful gap between preparedness and coping capacity. Training exposure and emergency experience enhanced readiness, while stress management varied across individuals. Strengthening institutional support systems and integrating structured resilience and stress-management programs may enhance both preparedness and well-being, ultimately improving emergency response effectiveness.