Study Sheds Light on Substance Use in First Responders During COVID-19 Pandemic

First responders such as law enforcement personnel, firefighters and emergency medical service providers experienced increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression due to job-related pressures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study shows.

Additionally, their exposure to work-related stress during this time, first responders may have been at considerable risk of developing problematic substance use, according to a study by Florida Atlantic University.

University researchers and collaborators used a nationwide online survey to assess the experiences of 2,801 first responders serving in police departments, fire stations and EMS agencies during the early stages of COVID-19 from late 2020 to early 2021.

Researchers examined the mediating impact of burnout on the associations between work pressure, workplace support strategies, COVID-related support strategies and problematic substance use.

Findings of the study, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, was summarized by Newswise:

• Nearly 61% of respondents reported no concerns with substance use.
• Nearly 40% of respondents reported using substances to relieve emotional discomfort.
• Roughly 22% of respondents reported using more substances than they meant to use.
• One-in-five respondents reported that they could not cut down on substance use.
• Only 7.2% of respondents reported neglecting responsibilities because of substance use.
• For problematic substance use, firefighters (12.7%) had a slightly higher score than EMTs (11.4%) and police officers (8.1%).

While researchers found that general workplace support strategies such as decompression spaces reduced problematic substance use, some COVID-related strategies such as compensation during quarantine increased problematic substance use.

This research was funded by the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at The Ohio State University.