Health Needs Assessment: Development and Validation of a Simplified Risk Probability Scale (SRPS) for Mental Health Screening in COVID-19 Frontline Rescue Teams

Frontline rescue workers during the COVID-19 pandemic faced heightened psychological risks, yet existing tools like PHQ-9 and GAD-7 lack crisis-specific relevance and brevity. This study aimed to develop and validate a simplified risk probability scale (SRPS) tailored for rapid self-assessment of depression and anxiety in frontline rescue teams. A cross-sectional survey of 273 frontline workers in Lanzhou, China, was conducted using snowball sampling. Participants completed questionnaires integrating socio-economic, occupational, and psychological metrics, analyzed via univariate, multivariate, and ROC curve analyses. Key findings revealed middle-income earners (3000–4000 CNY/month) faced elevated depression risk [OR=3.666, 95%CI (1.085-12.385), p=0.036], while work stress intolerance strongly predicted anxiety [OR=14.258, 95%CI (4.213-58.983), p<0.001]. The SRPS demonstrated moderate predictive accuracy (depression AUC=0.572, sensitivity=58.2%, specificity=53.7%; anxiety AUC=0.662, sensitivity=72.5%, specificity=64.8%)] but prioritized brevity (10 items) and contextual relevance over diagnostic precision. The tool’s integration into mobile health platforms offers real-time screening potential, enabling targeted interventions for high-risk groups. This study highlights the necessity of context-specific mental health tools in crisis settings and provides a foundation for scalable, dynamic risk assessment in future public health emergencies.