Predictors of the Development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Police Officers

Abstract

This retrospective study examined risk and protective factors for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of 132 Canadian police officers. Structured interviews were conducted in order to assess the most distressing work-related traumatic events and determine diagnoses of full or partial PTSD. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires assessing several potential predictors. The results suggested that 7.6% of the participants developed full PTSD, whereas 6.8% had partial PTSD following an incident at work. A multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that the most potent risk factor for the development of full or partial PTSD was peritraumatic dissociation. Social support from colleagues during the event emerged as a significant protective factor. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• police
• predictors
• predictive factors
• risk factors
• protective factors

This study was supported by scholarships awarded to the first author by the Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la société et la culture and the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (Occupational Health and Safety Research Institute Robert-Sauvé) (IRSST), and by a research grant awarded to the second and third authors by the IRSST.