Authors
West-C; Bernard-B; Mueller-C; Kitt-M; Driscoll-R; Tak-S
Source
J Occup Environ Med 2008 Jun; 50(6):689-695
Abstract
Objective: We examined symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) personnel who provided law enforcement and relief services to affected communities following Hurricane Katrina. Methods: we conducted a cross-sectional survey of mental health outcomes related to personal and work-related exposures of police personnel 8 weeks after the Hurricane. Results: Of the 912 police personnel who completed the questionnaire, 227 (26%) reported symptoms consistent with depression and 170 (19%) reported symptoms consistent with PTSD. Risk factors associated with PTSD include recovery of bodies, crowd control, assault, and injury to a family member. Depressive symptoms were associated with rare family contact, uninhabitable home, isolation from the NOPD, assault, and injury to a family member. Conclusions: Police personnel reported symptoms of PTSD and depression associated with work-related and personal factors following Hurricane Katrina.
Keywords
Risk-factors; Analytical-models; Risk-analysis; Mental-fatigue; Mental-health; Mental-stress; Police-officers; Psychological-adaptation; Psychological-effects; Psychological-factors; Psychological-fatigue; Psychological-reactions; Psychological-stress; Questionnaires
Contact
Christine West, NIOSH, CDC, DSHEFS, 4676 Columbia Pkwy R-10, Cincinnati, OH 45226
Document Type
Journal Article
Email Address
cawest@cdc.gov
Source Name
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine