Associations of Specific Stressors, Neuroticism, and Perceived Stress Among Police Officers

Abstract

s / Annals of Epidemiology 24 (2014) 682e702 688 Purpose: Disaster responders work among poorly characterized physical and psychological hazards with little understood regarding health consequences of their work. We carried out a cross-sectional study to investigate environmental exposures and potentially associated health effects among U.S. Coast Guard emergency workers who responded to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Methods: A post-deployment survey administered to 2,834 U.S. Coast Guard Katrina/Rita responders provided data on exposures and health effects. Prevalence odds ratios (PORs) evaluated associations between baseline characteristics, missions, exposures and health effects. Results: The most frequent exposures were animal/insect vector (N1⁄41,309, 46%) and floodwater (N1⁄4817, 29%); the most frequent health effects were sunburn (N1⁄41,119; 39%) and heat stress (N1⁄4810; 30%). Mold exposure accounted for the greatest proportion (12.6%) of medical treatment sought of all exposures queried, while slips, trips and falls accounted for the greatest proportion (28%) of medical treatment sought of all health effects. About 33% of responders reported <5 hours of sleep on average per night. Significant positive associations were found for mold exposure and sinus infection (POR1⁄410.39); carbon monoxide and confusion (POR1⁄46.27); lack of sleep and slips, trips, falls (POR1⁄43.34); lack of sleep and depression (POR1⁄43.01); and being a Gulf-state responder and depression (POR1⁄43.22). Conclusion: Increasing protection for disaster responders requires provisions for adequate sleep, personal protective equipment, and access to medical and psychological support. Continued surveillance and evaluation of health outcomes in disaster responders is critical to promote and ensure their continued health and by extension, that of the population at large. P24. Associations of Specific Stressors, Neuroticism, and Perceived Stress Among Police Officers John M. Violanti PhD, Anna Mnatsakanova PhD, Michael E. Andrew PhD, Desta Ferkedulegn PhD, Tara A. Hartley PhD. SUNY at BUffalo Purpose: Examine associations of police work stressors with perceived stress and whether neuroticism, a personality trait indicating negative affect and poor adaptation, influenced this association. Methods: The Spielberger Police Stress Survey, Perceived Stress Scale, and the NEO-FF-I were utilized in this cross-sectional study of 380 police officers. Linear regression and ANCOVA were used to examine mean perceived stress levels across quartiles of police stressor scores (total, administrative, danger and lack of support). Associations were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, alcohol use, smoking status, and stratified by high ( median) versus low (<median) neuroticism scores. Results: The mean age of officers was 41.6 years and 27% were female. Adjusted mean perceived stress increased significantly with increasing total police stressor scores (p<0.001) and for administrative, danger, and lack of support stressors (p<0.001, p<0.010, and p<0.001, respectively). Only for neuroticism scores above the median was perceived stress significantly associated with increasing total stress scores (p<0.004) and administrative, and support stressors (p<0.001 and p<0.0002 respectively). The stress of danger was not significantly associated with increased perceived stress (p<0.221) for those high in neuroticism. Conclusions: Specific types of stressors in police work were significantly associated with perceived stress and this association was evident among officers with higher but not lower levels of neuroticism. Administrative stress and lack of support by police organizations appeared to exacerbate perceived stress among officers high in neuroticism more than the danger of this occupation. Previous research shows that high levels of neuroticism may actually be adaptive in dangerous situations. P25. A Review of Human Exposure to Dichloromethane, Perchloroethylene and Carbon Tetrachloride in China Cuiju Wen MD, Bryan A. Bassig, Roel Vermeulen, Wei Jie Seow, Wei Hu, Mark P. Purdue, Hanlin Huang, Nathaniel Rothman, Qing Lan. National