Experiences of (Potentially) Traumatizing Deployments and Posttraumatic Stress in Police Officers - An Exploratory Survey of Early Career Police Officers

Abstract

As part of their career police officers are faced with traumatic events on a regular basis and are at a higher risk of developing PTSD compared to the general population. The aim of this study was to examine if and how many early career police officers already experienced potentially traumatizing situations and how many conform to either subsyndromal or complete PTSD criteria. Further subject of interest was if the officers know the concept of psychosocial emergency care for first responders (PSNV-E) and if such support is made use of. N=221 early career police officers were assessed via an online-survey about their posttraumatic stress symptoms. More than half of the participants (n=121) reported having experienced at least one traumatic deployment. PTSD prevalence in this group was at 1.7%, an additional 14.9% showed partial PTSD. One fifth did not know about the PSNV-E concept. Police officers are confronted with a range of extremely stressful events early in their career leading to first symptoms of PTSD in some of them. Early prevention strategies as well as the identification of those affected for secondary prevention is of very high relevance for long term mental health.