Mental Health Outcomes in Police Personnel After Hurricane Katrina

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bernard, Bruce P. ; Driscoll, Richard J. ; Kitt M ; Mueller, Charles A. ; Tak S ; West C
• Description:
  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. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Fatigue Law Enforcement Mental Disorders Mental Health Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Stress, Psychological Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Analytical-models Mental-fatigue Mental-health Mental-stress Police-officers Psychological-adaptation Psychological-effects Psychological-factors Psychological-fatigue Psychological-reactions Psychological-stress Questionnaires Risk-analysis Risk-factors

  More +
• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  50
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20034108
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2008 Jun; 50(6):689-695
• Contact Point Address:
  Christine West, NIOSH, CDC, DSHEFS, 4676 Columbia Pkwy R-10, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  cawest@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:feabc6da2b4ee6e11aeed54e6d39f0170a0f7f002fafca95fcd1397c418aef73b157975863e13c7829b3267b40aac663e0a2b12212be08b4d743ae4478137d58
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/189474/cdc_189474_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 174.93 KB ]