Police Trauma and Cardiovascular Disease: Association Between PTSD Symptoms and Metabolic Syndrome

Details

• Personal Author:
  Andrew, Michael E. ; Charles LE ; Fekedulegn D ; Hartley TA ; Mnatsakanova A ; Violanti JM
• Description:
  Although prior evidence exists concerning the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cardiovascular disease, few studies have examined associations of PTSD symptomatology and the metabolic syndrome in the high stress occupation of police work. The metabolic syndrome is a clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factors that have also been independently associated with psychological conditions. The aim of this study was to examine associations between the PTSD symptoms and metabolic syndrome in police officers. A stratified sample of 115 police officers was randomly selected from the Buffalo, NY Police Department. PTSD symptoms were measured with the Impact of Event scale (IES), divided into categories of subclinical, mild, moderate and severe symptom levels. The metabolic syndrome was considered present if three or more of its component parameters (obesity, elevated blood pressure, reduced high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, and abnormal glucose levels) were present in each officer. Results indicated a significantly increased prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among those officers in the severe PTSD symptom category compared with the lowest PTSD severity category (prevalence ratio (PR) = 3.31, 95% C.1. = 1.19 - 9.22). Adjustment for age did not alter the association appreciably (PR = 3.12, 95% CI. = 1.15 - 8.50). Adjustment for several demographic and lifestyle factors (age, education, smoking, alcohol intake) reduced the magnitude of the prevalence ratio slightly for the severe versus subclinical PTSD category (PR = 2.69, 95% C/. = 0.79 - 9.13), with adjustment for age and education accounting for most of the attenuation (PR = 2.71, 95% C/. = 0.99-7.37). Thus, officers with severe PTSD symptoms were approximately three times more likely to have the metabolic syndrome and education may account for some of this association. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular System Law Enforcement Occupational Health Risk Assessment Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Police BCOPS Cardiovascular Disease Metabolic Disorders Metabolic Syndrome Police Officers Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Posttraumatic Stress Disorder PTSD Risk Analysis
• ISSN:
  1522-4821
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  227-238
• Volume:
  8
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20031229
• Citation:
  Int J Emerg Mental Health 2006 Oct-Dec; 8(4):227-238
• Email:
  violanti@buffalo.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• Performing Organization:
  University of New York at Buffalo
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19980930
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Emergency Mental Health
• End Date:
  20000929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8786781202d236eb02cad9ff8436e2cca13809278025c21147a7252cdd8eeda49f99d989048d491486604a9f77c66e19ac198fc7b97af61a12b2b84caa8321d1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/191540/cdc_191540_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.63 MB ]