Is suicide higher among separated/retired police officers? An epidemiological investigation

Details

• Personal Author:
  Andrew, Michael E. ; Burchfiel CM ; Charles LE ; Fekedulegn D ; Gu JK ; Violanti JM
• Description:
  It is often assumed that separated or retired officers are at increased risk for suicide. The goal of this study was to compare police suicide rates between currently working and separated/retired officers. A 55-year retrospective mortality police cohort was utilized consisting of 3,228 officers who worked between January 1, 1950 and December 31, 2005. Poisson regression and survival analysis were used for comparisons. Adjusted for age and years of service, suicide rates were 8.4 (95% CI = 3.8-18.7) times higher in working officers vs. separated/retired officers (110.5 vs. 13.1 per 100,000 person-years respectively). Survival time to suicide was significantly lower (p<0.0001) for current working officers, suggesting suicide in a significantly shorter time span. Previous research indicates that the majority of suicides in working officers occur in the five years just prior to retirement eligibility, suggesting a period of decision anxiety. Results suggest a higher risk of suicide among working compared to separated/retired officers. However, the need for suicide prevention efforts remains important among both active and retired police officers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Emergency Responders Law Enforcement Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Suicide
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Police BCOPS Emergency Responders Mental Health Police Officers Psychological Effects Retirees Statistical-analysis Stress Suicide Rates Survival Time

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• ISSN:
  1522-4821
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant ; Contract
• 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:
  221-228
• Volume:
  13
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20041197
• Citation:
  Int J Emerg Mental Health 2011 Oct; 13(4):221-228
• Email:
  violanti@buffalo.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Performing Organization:
  State University of New York at Buffalo
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20100901
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Emergency Mental Health
• End Date:
  20150831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7d875a179aacb1a864547029caf7c1d042271bfd4d4f96b4889f77e2d4579bdb03647d3ae24f41748454395af221c579046274b3e102c6a4e10895839a0a60c1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/193807/cdc_193807_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 329.38 KB ]