Exploring Police Officers' Susceptibility to Posttraumatic Stress and Growth After Trauma

Date
2017-06
Authors
Horswill, Samantha Christine
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Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina
Abstract

Traumatic exposure is a frequently-occurring facet of policing, yet relatively little research has been done on posttraumatic outcomes in Canadian federal and municipal officers. Given that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in police populations represents a significant health concern and economic burden, clarifying risk and resilience factors for posttraumatic adversity or resilience would inform screening, training, assessment, and treatment for Canadian police. The current dissertation presents cross-sectional, mixed-methods data investigating the relationship between psychosocial variables (i.e., anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty, childhood adversity, personality, work disengagement, hope, optimism, perceived social support) and trauma-related outcomes (i.e., PTSD, posttraumatic growth, anxiety, depression) in a sample of 500 RCMP and municipal officers deployed in Saskatchewan. Written feedback from a subset of the sample was analyzed using qualitative thematic network analysis to triangulate the quantitative findings. Within the sample, 25% of RCMP officers and 12% of municipal officers met criteria for probable PTSD. Mean comparisons with external samples indicated the RCMP participants reported greater PTSD severity than undergraduate or community samples, whereas the municipal participants reported lower or equivalent severity relative to undergraduate and community samples. Both groups reported lower PTSD severity than American military and veteran samples. Several psychosocial variables were statistically significantly (p<.05) associated with PTSD (i.e., high AS, high IU, low social support, low optimism) and posttraumatic growth (i.e., greater PTSD severity, low agreeableness, more adverse childhood experiences) for both RCMP and municipal participants. In addition, high neuroticism and high AS were associated with greater anxiety symptoms, whereas high AS, low optimism, and decreased work engagement were associated with greater depression symptoms. Unique relationships between psychosocial variables and the trauma-related outcome variables for either the RCMP participants or the municipal participants are described. Qualitative analysis identified three global themes: health is possible; trauma feels pervasive; and more work is needed. The current dissertation supports the importance of considering differences and similarities between various policing organizations even within the same provincial or national context. Comprehensive results, implications, and directions for future research are discussed.

Description
A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology, University of Regina. xiii, 233 p.
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