Long-term Psychosocial Impact on Police Officers: Post-Hurricance Katrina

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案旨在研究卡特里娜飓风过后对在受灾最严重的地区之一路易斯安那州圣伯纳德教区负责治安灾难的警察的长期影响。我们将研究警察与心理症状学的关联，包括创伤后应激障碍、感知压力和抑郁。分析还将包括针对压力和创伤的潜在保护因素，包括组织和社会支持、弹性和创伤后成长。根据初步评估的结果，我们计划在未来的工作中制定最适合帮助受影响警官解决问题的干预策略。 公共卫生相关性：遭受自然灾害可能会导致创伤后应激和其他心理异常的长期后遗症。警察负责维持秩序、救援和恢复以及他们自己的个人损失的第一反应，因此面临着这种长期影响的更大风险。本研究提出了卡特里娜飓风过后对圣伯纳德教区治安部门的长期心理和社会影响的评估；以及可以减轻这种影响的保护因素。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The present proposal seeks to examine the long term post- hurricane Katrina impact on police officers who policed the disaster in St. Bernard Parish, LA, one of the most devastated areas. We will examine associations in police officers concerning psychological symptomatology, to include posttraumatic stress disorder, perceived stress, and depression. Analyses will also include potential protective factors against stress and trauma, to include organization and social support, resiliency, and posttraumatic growth. Based on results from this initial assessment, we plan to develop, in future work, intervention strategies which are best suited for helping affected officers deal with their problems. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Exposure to natural disasters may lead to long term sequalae of posttraumatic stress and other psychological anomalies. The police, charged with first response maintenance of order, rescue and recovery, and their own personal losses, are at increased risk for such long term effects. This study proposes a post hurricane Katrina assessment of long term psychological and social impact on the St. Bernard Parish Sherriff's Department; as well as protective factors which may ameliorate such an impact.