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

说明(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洛杉矶圣伯纳德教区维持治安的警察的长期影响。我们将检查警察中与心理症状学有关的联系，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、复原力和创伤后成长。根据初步评估的结果，我们计划在未来的工作中，制订最适合帮助受影响人员处理问题的干预策略。 公共卫生相关性：暴露在自然灾害中可能会导致创伤后应激障碍和其他心理异常的长期后遗症。负责第一反应维持秩序、救援和恢复的警察，以及他们自己的个人损失，面临着更大的风险，因为这种长期影响。这项研究提出了卡特里娜飓风后对圣伯纳德教区警长部门的长期心理和社会影响的评估，以及可能减轻这种影响的保护性因素。

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.