Direct assistance to victims in rescue operations as a risk factor for post-traumatic stress disorder in police officers: The experience of the Toulouse disaster in 2001

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Nelly Agrinier, MD ◽  
Artus Albessard, MD ◽  
Valerie Schwoebel, MD, PhD ◽  
Eloi Diène, MD ◽  
Thierry Lang, MD, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Medical Assistance ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Post Traumatic

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (S-PTSD) in police personnel involved in rescue operations after the AZF chemical plant explosion in Toulouse, France, on September 21, 2001, and the relationship between S-PTSD and the type of rescue operation.Design: A cross-sectional survey was performed, using a mailed questionnaire.Participants: Six hundred and thirty-five out of 1,500 rescue operations police officers participated in the study. All were involved with the explosion site after the industrial disaster.Main outcome measure: The outcome variable was the presence of S-PTSD.The explanatory variables were the level of exposure during the rescue tasks.Statistics: Logistic regression was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (OR).Results: The prevalence of S-PTSD among policemen was 4.1 percent [95% CI: 2.1-6.2]. Policemen who had immediate health consequences (OR 4.6; [95% CI: 1.3-16.4]) and those who provided medical assistance to the victims (OR 5.7; [95% CI: 1.6-20.2]) had a higher prevalence of S-PTSD.Conclusions: Providing medical assistance to the victims was a major risk factor of S-PTSD for police officers. Training police officers to take part in medical activities at the time of the disaster might lead to a reduction of SPTSD incidence in this group.

How Obesity Relates to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Male Police Officers

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Helene St-Hilaire ◽  
Jonathan Chevrier ◽  
Thomas Neylan ◽  
Charles Marmar ◽  
Thomas Metzler
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic

Pain in the aftermath of trauma is a risk factor for post-traumatic stress disorder

2007 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. B. Norman ◽  
M. B. Stein ◽  
J. E. Dimsdale ◽  
D. B. Hoyt
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Injury ◽  
Surgical Trauma ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Post Traumatic

BackgroundIdentifying risk factors for the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is important for understanding and ultimately preventing the disorder. This study assessed pain shortly after traumatic injury (i.e. peritraumatic pain) as a risk factor for PTSD.MethodParticipants (n=115) were patients admitted to a Level 1 Surgical Trauma Center. Admission to this service reflected a severe physical injury requiring specialized, emergent trauma care. Participants completed a pain questionnaire within 48 h of traumatic injury and a PTSD diagnostic module 4 and 8 months later.ResultsPeritraumatic pain was associated with an increased risk of PTSD, even after controlling for a number of other significant risk factors other than acute stress disorder symptoms. An increase of 0.5 s.d. from the mean in a 0–10 pain rating scale 24–48 h after injury was associated with an increased odds of PTSD at 4 months by more than fivefold, and at 8 months by almost sevenfold. A single item regarding amount of pain at the time of hospital admission correctly classified 65% of participants.ConclusionsIf these findings are replicated in other samples, high levels of peritraumatic pain could be used to identify individuals at elevated risk for PTSD following traumatic injury.

Smaller hippocampal volume as a vulnerability factor for the persistence of post-traumatic stress disorder

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (13) ◽  
pp. 2737-2746 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. H. van Rooij ◽  
M. Kennis ◽  
R. Sjouwerman ◽  
M. P. van den Heuvel ◽  
R. S. Kahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Successful Treatment ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Hippocampal Volume ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Left Hippocampus ◽  
Post Traumatic

BackgroundSmaller hippocampal volume has often been observed in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is no consensus whether this is a result of stress/trauma exposure, or constitutes a vulnerability factor for the development of PTSD. Second, it is unclear whether hippocampal volume normalizes with successful treatment of PTSD, or whether a smaller hippocampus is a risk factor for the persistence of PTSD.MethodMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and clinical interviews were collected from 47 war veterans with PTSD, 25 healthy war veterans (combat controls) and 25 healthy non-military controls. All veterans were scanned a second time with a 6- to 8-month interval, during which PTSD patients received trauma-focused therapy. Based on post-treatment PTSD symptoms, patients were divided into a PTSD group who was in remission (n = 22) and a group in whom PTSD symptoms persisted (n = 22). MRI data were analysed with Freesurfer.ResultsSmaller left hippocampal volume was observed in PTSD patients compared with both control groups. Hippocampal volume of the combat controls did not differ from healthy controls. Second, pre- and post-treatment analyses of the PTSD patients and combat controls revealed reduced (left) hippocampal volume only in the persistent patients at both time points. Importantly, hippocampal volume did not change with treatment.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that a smaller (left) hippocampus is not the result of stress/trauma exposure. Furthermore, hippocampal volume does not increase with successful treatment. Instead, we demonstrate for the first time that a smaller (left) hippocampus constitutes a risk factor for the persistence of PTSD.

scholarly journals Police officers and post-traumatic stress disorder: Discussing the deficit in research, identification and prevention in England and Wales

2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Foley ◽  
Kristina Massey
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Early Identification ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Post Traumatic

This article will review available literature regarding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within policing in England and Wales, with a particular focus on its early identification and prevention. An overview of PTSD will be given as well as an exploration of why police officers are potentially more susceptible to this mental health condition compared to other members of society. Key factors in the early identification and prevention of PTSD will be outlined, with a focus on crisis intervention techniques which have been subject to considerable academic study. There is limited research available from England and Wales that looks specifically at PTSD in policing; this research deficit will be highlighted and key areas of research which need to be explored further will be given so that this problem can be both identified and prevented in officers.

Salivary Oxytocin and Vasopressin Levels in Police Officers With and Without Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (10) ◽  
pp. 743-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Frijling ◽  
M. van Zuiden ◽  
L. Nawijn ◽  
S. B. J. Koch ◽  
I. D. Neumann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic
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