Resilience Mediates the Relationship Between Social Support and Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms in Police Officers

Overview

Journal J Emerg Manag

Specialty Emergency Medicine

Date 2017 Aug 19

PMID 28820229

Citations 12

Authors

Erin C McCanlies

Ja Kook Gu

Michael E Andrew

Cecil M Burchfiel

John M Violanti

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Police officers in the New Orleans geographic area faced a number of challenges following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Design: This cross-sectional study examined gratitude, resilience, and satisfaction with life as mediators in the association between social support and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in 82 male and 31 female police officers. The Gratitude Questionnaire, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List were used to measure gratitude, resilience, satisfaction with life, and social support, respectively. PTSD symptoms were measured using the PTSD Checklist-Civilian (PCL-C). Ordinary least square regression mediation analysis was used to estimate direct and indirect effects among gratitude, resilience, satisfaction with life, social support, and PTSD symptoms. All models were adjusted for age, alcohol, race, and previous military experience.

Results: Mean PCL-C symptoms were 29.1 (standard deviation [SD] = 14.4) for females and 27.9 (SD = 12.1) for males. There was no direct relationship between social support and PTSD symptoms (c9 = -0.041; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.199, 0.117) independent of the indirect effect through resilience (effect = -0.038; 95%CI = -0.099, -0.002). Neither gratitude (effect = -0.066; 95% CI = -0.203, 0.090) nor satisfaction with life (effect = -0.036, 95% CI = -0.131, 0.046) contribute to the indirect effect.

Conclusions: These results indicate that resilience mediates the relationship between social support and symp-toms of PTSD. Targeting social support and resilience in officers may facilitate reduction of PTSD symptoms.

Citing Articles

The Moderating Effect of Resilience on the Relationship Between the Relevance to Victims With Post-Trauma Psychiatric Symptoms of Community Residents After Seoul Halloween Crowd Crush.

Kim S, Jung S, Lee M, Oh K, Shin Y, Shin D Psychiatry Investig. 2024; 21(11):1183-1192.

PMID: 39610229 PMC: 11611461. DOI: 10.30773/pi.2024.0154.

Traumatic stress, active engagement and resilience in first responders and civilians in the outbreak of war.

Saar-Ashkenazy R, Bergman Y, Ashkenazy O, Guez J Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2024; 15(1):2328506.

PMID: 38516952 PMC: 10962308. DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2024.2328506.

Factors influencing post-traumatic stress disorder among police officers in South Korea.

Oh H, Jang C, Ko M Front Public Health. 2022; 10:1024284.

PMID: 36568755 PMC: 9780481. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1024284.

Adverse childhood experiences and police mental health.

Violanti J, Mnatsakanova A, Gu J, Service S, Andrew M Policing. 2022; 44(6):1014-1030.

PMID: 35928169 PMC: 9345510. DOI: 10.1108/pijpsm-06-2021-0085.

A Network Model of Positive Resources, Temperament, Childhood Trauma, and Comorbid Symptoms for Patient with Depressive Disorders.

Huh H, Lee S, Lee S, Chae J Psychiatry Investig. 2021; 18(3):214-224.

PMID: 33685037 PMC: 8016691. DOI: 10.30773/pi.2020.0187.

References

Berkman L, Glass T, Brissette I, Seeman T . From social integration to health: Durkheim in the new millennium. Soc Sci Med. 2000; 51(6):843-57. DOI: 10.1016/s0277-9536(00)00065-4. View

Brewin C, Andrews B, VALENTINE J . Meta-analysis of risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder in trauma-exposed adults. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2000; 68(5):748-66. DOI: 10.1037//0022-006x.68.5.748. View

McCullough M, Emmons R, Tsang J . The grateful disposition: a conceptual and empirical topography. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2002; 82(1):112-27. DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.82.1.112. View

Fredrickson B, Tugade M, Waugh C, Larkin G . What good are positive emotions in crises? A prospective study of resilience and emotions following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003; 84(2):365-76. PMC: 2755263. DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.84.2.365. View

Connor K, Davidson J . Development of a new resilience scale: the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Depress Anxiety. 2003; 18(2):76-82. DOI: 10.1002/da.10113. View

Bonanno G . Loss, trauma, and human resilience: have we underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events?. Am Psychol. 2004; 59(1):20-8. DOI: 10.1037/0003-066X.59.1.20. View

McCullough M, Tsang J, Emmons R . Gratitude in intermediate affective terrain: links of grateful moods to individual differences and daily emotional experience. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2004; 86(2):295-309. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.86.2.295. View

Diener E, Emmons R, Larsen R, Griffin S . The Satisfaction With Life Scale. J Pers Assess. 1985; 49(1):71-5. DOI: 10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13. View

Kashdan T, Uswatte G, Julian T . Gratitude and hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in Vietnam war veterans. Behav Res Ther. 2006; 44(2):177-99. DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2005.01.005. View

10.

. Health hazard evaluation of police officers and firefighters after Hurricane Katrina--New Orleans, Louisiana, October 17-28 and November 30-December 5, 2005. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2006; 55(16):456-8. View

11.

Maia D, Marmar C, Metzler T, Nobrega A, Berger W, Mendlowicz M . Post-traumatic stress symptoms in an elite unit of Brazilian police officers: prevalence and impact on psychosocial functioning and on physical and mental health. J Affect Disord. 2006; 97(1-3):241-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2006.06.004. View

12.

Marmar C, McCaslin S, Metzler T, Best S, Weiss D, Fagan J . Predictors of posttraumatic stress in police and other first responders. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2006; 1071:1-18. DOI: 10.1196/annals.1364.001. View

13.

Hoge E, Austin E, Pollack M . Resilience: research evidence and conceptual considerations for posttraumatic stress disorder. Depress Anxiety. 2006; 24(2):139-52. DOI: 10.1002/da.20175. View

14.

Sareen J, Cox B, Stein M, Afifi T, Fleet C, Asmundson G . Physical and mental comorbidity, disability, and suicidal behavior associated with posttraumatic stress disorder in a large community sample. Psychosom Med. 2007; 69(3):242-8. DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e31803146d8. View

15.

Bonanno G, Galea S, Bucciarelli A, Vlahov D . What predicts psychological resilience after disaster? The role of demographics, resources, and life stress. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2007; 75(5):671-82. DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.75.5.671. View

16.

West C, Bernard B, Mueller C, Kitt M, Driscoll R, Tak S . Mental health outcomes in police personnel after Hurricane Katrina. J Occup Environ Med. 2008; 50(6):689-95. DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e3181638685. View

17.

Martin M, Marchand A, Boyer R . Traumatic events in the workplace: impact on psychopathology and healthcare use of police officers. Int J Emerg Ment Health. 2010; 11(3):165-76. View

18.

Wood A, Froh J, Geraghty A . Gratitude and well-being: a review and theoretical integration. Clin Psychol Rev. 2010; 30(7):890-905. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.005. View

19.

Yuan C, Wang Z, Inslicht S, McCaslin S, Metzler T, Henn-Haase C . Protective factors for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in a prospective study of police officers. Psychiatry Res. 2010; 188(1):45-50. PMC: 3071439. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2010.10.034. View

20.

Samaranayake C, Fernando A . Satisfaction with life and depression among medical students in Auckland, New Zealand. N Z Med J. 2011; 124(1341):12-7. View