Mental health outcomes in police personnel after Hurricane Katrina.
OBJECTIVE
We examined symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) personnel who provided law enforcement and relief services to affected communities following Hurricane Katrina.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional survey of mental health outcomes related to personal and work-related exposures of police personnel 8 weeks after the Hurricane.


RESULTS
Of the 912 police personnel who completed the questionnaire, 227 (26%) reported symptoms consistent with depression and 170 (19%) reported symptoms consistent with PTSD. Risk factors associated with PTSD include recovery of bodies, crowd control, assault, and injury to a family member. Depressive symptoms were associated with rare family contact, uninhabitable home, isolation from the NOPD, assault, and injury to a family member.


CONCLUSIONS
Police personnel reported symptoms of PTSD and depression associated with work-related and personal factors following Hurricane Katrina.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, USA. cawest@cdc.gov
Christine
C
West
Bruce
B
Bernard
Charles
C
Mueller
Margaret
M
Kitt
Richard
R
Driscoll
Sangwoo
S
Tak
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D055820:New Orleans / Q000453:epidemiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D016495:Police / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012066:Relief Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires