title: The impact of killing and injuring others on mental health symptoms among police officers.
abstract: This study examined the relationship between killing or seriously injuring someone in the line of duty and mental health symptoms in a sample of police officers (N = 400) who were first assessed during academy training and at five additional time points over three years. We found that nearly 10% of police officers reported having to kill or seriously injure someone in the line of duty in the first three years of police service. After controlling for demographics and exposure to life threat, killing or seriously injuring someone in the line of duty was significantly associated with PTSD symptoms (p < .01) and marginally associated with depression symptoms (p = .06). These results highlight the potential mental health impact of killing or seriously injuring someone in the line of duty. Greater attention to mental health services following these types of exposures can serve as a preventative measure for police officers who have been negatively impacted.
authors.affiliation: PTSD Research Program, NYU Langone Medical Center, NY 10016, USA. Irina.Komarovskaya@nyumc.org
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Komarovskaya
authors.forename: Shira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maguen
authors.forename: Shannon E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: McCaslin
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Metzler
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Madan
authors.forename: Adam D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Isaac R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Galatzer-Levy
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henn-Haase
authors.forename: Charles R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Marmar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D016495:Police; D012307:Risk Factors; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000523:psychology*