<b>‘<i>Holding onto trauma?</i>’ The </b>prevalence and predictors of PTSD, anxiety and depression in police officers working with child abuse, rape and sexual exploitation victims
Journal article
Foley, J., Jones, F., Hassett, Alex and Williams, Emma 2023. <b>‘<i>Holding onto trauma?</i>’ The </b>prevalence and predictors of PTSD, anxiety and depression in police officers working with child abuse, rape and sexual exploitation victims. The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258x231183638
| Authors | Foley, J., Jones, F., Hassett, Alex and Williams, Emma |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Research into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other common mental disorders (CMDs) in police officers is limited, with the majority of research predominately conducted outside the UK, and no study quantitatively examining the role of social support in relation to the mental health of UK police officers working with victims of trauma. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the prevalence and predictors of PTSD and CMD in UK police officers who investigate rape, sexual exploitation and child abuse, along with the potential protective role of social support. Participants were police officers ( n = 353) within one police area, who completed self-report measures of PTSD, anxiety, depression and social support. Results showed that 23% of officers had potentially clinical levels of PTSD, 26% had moderate to severe levels of anxiety and 35% had moderate to severe levels of depression. Female officers, those of constable rank, those working with victims of child abuse, and those with lowest levels of social support had poorer mental health. There was tentative evidence that social support statistically moderated the relationship between tenure and depression. These findings suggest the need for bespoke help for the sub-group of officers experiencing mental health problems and for further research into the potential protective role of social support. |
| Keywords | Law |
| Year | 2023 |
| Journal | The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications |
| ISSN | 0032-258X |
| 1740-5599 | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258x231183638 |
| Official URL | https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0032258X231183638 |
| Publication dates | |
| 15 Jun 2023 | |
| Online | 14 Jun 2023 |
| Publication process dates | |
| Deposited | 27 Jul 2023 |
| Accepted author manuscript | File Access Level Restricted |
| Publisher's version | License |
| Output status | Published |
| Additional information | Publications router: Date 2023-06-14 of type 'publication_date' with format 'electronic' included in notification |
Permalink -
https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/94y14/-b-i-holding-onto-trauma-i-the-b-prevalence-and-predictors-of-ptsd-anxiety-and-depression-in-police-officers-working-with-child-abuse-rape-and-sexual-exploitation-victims
Download files
Publisher's version
292
total views151
total downloads7
views this month1
downloads this month