This study examines internal and external risk factors for posttraumatic stress symptoms in 262 traumatized police officers. Results show that 7% of the entire sample had PTSD, as established by means of a structured interview; 34% had posttraumatic stress symptoms or subthreshold PTSD. Trauma severity was the only predictor of posttraumatic stress symptoms identified at both 3 and 12 months posttrauma. At 3 months posttrauma, symptomatology was further predicted by introversion, difficulty in expressing feelings, emotional exhaustion at time of trauma, insufficient time allowed by employer for coming to terms with the trauma, dissatisfaction with organizational support, and insecure job future. At 12 months posttrauma, posttraumatic stress symptoms were further predicted by lack of hobbies, acute hyperarousal, subsequent traumatic events, job dissatisfaction, brooding over work, and lack of social interaction support in the private sphere. Implications of the findings regarding organizational risk factors are discussed in the light of possible occupational health interventions.

The authors report on a randomized, controlled clinical trial on the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), comparing manualized psychotherapy to wait-list control. This is the first study to evaluate Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy (BEP), which combines cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic approaches within one treatment method. Forty-two police officers with the diagnosis of PTSD participated in the study; 22 were randomly assigned to the treatment group and 20 to the wait-list control group. Assessments of PTSD and comorbid conditions were made 1 week before treatment, after treatment session 4, upon termination of treatment (16 sessions), and at follow-up 3 months later. As expected, no significant differences between groups were observed at pretest or at session 4. At posttest and at follow-up, BEP had produced significant improvement in PTSD, in work resumption, and in some comorbid conditions.

SRS-PTSD constitutes a good alternative for SI-PTSD, especially for sites with limited clinical resources.