The Potentially Traumatic Event and the Psychological Health at Work of the Police; A Perception of a Unique Impact?

Abstract

It is recognized that the nature of the police profession makes him more likely to experience a traumatic event that can have significant repercussions both personally and professionally [1]. Several studies define and evaluate the nature of the event with potentially traumatic content or are interested in the intervention methods to be recommended when post-traumatic symptoms are present. However, to our knowledge, no study indicates the impact of a potentially traumatic event experienced by a police officer on his psychological health at work. The study wants to evaluate the link between these two variables. The theoretical model of Gilbert et al. [2] was used to define the dependent variable composed of psychological well-being (serenity, commitment and social harmony) and psychological distress (anxiety, disengagement and irritability). Josse's definition [3] is used to understand the potentially traumatic event. The participants are made up of 240 women and 681 men aged between 35 and 44 years old. The scale of Gilbert et al. [2] measures psychological well-being (α =, 91) and DET (α =, 94). In addition, participants had to tick if they had experienced a potentially traumatic event in their professional lives. An ex-post facto quote was used. A first group of police (n = 492) identified having experienced a potentially traumatic event while the second group of police officers (n = 490) identified that they had not experienced a potentially traumatic event as part of their job. The results support a significant difference between the two groups on the dimensions of well-being (commitment, t (980) =-2.04, p <0.05, serenity, t (980) =-2.39, p < 0.05) and distress (irritability t (980) = 3.45, p <0.001, anxiety t (980) = 5.05, p <0.001 and disengagement t (980) = 5.31, p <0.001).

How does compulsory citizenship behavior disturb police employees' psychological health? The roles of work–family conflict and putting family first

“…Previously, occupational stress and exposure to traumatic events were recognized as two major factors that adversely affect the psychological health of the police force (Galbraith et al. , 2021; Deschenes et al. , 2019).…”

“…, 2020a). Further, it serves as a front line of action and public intervention when handling crime, severe circumstances and violations against civil safety and addresses a wide range of requests from citizens for services (Deschenes et al. , 2019); nonetheless, such difficulties make police officers more vulnerable to psychological health issues (Kamkar et al.…”

“…, 2021). Nevertheless, many abrupt, unpredictable and unavoidable circumstances make their job cumbersome (Deschênes et al ., 2019). Therefore, it is widely acknowledged that police personnel face high-stress levels (Galbraith et al.…”

“…Researchers found that job stress can severely impact police officers' physical and psychological health, family connections and inclination to employ unhealthy coping mechanisms like drug usage (Galbraith et al, 2021). Nevertheless, many abrupt, unpredictable and unavoidable circumstances make their job cumbersome (Deschênes et al, 2019). Therefore, it is widely acknowledged that police personnel face high-stress levels (Galbraith et al, 2021), which is also supported by biological and self-reported indicators (Planche et al, 2019).…”

L' impact des relations interpersonnelles et du soutien social sur la santé psychologique des policiers

“…Toutefois, en ce qui concerne les lésions indemnisées par la CSST entre 2000 et 2002, « le nombre de dossiers de stress post-traumatique chez les policiers est quatre fois plus important par rapport à celui de l'ensemble des travailleurs au Québec » (Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail, 2010, p. 2). Enfin, l'étude de Deschênes, St-Hilaire, Crête, Emeriau Farges et Desjardins (2019) indique des impacts négatifs directs sur la santé psychologique au travail des policiers lorsqu'ils sont exposés à un événement potentiellement traumatique.…”