Trauma on duty: cognitive functioning in police officers with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Autor: Bisson Desrochers A; Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.; Psychosocial Research Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada., Rouleau I; Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada., Angehrn A; Department of Psychology, Université du Québec àTrois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada., Vasiliadis HM; Department of Community Health Science, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada., Saumier D; Psychosocial Research Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada., Brunet A; Psychosocial Research Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada.; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: European journal of psychotraumatology [Eur J Psychotraumatol] 2021 Oct 26; Vol. 12 (1), pp. 1959117. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Oct 26 (Print Publication: 2021).
DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2021.1959117
Abstrakt: Background: Neuropsychological alterations co-occur with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); yet, the nature and magnitude of such alterations in police officers remains unknown despite their high level of trauma exposure.
Objective: The current research sought to examine (1) cognitive functioning among police officers with and without PTSD; (2) the clinical significance of their cognitive performance; and (3) the relationship between PTSD symptoms and cognition.
Method: Thirty-one police officers with PTSD were compared to thirty age- and sex-matched trauma-exposed officers without PTSD. Clinical assessment and self-report questionnaires established PTSD status. All participants underwent a neuropsychological evaluation.
Results: Police officers with PTSD displayed lower cognitive performance across several domains, notably executive functioning, verbal learning and memory, and lexical access, compared to controls. The neuropsychological decrements in the PTSD group were mild compared to normative data, with average performances falling within normal limits. Among officers with PTSD, higher levels of intrusion symptoms were associated with reduced efficacy in executive functioning, as well as attention and working memory. Moreover, increased intrusion and avoidance symptoms were associated with slower information processing speed.
Conclusion: Considering that even mild subclinical cognitive difficulties may affect their social and occupational functioning, it appears important to integrate neuropsychological assessments in the clinical management of police officers diagnosed with PTSD.
Competing Interests: The authors report no financial or non-financial conflicts of interest.
(© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
Externí odkaz:
Nepřihlášeným uživatelům se plný text nezobrazuje