The influence of occupational debriefing on post-traumatic stress symptomatology in traumatized police officers.

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  • Author(s): Carlier IV;Carlier IV; Voerman AE; Gersons BP
  • Source:
    The British journal of medical psychology [Br J Med Psychol] 2000 Mar; Vol. 73 ( Pt 1), pp. 87-98.
  • Publication Type:
    Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: British Psychological Society Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0370640 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 0007-1129 (Print) Linking ISSN: 00071129 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Br J Med Psychol Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: Letchworth Eng : British Psychological Society
      Original Publication: London [etc.]
    • Subject Terms:
      Counseling* ; Occupational Health* ; Police*; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/*prevention & control ; Stress, Psychological/*etiology; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mental Disorders/etiology ; Mental Disorders/prevention & control ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/psychology ; Stress, Psychological/prevention & control ; Stress, Psychological/psychology
    • Abstract:
      Certain individuals, such as police officers, are exposed to traumatic events as part of their occupational roles. In an effort to prevent psychological illnesses, notably the post-traumatic stress disorder, from arising out of work-related traumatic incidents, psychological interventions have been developed such as Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (Mitchell, 1983; Mitchell & Everly, 1996). The present study tests the hypothesis that debriefing reduces the psychological morbidity caused by work-related incidents. Because debriefing techniques were not designed for application on a 'one-off' basis (Robinson & Mitchell, 1993), the procedure studied here consisted of three successive debriefing sessions (at 24 hours, 1 month and 3 months post-trauma), which included traumatic stress education. In a sample of 243 traumatized police officers, a subgroup of debriefed officers (N = 86) was compared with non-debriefed internal (N = 82) and external (N = 75) control groups. No differences in psychological morbidity were found between the groups at pre-test, at 24 hours or at 6 months post-trauma. One week post-trauma, debriefed subjects exhibited significantly more post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology than non-debriefed subjects. High levels of satisfaction with debriefing were not reflected in positive outcomes. The findings are translated into recommendations for the future use of debriefing in police practice.
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20000412 Date Completed: 20000512 Latest Revision: 20190915
    • Publication Date:
      20221213
    • Accession Number:
      10.1348/000711200160327
    • Accession Number:
      10759053