A new study finds that the coping styles an officer employs can help reduce symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Occupational stressors and symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have the potential to impact a police officer’s ability to effectively serve the community. In this study, researchers from the University at Buffalo and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined the impact of active and passive coping strategies on factors that make police work stressful and PTSD symptoms among a sample of police officers from a Northeastern U.S. police department.2 Active coping strategies are proactive in nature and directly address the problem (e.g. acceptance and strategic planning) whereas passive coping strategies are reactive and generally fail to address the stressor—and in some cases make the situation worse (e.g., alcohol use, self-blame, and doubt).

In the present study, data were collected from the long-term Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress study. Researchers examined the stress levels of 342 police officers with the 60-question Spielberg Police Stress Survey (PSS). Officers were asked to recall and rank how stressful an event was on a scale of 1-100, with 1 being least stressful and 100 being most stressful. Results showed that officers who employed lower active and higher passive coping skills were more likely to be impacted by work stressors and display symptoms of PTSD compared to officers who employed higher active and lower passive skills. The researchers recommended that police departments educate and train officers on the use of active coping strategies to help reduce the risk of PTSD. Such training and education can help officers learn how to deal with work stress and also promote a sense of organizational support for officer wellbeing.