Associations Between Police Stress and Alcohol Use: Implications for Practice

• Published in: Journal of loss & trauma Vol. 18; no. 5; pp. 482 - 497
• Main Authors: Chopko, Brian A., Palmieri, Patrick A., Adams, Richard E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis Group 01-09-2013; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: alcohol; Alcohol Abuse; Alcohol consumption; Alcohol use; Avoidance; depression; Depression (Psychology); Emotional disorders; Law enforcement; Midwestern States; Occupational Stress; Police; Police officers; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Prevalence; Psychological Distress; PTSD; Regression analysis; Stress; Symptoms; traumatic; Traumatic stress
• ISSN: 1532-5024; 1532-5032
• DOI: 10.1080/15325024.2012.719340

Law enforcement officers are often reported to frequently abuse alcohol due to occupational stress. However, few studies have examined alcohol use among U.S. police officers. This study investigated the prevalence of alcohol use and the relation between alcohol use and amount of subjective work-related traumatic distress, work-related but nontraumatic stress, personal relationship stress, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression, and age among law enforcement officers (N = 193) working in a midwestern state. Multiple regression analyses showed that greater subjective posttraumatic distress and PTSD avoidance symptoms were the most significant predictors of greater alcohol use among officers. Implications for practice are discussed.