Return to work: Police personnel and PTSD

This study i) describes the number of police personnel with PTSD who are working and those who are on sick leave before and after an out-patient-clinic treatment program and ii) examines which factors are related to return to work.

Police personnel treated for PTSD (n=121).

In this retrospective study all police officers had an intake interview before and an outtake interview following a 16-week treatment for PTSD. Information about several personal characteristics, PTSD complaints, and work related factors were gathered. A t-test and chi-square test were used to evaluate differences between working police personnel and police personnel on sick leave at intake and outtake. Binary logistic regression was used to test whether the intake data were related to returning to work at outtake.

At the start of the treatment half of the police personnel were on sick leave (n=59) and at outtake 48 participants who were not working at intake had returned to work. None of the variables at intake contributed significantly to return to work at outtake.

The majority of police officers returned to work after the treatment program. We recommend that attention be paid to successful return to work as part of the treatment program, therefore the occupational health professional and employer should be involved.