Mental disorder symptoms among Public Safety Personnel in Canada
By: R. Nicholas Carleton, Tracie O. Afifi, Sarah Turner, Tamara Taillieu, Sophie Duranceau, Daniel M. LeBouthillier, Jitender Sareen, Rose Ricciardelli, Renee S MacPhee, Dianne Groll, Kadie Hozempa, Alain Brunet, John R. Weekes, Curt T. Griffiths, Kelly J. Abrams, Nicholas A. Jones, Shadi Beshai, Heidi A. Cramm, Keith S. Dobson, Simon Hatcher, Terence M. Keane, Sherry H. Stewart & Gordon J.G. Asmundson
Because of their jobs, Canadian Public Safety Personnel (PSP) are often exposed to situations that are potentially traumatizing. Exposure to these situations put PSP at a higher risk of developing mental health disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and substance use disorders. Prior to this study, data on the rates of mental health disorders among Canadian PSP were extremely limited.
To address this, we conducted an online survey that asked questions about mental health symptoms among PSP across Canada. The PSP categories included in this study were paramedics, firefighters, municipal/provincial police, RCMP, correctional workers, and dispatchers. A total of 5,813 PSP participated in the survey and many reported symptoms consistent with mental health disorders: 15.1% screened positive for one mental health disorder, 8.7% for two mental health disorders, and 18.0% for three mental health disorders or more. There were also important differences between PSP groups, with RCMP, correctional workers, and paramedics more likely to report symptoms consistent with any mental health disorder (except alcohol-use disorder) than firefighters or municipal/provincial police officers.
The results of this study found higher rates of mental health disorders among PSP than in the general populations (but it is difficult to compare due to study differences). The results also demonstrate that PSP, as a group, very different which highlights the need for targeted intervention strategies.
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