The prevalence, development and management of posttraumatic stress in Belgian police officers

Extensive research exists on risk factors for the development of PTSD in the general population. More limited research highlights the specific risk factors for the development of PTSD in a population of police officers. This is remarkable given that police officers often encounter potentially traumatic incidents in the course of their career. Moreover, these incidents tend to have a more violent character than is the case in for example emergency first responders or firefighters.

This research project aims to determine prevalence of PTSD and risk factors for the development of PTSD in Belgian police officers, in order to reach a better understanding of the occurence, development and treatment of PTSD in police officers.