• Christine West, Bruce Bernard, Charles Mueller, Margaret Kitt, Richard Driscoll, and Sangwoo Tak.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, USA. cawest@cdc.gov
• J. Occup. Environ. Med. 2008 Jun 1;50(6):689-95.

ObjectiveWe examined symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) personnel who provided law enforcement and relief services to affected communities following Hurricane Katrina.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of mental health outcomes related to personal and work-related exposures of police personnel 8 weeks after the Hurricane.ResultsOf the 912 police personnel who completed the questionnaire, 227 (26%) reported symptoms consistent with depression and 170 (19%) reported symptoms consistent with PTSD. Risk factors associated with PTSD include recovery of bodies, crowd control, assault, and injury to a family member. Depressive symptoms were associated with rare family contact, uninhabitable home, isolation from the NOPD, assault, and injury to a family member.ConclusionsPolice personnel reported symptoms of PTSD and depression associated with work-related and personal factors following Hurricane Katrina.

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