CLEVELAND, Ohio — Post-traumatic stress disorder and symptoms of depression are higher in law enforcement officers who had experienced one or more head injuries, a new study suggests.
The study, led by the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, examined the high prevalence of head injuries, and related mental health symptoms, in law enforcement officers.
Results were recently published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation.
The survey of Ohio law enforcement officers found that 74% reported a lifetime history of one or more head injuries, with 30% of their head injuries happening on the job.
Researchers estimated that fewer than 1-in-4 of these head injuries was diagnosed or treated by a health care provider.
Researchers are still learning about the long-term effects of concussions, but current evidence suggests head injuries that go untreated may increase risk for depression, anxiety, PTSD and problems with cognitive function and memory.
“This is an area where we have to improve awareness, just like we did in the sport concussion world,” said lead author Jaclyn Caccese, assistant professor at the OSU Wexner Medical Center. “The goal is really to improve officer safety and health in the long term.”
The researchers surveyed 381 law enforcement personnel in central Ohio about their head injury history over their lifetimes, years of service in the military and civilian law enforcement, and rank and assignment such as patrol, corrections or administration.
Study participants also completed questionnaires about symptoms of PTSD and depression.
Of those respondents, 282 reported one or more prior head injuries, mostly from sports, falling or being hit by something or someone, a car accident, or exposure to a blast.
More than 50% of participants reported head injuries involving loss of consciousness, feeling dazed or confused, or having a gap in memory – all signs of a probable traumatic brain injury. A concussion is considered a mild traumatic brain injury.
Nine percent of total respondents screened positive for PTSD symptoms and 36% reported mild or greater depressive symptoms. Participants with a prior head injury reported higher symptoms for both conditions.
For law enforcement officers, concussions often occur on the job, researchers said.
“Sometimes law enforcement officers need to complete the task they’ve set out to do, or it’s not a safe environment to just pull yourself off duty right away.” Caccese said. “In sports, we’ve been able to increase removal from play, and improve rehabilitation and return-to-play following injury. We’re trying to get that information translated to the occupational context.”
