Stress among police officers has long concerned police managers, police unions, and the friends and families of police officers -- particularly traumatic stress following injury, injuring others in the line of duty, or witnessing the death or injuries of other officers and civilians. The proliferation and lethality of firearms, drug-related gang violence, and soaring rates of violence underscore the dangerous role of police officers in urban American society.

Compared to national averages, police officers have been reported to have high rates of cardiovascular and gastrointestinal disorders, double the divorce rate, and suicide rates two- to six-fold. Yet relatively little is known scientifically about post-traumatic stress among police officers, how it compares to post-traumatic responses of civilians, and about police officers' psychological, behavioral, and social responses to traumatic events.

The proposed investigation is the first of several phases of research aimed to increase understanding and improve treatment of post-traumatic stress among police officers. It seeks to increase scientific knowledge about the effects on police officers of exposure to violence and traumatic events, both alone and in combination with more routine administrative, managerial, and community-related stresses. It also seeks to compare the post-traumatic stress reactions of police officers and civilians.