Burnout and posttraumatic stress symptoms in police officers exposed to traumatic events: the mediating role of ruminations

PURPOSE: Police work carries the risk of burnout in the form of exhaustion and disengagement from work. Police officers are also exposed to traumatic events and the development of PTSD. The main aim of the cross-sectional study was to determine the mediating role played by rumination in the relationship between burnout and PTSD among police officers. It also examines whether burnout is a significant prognostic factor for PTSD symptoms. METHODS: Data were obtained from a sample of 120 police officers. Of these one hundred, mostly men (83%), aged 23–47 years (M = 33.06, SD = 5.61), confirmed the experience of traumatic events in connection with their professional work. Three standard measuring tools were used: The Posttraumatic Checklist for DSM-5, The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory OBI, and The Event-Related Rumination Inventory. RESULTS: The introduction of intrusive ruminating as an intermediary variable made the relationship between job burnout and PTSD non-significant, which indicates full mediation. The introduction of deliberate rumination as a mediator weakens the relationship between burnout and PTSD, which indicates partial mediation. It indicates that police officers who are burnout and who additionally tend to ruminate about experienced traumatic events are more likely to PTSD than police officers who are only burned out. CONCLUSION: Intervention programs for police officers should focus on strengthening stress management resources in the form of developing deliberate ruminations, thus allowing the experienced situations to be given a new meaning and to allow better coping.