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Trajectories of Posttraumatic Stress and Depression in Police and Community Members Following the Violence during Civil Unrest in Ferguson, Missouri
Author(s) -
Galovski Tara E.,
Peterson Zoe D.,
FoxGalalis Annie
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1002/ajcp.12273
Subject(s) - health psychology , unrest , law enforcement , depression (economics) , psychology , psychological resilience , psychiatry , legal psychology , suicide prevention , clinical psychology , public health , poison control , medicine , social psychology , medical emergency , political science , law , nursing , politics , economics , macroeconomics
Longitudinal research following discreet traumatic events reveals distinct symptom trajectories in untreated survivors of trauma. Trajectories within communities exposed to shared, prolonged violence involving subgroups differing in perspectives, and roles during the event have not been studied. This study examined trajectories of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and depressive symptoms secondary to exposure to violence during civil unrest in citizens ( n = 311) and law enforcement ( n = 255) over 1.5 years following exposure. Latent class growth modeling was used to examine trajectories of PTS and depressive symptoms. Four‐class quadratic solutions for both PTS and depressive symptoms demonstrated best fit. Similar patterns emerged for such that most participants were classified as resistant (57% and 67%, respectively), followed by resilience (23.8% and 17.2%), chronic (12.6% and 12.0%), and worsening (6.1% and 4.4%). When all predictors were entered in a single model, race, and membership in citizen or law enforcement groups did not distinguish trajectories of recovery. Higher income and social support emerged as consistent protective factors against PTS and depressive symptoms, while trauma history emerged as a risk factor for PTS. Women were more at risk for depressive symptoms only. Implications for improving police/civilian relations in Ferguson, Missouri, and other communities are discussed.