European Agency for Safety and Health at Work points a deep mutation for decades in the workplace encouraging stress and psychosocial risks. Psychosocial risks can be defined as a mental, physical and social health risk, caused by work conditions, relational and organizational factors which may interfere with the mental integrity. Stress is identified as the first psychosocial risk.
The military police workplace is concerned, and increasingly in an interpersonal violence context. Workers are confronted to two types of stressors: chronical due to work conditions (lack of staff, work overload, availability request, hierarchic pressure, interference with family life); acute due to the work activity itself (interventions in which officers have to respond). Consequently, stress may lead to physical or psychic troubles.
Otherwise, without being a systematic repercussion of stress or specific of work conditions, the data collection of suicides allows to identify suffering in military police. Between 2002 and 2012, 289 suicides were committed in this army, a ratio of two compared to other armies. Despite the fact that the psychic suffering is present, it’s rarely examined in the literature.
Objective: Military police officers are often confronted with critical and chronic stressors that may lead to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or burn-out symptoms. Nevertheless, most of studies investigate either on trauma or burn-out and the characteristic of exposure is rarely examined. The aim of this study is, thus, to examine both burn-out and post-traumatic stress among military police officers and to contribute to an understanding of the complex relation between traumatic events (TE), burn-out and PTSD. We hypothesized that the number of exposure to traumatic events increases the intensity of posttraumatic stress symptoms and the exhaustion, a component of the burn-out construct. We also hypothesized that the number of years of military commitment are correlated with PTSD and burn-out symptoms. Moreover, we make the hypothesis that exhaustion is a predictor of the posttraumatic stress symptoms intensity.
Method: Two hundred and fifty-six military police officers participated in the study (200 men; 56 women; mean age: 38.88 years). All participants were recruited at their place with approval. They completed questionnaires allowing to assess to characteristics of TE, PTSD and burn-out levels. Correlation tests were conducted to measure relations between TE, burn-out and exhaustion. An ANOVA was executed to determine if the number of years of commitment increases burn-out and PTSD. Multiple linear regressions were also conducted to ask the predictive role of exhaustion for elevated PSTD symptoms. Finally, an ANCOVA was done to control the demographic factors effects.
Results: Results highlight high levels of PTSD and burn-out symptoms (in particular exhaustion) among military police officers. Positive correlation was observed between number of TE, PTSD and burn-out. The seniority of the commitment significantly rises burn-out and PTSD levels. At last, exhaustion and number of TE are predictors of PTSD symptomatology.
Conclusion: Burn-out and PTSD are related with exhaustion as a risk factor for PTSD.
Keywords: traumatic events, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, burn-out, military police, risk factor.
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Words I have learned :
1. workplace: lieu de travail
2. psychosocial risks: risques psychosociaux
3. work overload : surcharge de travail
4. exhaustion: épuisement