Abstract
Among helping professionals, including first responders, there is a cost to service when working with traumatized individuals. Trauma exposure is an inevitable part of working as a first responder. This study aimed to identify and address gaps in the literature in order to better understand the impact of working in the law enforcement community on police officers' mental health and overall functioning. Participants were recruited from active duty police officers of all ranks and job specialties throughout the United States. A majority of the respondents (N = 528, 92.5%) identified California as their state of employment. Respondents ranged in age between 21 and 70 years old with a mean age of 47.00 (N = 567, SD = 10.06). Although a majority of participants did not endorse clinical symptoms of PTSD and depression, the findings indicate other areas of police officers' mental health were impacted. The study identified several areas of concern for police officers including compassion fatigue, interpersonal relationship difficulties, and burnout. Interpersonal relationship difficulties were found to mediate the relationship from clinical variables (e.g., PTSD symptoms) to suicidality. These variables emerged as areas of concern for law enforcement personnel and their departments, and could benefit from additional research to help develop effective clinical interventions.