Associations between protective factors and psychological distress vary by gender: the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress Study.

Abstract

Previous research by this group identified gender interactions between some protective factors and psychological distress in police officers. This study extends this result to include a larger sample of police officers and a more comprehensive list of protective factors. These results confirm the conclusion that the commitment dimension of hardiness appears to have a stronger protective association with psychological distress among women. Furthermore, an avoidant coping style appears to be somewhat more positively associated with psychological distress among women. The personality trait of openness was also positively associated more strongly with PTSD symptoms in women than in men, while the trait of agreeableness was significantly protective in women and not in men. Hostility was generally positively associated with psychological distress with stronger association for PTSD symptoms and hostility in women.