Policing/Incarceration
The Mediation Effect of Social Support on the Relationship Between Psychological Distress and Gratitude, Life Satisfaction, and Resilience following Hurricane Katrina Erin C. McCanlies* Erin C. McCanlies Monica Leppma Ja Kook Gu John M. Violanti
Background: Hurricane Katrina brought numerous challenges for police officers working in the New Orleans geographic area. This study evaluated potential protective factors that may mitigate symptoms of distress in police officers.
Methods: This cross-sectional study examined if social support mediates the relationship between the gratitude, resilience, and satisfaction with life and psychological distress in 111 police officers (30 females; 81 males) from the area impacted by Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, Connor-Davidson Resilience scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Gratitude Questionnaire measured positive psychological factors. The Brief Symptom Inventory was used to measure psychological distress. Ordinary least square regression mediation analysis estimated direct and indirect effects between the study variables. Both unadjusted and adjusted models were estimated.
Results (Table 1): Higher gratitude was associated with higher social support, which was associated with a lower distress score. The total and direct effects were significant, but the indirect effect was not, indicating that gratitude has a direct effect on distress independent of social support. Higher resilience was positively associated with higher social support, which was negatively associated with distress. Both the direct and indirect effects were significant, indicating that resilience indirectly affects distress through social support. Lastly, satisfaction with life was positively associated with social support, which was negatively associated with distress. The direct and the indirect effects were significant, indicating that social support mediates the relationship between satisfaction with life and distress.
Conclusion: Social support mediates the relationship between both resilience and satisfaction with life to reduce psychological distress. Although social support did not mediate the relationship, gratitude was also associated with lower psychological distress. In general, these results indicate that targeting positive psychological factors including gratitude, resilience, and satisfaction with life may help mitigate symptoms of distress in police.
