Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological injuries are debilitating health problems facing police officers. There is increasing interest in the role of exercise as an intervention. We aimed to determine the preliminary effectiveness of the RECONNECT exercise program for NSW Police Officers experiencing PTSD or psychological injury.
Methods: An open trial was conducted between 2016 and 2017 across three NSW sites. RECONNECT consisted of twice weekly, supervised exercise sessions for three months. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, week 6 and week 12 (intervention completion) and included PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety and stress, insomnia severity and alcohol use. Data were analysed using linear mixed models.
Results: In total, n = 60 Officers were consecutively referred to the program (35% female, mean age 42.0 ± 8.9 years). The majority had a clinical diagnosis of PTSD (n = 48, 80%). A clinically significant reduction in PTSD (Cohen's d = 0.96), depression (d = 0.71), anxiety (d = 0.55) and stress (d = 0.69) symptoms was found from baseline to week 12. Drop-out and lost to follow-up was high. Higher baseline PTSD severity was associated with an increased likelihood to complete postintervention assessment.
Conclusions: RECONNECT appears to be effective in reducing symptoms of PTSD. Exercise may be an effective component of PTSD treatment.
Keywords: PTSD; emergency service workers; exercise; mental health; occupational stress; physical activity; police.
© 2020 Australian Health Promotion Association.