Work social support and PTSD in police officers: the mediating role of organizational commitment

The military police officers of Rio de Janeiro are often exposed to critical incidents in routine work that may have a potentially traumatic effect on their mental health, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study aims to explore the protective role of work social support (i.e., emotional, instrumental, and informational) and affective organizational commitment (and its mediation effect) in facing PTSD, considering these variables as essential resources in the work context according to the conservation of resources theory (COR) approach. This is a cross-sectional study, with a sample of 329 military police officers from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who were administered a questionnaire of sociodemographic variables, the Critical Incident History Questionnaire (CIHQ), the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist 5 (PCL-5), the Perceived Social Support at Work Scale (EPSST), and the Affective Organizational Commitment Scale. It was found that only emotional support showed a significant association with affective commitment and PTSD symptoms. Affective organizational commitment, in turn, partially mediated the relationship between emotional support and PTSD. These findings shed light on the importance of organizations, such as the military police, in promoting the development of psychological resources like emotional support and affective commitment to mitigate PTSD and promote a sustainable work environment.