Prevalence and factors associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety and insomnia among traffic police officers in Beijing, China: a cross-sectional survey

Background Police officers represent a distinct subpopulation that is at an elevated risk for mental health issues in China especially during the COVID-19 pandemic period. This study examined the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and insomnia, along with associated risk factors, among police officers in Beijing during the post-pandemic period (five years following the COVID-19 outbreak). Aims The objective of this study was to identify the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances in the Haidian District of Beijing, China. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2024 to April 2024 among 158 randomly selected participants in the Haidian District. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was utilized to screen for depression, while the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) was employed to assess the severity of anxiety symptoms. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) questionnaire were administered to evaluate sleep quality and disturbances. Descriptive statistics were used to present frequencies and percentages. univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify associations among predictors of depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Results The study included 158 participants, of whom 66.7% were men, with an average age of 41.32 years (± 8.43). Approximately 18.98% of the 137 police officers screened positive for depression, while 14.06% of the 128 participants screened positive for anxiety. PSQI indicated that 16.9% of the 124 participants exhibited clinical (moderate-severe) insomnia of insomnia, and the ISI revealed that 12.5% of the 120 participants were affected by insomnia. None of the examined sociodemographic factors demonstrated significant correlations with depression, anxiety, with the exception of age in relation to insomnia ( P  = 0.027). Participants experiencing anxiety and insomnia were found to have an increased risk of reporting depression (anxiety odds ratio [OR]: 48.48, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.30 to 445.49, P   < .001. ; insomnia odds ratio [OR]: 82.75, 95% [CI]: 3.75 to 1825.6, P  = 0.005). Conclusion The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and insomnia among police officers in Haidian district, Beijing, China is remarkably high. The study's findings emphasize the necessity of regularly screening police officers for these mental health issues and implementing tailored mental health services for this population.