RELEVANT
FOCUSED
READY

Examining the Barriers to Mental Health Resources for Police Officers
Hannah McKenzie

Introduction

The purpose of this critical appraisal is to identify barriers to mental
health resources for police officers. The intention of this research
project is to provide a detailed report in the field of law enforcement.
Requirements and responsibilities of a police officer are extensive, as
their role in today's society encompass varying and complex aspects,
including exposure to conflict, violence, and tragedy on a daily basis.
Current literature demonstrates police officers are among the top ten
careers to have an increased risk of developing Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD) (Szeto et al., 2019). As a result, police officers are
more susceptible to negative mental health effects, such as suicide
and depression. This leads to the research question: Are police
officers receiving the mental health resources they need? In order to
gain a better understanding of the literature, there will be additional
questions to this appraisal: what measures the effectiveness of the
mental health resources, and where can the literature improve?

Background

The American Psychiatric Association (2015) defines Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD) as an overwhelming, shocking event that an
individual has experienced, and is unable to recover from the initial
incident. Front line workers, including police officers, are often called
to stressful situations, which puts themselves at risk. Naturally, it is
common to have feelings of fear and worry. However, if an incident
arises and suddenly triggers an individual long after a traumatic event,
it becomes a concern. This could lead to police officers facing mental
health issues, taking extra sick days and potentially in suicide (Di Nota
et al., 2020).

Methods

To conduct a critical appraisal, a secondary literature review was
completed. The focus was on scholarly articles that are peer reviewed.
For the purpose of this review, magazines and newspapers were
excluded from the research. The keywords that were used to find this
content: Police Officers, Mental Health Resources, Stigmatization,
PTSD, and Mental Health. To narrow the results, it was important to
highlight police officer’s mental health, not civilians. In the search for
relevant material, Google Scholar was the search engine primarily
used. Supplementary information was collected from EBSCO, Google,
and ProQuest.

Results

Throughout the literature, common themes became evident. The
mental health resources provided in law enforcement municipalities
are successful, however, the issue raised is the barriers stopping police
officers from attaining these resources. Stigmatization of receiving
help is a consistent barrier throughout the literature being
researched. The sub themes suggested are police culture as well as
resilience and mental health knowledge within policing. One of the
programs for first responders is called Road to Mental Readiness
(R2MR). This is a short term program, for long term mental health
outcomes (Szeto et al., 2019). Which focuses on reducing barriers and
increasing resilience in first responders. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
is also a common theme used throughout the literature. One major
outlier in one of the articles Regehr et al. (2019) stated that police
officers become desensitized and therefore are at a decreased risk of
developing PTSD. However, throughout the other literature
researched, police officers are more susceptible to PTSD.

Discussion

After conducting a critical appraisal, the key factors discussed in these
themes represent barriers to accessing mental health resources for
police officers. It has already been identified that the mental health
resources for police officers are effective, the main issue revolves
around the barriers. Pluralistic ignorance is a large part of police
culture. An officer on the force may be struggling with their mental
health, however, when working within a team, it can be more of a
challenge to seek professional help without the fear of stigmatization
(Karaffa & Koch, 2016). In a study for the R2MR program, first
responder participants reported fewer stigmatized attitudes and
increased resilience towards mental health (Szeto et al., 2019).
One consistent find across the literature is self reporting. If seeking
help, an individual must complete a self assessment and report all
signs and symptoms. Failure to properly self assess could lead to the
wrong treatment. Research has shown that it is difficult to recognize
ones own feelings and the outside perspective is sometimes vital in
recognizing signs of distress. Therefore, questioning the effectiveness
of self reporting (Di Nota et al., 2020).
Challenges faced while conducting research was revolved around how
police officers handle mental health issues with civilians. It was
important to closely examine the word selection during the research
process. It was crucial for the information to be consistent, all while
ensuring it related back to the research question being asked.

Recommendations

Mental health resources for police officers are proven to be effective
for the officers who reach out for help. However, after a review of the
literature it is evident there are gaps that need to be further
researched. This research was conducted to gain a better
understanding of the current literature on mental health resources
available to police officers. As this critical appraisal evolved, the topic
became more complex. This resulted in a need for further research in
order to gain a better understanding of the change that is needed to
be implemented to ensure police officers mental health.
One way this research can be utilized is to provide incentives for
attending annual classes that are focused on educating police officers
on stigmatization. It is important to implement training so one is able
to recognize if someone is struggling internally or is properly self
assessing. Making self care classes and counseling mandatory is also
key. Finding ways to normalize discussing feelings would be beneficial
in both the short and long term. This will lead to achieving and
maintaining a healthy mind and ensuring police officers can perform
their duties to the best of their abilities.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2015). Neurodevelopmental
disorders: DSM-5 selections.
Di Nota, P. M., Anderson, G. S., Ricciardelli, R., Carleton, R. N., & Groll,
D. (2020). Mental disorders, suicidal ideation, plans and attempts
among Canadian police. Occupational Medicine, 70(3), 183-190.
https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqaa026
Karaffa, K. M., & Koch, J. M. (2016). Stigma, pluralistic ignorance, and
attitudes toward seeking mental health services among police
officers. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 43(6), 759-777.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0093854815613103
Regehr, C., Carey, M. G., Wagner, S., Alden, L. E., Buys, N., Corneil, W.,
& Fraess-Phillips, A. (2019). A systematic review of mental health
symptoms in police officers following extreme traumatic
exposures. Police Practice and Research, 1-15. Advance online
publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2019.1689129

Retrieved from: https://leb.fbi.gov/articles/perspective/perspective-police-officer-wellness-training

Bachelor of Law Enforcement Studies

Szeto, A., Dobson, K. S., & Knaak, S. (2019). The road to mental
readiness for first responders: A meta-analysis of program
outcomes. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 64(Supplement 1),
18S-29S. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743719842562

Justice Institute of British Columbia

November 2020