How Have Public Safety Personnel Seeking Digital Mental Healthcare Been Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic? An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

Public safety personnel (PSP) experience unique occupational stressors and suffer from high rates of mental health problems. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted virtually all aspects of human life around the world and has introduced additional occupational stressors for PSP. The objective of this study was to explore how PSP, especially those seeking digital mental health services, have been affected by the pandemic. Our research unit, PSPNET, provides internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy to PSP in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. When the pandemic spread to Saskatchewan, PSPNET began inquiring about the impact of the pandemic on prospective clients during the eligibility screening process. We used content analysis to analyze data from telephone screening interviews (n = 56) and descriptive statistics to analyze data from a questionnaire concerning the impacts of COVID-19 (n = 41). The results showed that most PSP reported facing several novel emotional challenges (e.g., social isolation, boredom, anger, and fear) and logistical challenges (e.g., related to childcare, finances, work, and access to mental healthcare). Most participants indicated they felt at least somewhat afraid of contracting COVID-19 but felt more afraid of their families contracting the virus than themselves. However, few participants reported severe challenges of any kind, and many (40%) indicated that they had not been significantly negatively impacted by the pandemic. Overall, the results suggest that PSP are not expressing significant concern at this time in meeting the novel challenges posed by COVID-19. Continued research will be required to monitor how diverse PSP populations and treatment outcomes are affected by the pandemic as the situation evolves.

Understanding and Addressing Occupational Stressors in Internet-Delivered Therapy for Public Safety Personnel: A Qualitative Analysis

“…The current results reflect previous research results that underscore the mental health impact of operational and organizational stressors for PSP [12], as well as emphasizing the impact PSP work can have on families, which can reciprocally impact the mental health of PSP [43]. The current results also highlight the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Saskatchewan PSP [44].…”

Benefits of Digital Mental Health Care Interventions for Correctional Workers and Other Public Safety Personnel: A Narrative Review

“…Most CWs prefer some degree of therapist or human support when partaking in mental health interventions (81). After psychologists, e-CBT with therapist assistance was ranked second to the most preferred treatment type in this population (81). Therapeutic alliance over the digital realm can mimic in-person therapies amongst PSP (82)(83)(84)(85).…”

Why Do Public Safety Personnel Seek Tailored Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy? An Observational Study of Treatment-Seekers

“…Fourth, the current study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the extent to which our results were influenced by the pandemic remains unclear. We have described the impacts of the pandemic on prospective PSPNET clients in a separate study, finding that they reported facing novel emotional challenges (e.g., social isolation, boredom, and fear) and logistical challenges (e.g., related to childcare, finances, and work) but generally did not report being severely impacted [56]. Fifth, certain results (e.g., concerning how PSP heard about PSPNET or which PSP occupations were most represented) were influenced by PSPNET's unique outreach strategies and may not generalize well to other ICBT providers.…”