Impact of The HEROES Project on First Responders’ Well-Being

Abstract

First responders experience a myriad of stressors (e.g., operational, organizational, personal) over the course of their career. An abundance of empirical evidence shows that the impact of those stressors on first responders’ health, well-being, and performance can be detrimental. Nevertheless, previous research has mainly focused on the role of a specific technique (e.g., mindfulness, breathing exercises, psychoeducation) towards the promotion of well-being among first responders. This allows us to explore the role of a single technique in supporting first responders. However, given the complexity of stressors experienced by this population, it appears that a synergistic role of multileveled intervention is imperative to promote lasting improvement in first responders’ well-being. To this end, The HEROES Project, an eight-week online training program, was developed to address the aforementioned gap in the literature. The HEROES Project incorporates lessons that aim to build a cluster of skills that together promote first responders’ wellbeing. In the present study, a sample of first responders (n = 124) from the US Midwest were recruited and completed The HEROES Project. They were assessed before and after completion of the program, and then follow-up measurements were obtained for two years following the baseline assessment. Results showed that participants with higher distress and lower psychological resources before the training benefited most from The HEROES Project, but that the training significantly improved psychological capital and reduced stress, depression, anxiety, and trauma symptoms for all participants. Clinical and training implications as well as future research directions are discussed.

Resilience and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in the Swiss Alpine Rescue Association

“…Research also indicates that high resilience protects the individual from developing PTSD at high stress levels ( 78 ). In this regard, methods to increase resilience have also been developed and validated specifically for emergency and rescue personnel ( 79 , 80 ).…”

Caring for the Guardians—Exploring Needed Directions and Best Practices for Police Resilience Practice and Research

“…Profiled in the Law Enforcement Bulletin, Efforts to promote servant leaders in policing seek to instill "the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first." Importantly, this approach represents the multilevel intervention that is required for sustainable impacts (Blumberg et al, 2020). This is because servant leadership builds the organizational environment for building officer resilience by offering officers meaningful ways to improve "mental, physical, spiritual, and social fitness."…”

“…Examples of organizational problems, unpredictable discipline, politics and favoritism all contribute to on-going feelings of anxiousness that are compounded by trauma they experience on duty (Cruickshank, 2012 ). These organizational factors are risk factors for stress and fatigue that must be addressed as part of any intervention targeting sustainable improvements in the overall wellness of their officers (Blumberg et al, 2020 ). As will be discussed below, successful interventions targeting individual officers will have less impact if they do not also address the complexity of stressors (organizational community, etc.)…”

“…As will be discussed below, successful interventions targeting individual officers will have less impact if they do not also address the complexity of stressors (organizational community, etc.) contributing to the deteriorating wellbeing of first responders (NBC-LA Los Angeles Southern California, 2019 ; Blumberg et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Existing interventions in policing targeting compassion satisfaction related skills and attitudes fall under the modern servant leadership movement (Badger, 2019 ). Profiled in the Law Enforcement Bulletin , Efforts to promote servant leaders in policing seek to instill “the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.” Importantly, this approach represents the multilevel intervention that is required for sustainable impacts (Blumberg et al, 2020 ). This is because servant leadership builds the organizational environment for building officer resilience by offering officers meaningful ways to improve “mental, physical, spiritual, and social fitness.” Offering officers, the requisite autonomy and control fosters the development of compassion satisfaction that makes officers more optimistic and positive about their job, even as they are faced with the external factors that are a real part of their daily work.…”