Mental health stigma and barriers to mental health care for first responders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Haugen, Peter T.; McCrillis, Aileen; Smid, Geert E.; Nijdam, Mirjam J.

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2017.08.001

Cited by 201 publications

(185 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

166

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Of note, only 17.1% of our sample reported lifetime heavy alcohol use, which has been shown to be increased amongst police officers (Price, ). Underestimation and underreporting are a common problem in assessing drinking levels, particularly in police officers and others who may be concerned about damaging their careers by disclosing current alcohol use, even with stringent safeguards and assurances of confidentiality, and mental health stigma may play a role (Ballenger et al., ; Haugen, McCrillis, Smid, & Nijdam, ). Also, police officers with known alcohol use disorders are likely to be referred to specialized treatment facilities (Price, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of Outcome and Residual Symptoms Following Trauma‐Focused Psychotherapy in Police Officers With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Smid

Meer

Olff

et al. 2018

Journal of Traumatic Stress

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Police officers exposed to potentially traumatic events (PTE) are at a heightened risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Little is known about trauma‐focused psychotherapy outcomes in the police. In this naturalistic study, we evaluated whether PTE exposure and baseline clinical characteristics predicted PTSD symptom reduction during treatment and residual PTSD symptoms posttreatment. In consecutive referrals to a specialized mental health service for police officers (N = 665), PTSD was measured pre‐ and posttreatment using structured clinical interviews. Treatment consisted of brief eclectic psychotherapy for PTSD. We grouped PTE as follows: injury/maltreatment, loss (colleague or private), other job‐related, other private traumatic events. Data were analyzed multivariably using structural equation modeling and logistic regression. Treatment effect size was large, d = 3.6, 95% CI [3.4, 3.8]. Police officers who reported more injury/maltreatment or private traumatic had more baseline PTSD symptoms as well as larger symptom reduction during treatment; police officers who reported more losses of loved ones showed smaller PTSD symptom reduction. Concentration problems persisted in 17.7% of police officers posttreatment, and these were predicted by baseline PTSD symptoms and loss of loved ones. Proportions of variance explained by the multivariable models ranged from 0.08 to 0.14. Our findings increase insight into the type of PTE and clinical characteristics of police officers with PTSD who benefit most from trauma‐focused treatment. Because loss of loved ones can be presumed to have a profound impact on social and interpersonal functioning, a more specific treatment focus on grief processes may further enhance efficacy.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of Outcome and Residual Symptoms Following Trauma‐Focused Psychotherapy in Police Officers With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Smid

Meer

Olff

et al. 2018

Journal of Traumatic Stress

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…4 Single item, shame for own illness. 5 Single item, shame for illness of a family member. 6 Single item, support at the workplace.…”

Section: Knowledge and Attitudes Concerning Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite this, a high proportion of people with mental health problems do not receive adequate treatment. Attitudinal barriers and a lack of knowledge hinder patients from taking advantage of the offers provided by the healthcare system [4,5]. For employees, concerns about confidentiality and negative impacts on their career may enhance this effect [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Attitude Change After a Single-Day Manager Training Addressing Mental Health at the Workplace

Schwarz

Schiller

Moertl

et al. 2019

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mental health problems have become one of the most common causes of incapacity for work, and engender high costs to society. Especially managerial behavior was found to have a great impact on employees' well-being. In order to support those in leading positions in dealing with their own, as well as their employees', psychological stress factors, we conducted a specific manager training. At the same time, we wanted to find out about the training's short-and long-term effects. Participants were asked to give information about their knowledge and attitudes concerning mental health (Mental Health Knowledge Schedule, Social Distance Scale), as well as to comment on their own health condition (12-Item Short Form Health Survey, Patient Health Questionnaire) and working situation (Effort-Reward Inventory, Irritation Scale). Data were collected at baseline, as well as 3 and 12 months after the training. Results show long-term improvements in knowledge and attitudes measured by the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS: M t1 = 22.88, Mt2 = 23.79, Mt3 = 23.79, p = 0.005) but not in the Social Distance Scale (SoDi: M t1 = 0.96, Mt2 = 0.85, Mt3 = 0.84, p = 0.165). Over the period of time observed, no changes were found regarding health-or work-related instruments. Due to the uncontrolled design of the study, further research is needed to determine the exact effectiveness.

show abstract

“…Stigma and perceived obstacles such as lack of knowledge about PTSD or treatment routes, and financial or time burden have been reported to play important roles as barriers to mental health treatment [ 18 , 19 ]. Stigma can have detrimental influences on both an individual's reputation and career [ 20 ], and therefore prevent people from seeking mental health treatment [ 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Firefighters, posttraumatic stress disorder, and barriers to treatment: Results from a nationwide total population survey

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Repeated exposure to traumatic experiences may put professional firefighters at increased risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To date, however, the rate of PTSD symptoms, unmet need for mental health treatment, and barriers to treatment have only been investigated in subsamples rather than the total population of firefighters. We conducted a nationwide, total population-based survey of all currently employed South Korean firefighters (n = 39,562). The overall response rate was 93.8% (n = 37,093), with 68.0% (n = 26,887) complete responses for all variables. The rate of current probable PTSD was estimated as 5.4%. Among those with current probable PTSD (n = 1,995), only a small proportion (9.7%) had received mental health treatment during the past month. For those who had not received treatment, perceived barriers of accessibility to treatment (29.3%) and concerns about potential stigma (33.8%) were reasons for not receiving treatment. Although those with higher PTSD symptom severity and functional impairment were more likely to seek treatment, greater symptom severity and functional impairment were most strongly associated with increased concerns about potential stigma. This nationwide study points to the need for new approaches to promote access to mental health treatment in professional firefighters.

show abstract

Mental health stigma and barriers to mental health care for first responders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Cited by 201 publications

References 47 publications

Predictors of Outcome and Residual Symptoms Following Trauma‐Focused Psychotherapy in Police Officers With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Predictors of Outcome and Residual Symptoms Following Trauma‐Focused Psychotherapy in Police Officers With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Long-Term Attitude Change After a Single-Day Manager Training Addressing Mental Health at the Workplace

Firefighters, posttraumatic stress disorder, and barriers to treatment: Results from a nationwide total population survey

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About