Testing a Resilience Training Program in Police Recruits: A Pilot Study

Ramey, Sandra L.; Perkhounkova, Yelena; Hein, Maria; Bohr, Nicole L; Anderson, Amanda

doi:10.1177/1099800417699879

Cited by 22 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…There were no significant differences between the interventions on any of the primary or secondary outcome measures at the post-intervention or follow-up timepoints although participants receiving the resilience intervention rated it as more helpful than those receiving psychoeducation. The results of this trial are consistent with findings that resilience interventions may have limited effects on mental health outcomes in emergency workers [12][13][14][15][16][17] and the growing concern in the field that although some interventions may improve wellbeing [7][8][9][10][11], it remains to be seen whether or not this translates to better mental health outcomes. Interestingly, modest improvements were observed for participants receiving psychoeducation on some outcomes at follow-up compared to their baseline assessments.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

“…The last few decades have seen a surge in the development of interventions aimed to improve resilience in emergency worker populations, with resilience generally being defined as the capacity to maintain wellbeing in response to adversity or stress [6]. Despite widespread use, however, there is conflicting evidence for their efficacy with some resilience interventions demonstrating improvements in wellbeing, sleep or stress symptoms [7][8][9][10][11] whilst others show no significant effects on mental or physical health outcomes [12][13][14][15][16][17]. Evaluations have typically been hampered by heterogeneity in intervention design, content and outcome measurement, and low methodological quality among studies [18][19][20][21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating the effectiveness of a group-based resilience intervention versus psychoeducation for emergency responders in England: A randomised controlled trial

et al. 2020

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Background Emergency responders are routinely exposed to traumatic critical incidents and other occupational stressors that place them at higher risk of mental ill health compared to the general population. There is some evidence to suggest that resilience training may improve emergency responders’ wellbeing and related health outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a tertiary service resilience intervention compared to psychoeducation for improving psychological outcomes among emergency workers. Methods We conducted a multicentre, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial. Minim software was used to randomly allocate police, ambulance, fire, and search and rescue services personnel, who were not suffering from depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, to Mind’s group intervention or to online psychoeducation on a 3:1 basis. The resilience intervention was group-based and included stress management and mindfulness tools for reducing stress. It was delivered by trained staff at nine centres across England in six sessions, one per week for six weeks. The comparison intervention was psychoeducation about stress and mental health delivered online, one module per week for six weeks. Primary outcomes were assessed by self-report and included wellbeing, resilience, self-efficacy, problem-solving, social capital, confidence in managing mental health, and number of days off work due to illness. Follow-up was conducted at three months. Blinding of participants, researchers and outcome assessment was not possible due to the type of interventions. Results A total of 430 participants (resilience intervention N = 317; psychoeducation N = 113) were randomised and included in intent-to-treat analyses. Linear Mixed-Effects Models did not show a significant difference between the interventions, at either the post-intervention or follow-up time points, on any outcome measure. Conclusions The limited success of this intervention is consistent with the wider literature. Future refinements to the intervention may benefit from targeting predictors of resilience and mental ill health. Trial registration ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN79407277.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the effectiveness of a group-based resilience intervention versus psychoeducation for emergency responders in England: A randomised controlled trial

et al. 2020

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“…In that study, the participants reported improvements with work and their personal lives. Similarly, a study of recruits in the Milwaukee Police Department (Ramey et al, 2017), also with a small sample size (n = 34), produced promising results in developing resilience. This program involved a 2-h session, instructions on breathing exercises, as well as four tele-mentor sessions spaced out over approximately 3 months in total.…”

Section: Current First Responder Resiliency Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Warr;or21: A 21-Day Program to Enhance First Responder Resilience and Mental Health

Thompson

Drew

2020

Front. Psychol.

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First responders face multiple stressors on a daily basis. They have experienced higher rates of anxiety disorders, depression, burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicide (Asmundson and Stapleton, 2008), alcohol and substance abuse (Ballenger et al., 2010), and deficient sleep hygiene (Pearsall, 2012) compared to the general population. Existing resilience research can be utilized and adapted to help first responders cope in a positive manner as a form of prevention and also as part of their recovery. New resiliency programs continue to emerge and this paper details one-warr;or21. The warr;or21 program is explained and based on an evaluation of the program's preliminary data, the results are promising with how the program can assist first responders (and the general public) increase their resiliency and mental health.

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“…There is an extensive body of research showing that providing HRV coherence feedback to facilitate skill acquisition of self-regulation techniques improves a wide range of health and performance outcomes (15, 63–86). …”

Section: New Frontiersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been shown that providing emotional self-regulation skills combined with heart rhythm coherence training results in significant improvements in communication, employee satisfaction, productivity, problem solving, reduced turnover, and a significant return on investment, both financially and socially (15, 67, 73, 86, 90–92). In our experience, the self-regulation and resilience building training programs are most successful when leadership openly models and support the programs (93).…”

Section: Training Programs To Increase Social Coherencementioning

confidence: 99%

New Frontiers in Heart Rate Variability and Social Coherence Research: Techniques, Technologies, and Implications for Improving Group Dynamics and Outcomes

McCraty

2017

Front. Public Health

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Concepts embraced by the term coherence have been identified as central to fields such as quantum physics, physiology, and social science. There are different types of coherence, although the term always implies a harmonious relationship, correlations and connections between the various parts of a system. A specific measure derived from heart rate variability (HRV) provides a measure of physiological coherence. Another type of coherence, social coherence, relates to the harmonious alignment between couples or pairs, family units, small groups, or larger organizations in which a network of relationships exists among individuals who share common interests and objectives. A high degree of social coherence is reflected by stable and harmonious relationships, which allows for the efficient flow and utilization of energy and communication required for optimal collective cohesion and action. Social coherence requires that group members are attuned and are emotionally connected with each other, and that the group’s emotional energy is organized and regulated by the group as a whole. A number of studies are reviewed which have explored various types of synchronization in infants, pairs and groups, indicating that feelings of cooperation, trust, compassion and increased prosocial behaviors depends largely on the establishment of a spontaneous synchronization of various physiological rhythms between individuals. This article discusses a new application using HRV monitoring in social coherence research and the importance of physiological synchronization in group developmental processes and dynamics. Building on the extensive body of research showing that providing feedback of HRV coherence level at the individual level can improve self-regulation, we suggest the following hypotheses: (1) providing feedback of individual and collective HRV coherence and the degree of heart rhythm synchronization will increase group coherence, and heart rhythm synchronization among group members. (2) Training in techniques to increase group coherence and heart rhythm synchronization will correlate with increased prosocial behaviors, such as kindness and cooperation among individuals, improved communication, and decreases in social discord and adversarial interactions. (3) Biomagnetic fields produced by the heart may be a primary mechanism in mediating HRV synchronization among group members. Data supporting each of the hypothesis is discussed.

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Testing a Resilience Training Program in Police Recruits: A Pilot Study

Abstract: Results confirm several significant effects of resilience training with recruits.

Cited by 22 publications

References 34 publications

Evaluating the effectiveness of a group-based resilience intervention versus psychoeducation for emergency responders in England: A randomised controlled trial

Evaluating the effectiveness of a group-based resilience intervention versus psychoeducation for emergency responders in England: A randomised controlled trial

Warr;or21: A 21-Day Program to Enhance First Responder Resilience and Mental Health

New Frontiers in Heart Rate Variability and Social Coherence Research: Techniques, Technologies, and Implications for Improving Group Dynamics and Outcomes

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