Grant: Team Grant: Mental Wellness in Public Safety Team Grants - Police

Police officers are exposed to hazardous, disturbing events, resulting in severe stress and trauma. Accumulated stress results in physical and mental health conditions, of which post-traumatic-stress-injuries (PTSI) are central. PTSI is related to reduced occupational performance, absenteeism, and risky behavior, health problems, suffering, and even suicide (Austin-Ketch et al., 2012; Ruotsalainen, et al., 2015). Existing interventions to prevent and treat PTSI show limited clinical effectiveness (Carleton et al., 2018). Traditional interventions to build resilience or relieve symptoms of PTSI are focused on addressing cognitive, emotional and behavioural components without addressing underlying neurological and physiological mechanisms that erode resilience, maintain pathology, and cause symptoms to resurface following treatment (LeDoux & Pine, 2016; Minassian et al., 2015). The objectives of this proposal are to 1) reduce mental health symptoms of PTSI through a biopsychosocial intervention 2) to build wellness capacity (i.e., strengthen biological resilience) among police officers to manage accumulated stress and future exposures to trauma (Arpaia & Andersen, 2019; Andersen et al., 2018). 3) To examine how sex and gender are related to both baseline biological differences PTSI symptomatology and in response to the intervention. AMT is an 8 week intervention using real-time biological heart-rate-variability biofeedback (HRVB) to rewire physiological reflexes while individuals process current psychological and physical symptoms (Arpaia & Andersen, 2019; Lehrer & Gevirtz, 2014). We will provide personalized, training and education, tailored for police officers, delivered using leading edge research tools and methods (interactive online engagement) and innovative technology (biometrics to assess changes in wellness and resilience). AMT training is compatible with learning management systems and can be distributed to all police services across Canada if effective.