Mindfulness training reduces PTSD symptoms and other stress-related health outcomes in police officers
Daniel W Grupe, Chad Mcgehee, Christine E. Smith, Andrew D Francis, Jeanette A. Mumford, Richard J. Davidson
June 11, 2019 DOI: 10.31231/osf.io/jk4e6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study with 5-month follow-up Randomized |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | Sworn law enforcement personnel from a mid-sized Midwestern U.S. police department |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, 5-month follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation PTSD |
| Key points | Mindfulness training reduced perceived stress, anxiety, burnout, sleep disturbances, and PTSD hyperarousal symptoms in police officers, with no change in physical health symptoms or hs-CRP. |
Abstract
BACKGROUND. Police officers are exposed daily to high levels of organizational and operational stressors that have a negative impact on health and well-being outcomes. This population has elevated rates of cardiovascular disease, sleep disorders, symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicide. Although there are few empirically supported effective stress reduction interventions in police officers, recent evidence suggests that an 8-week training program in mindfulness meditation, specifically tailored for this group, has promise in reducing perceived stress and improving stress-related physical and mental health outcomes including sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression, and burnout. The primary aims of the current study were to 1) demonstrate the feasibility, acceptability, and adherence of a similar mindfulness training program in a new population of police officers; 2) replicate previously demonstrated improvements in perceived stress and stress-related health outcomes, and 3) provide novel evidence of hypothesized reductions in symptoms of PTSD.METHODS. We enrolled 30 sworn law enforcement personnel from a mid-sized, Midwestern U.S. police department in an 8-week, group-based mindfulness training program. We conducted in-person assessments immediately before and after the training program, consisting of self-report measures of perceived stress, sleep quality, physical and mental health symptoms, and burnout and the assessment of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and other physical health measures. An abbreviated remote assessment at 5-month follow-up included self-report measures only.RESULTS. All 30 officers completed the 8-week program and both in-person assessments, with high rates of class attendance, substantial out-of-class practice time, and uniformly positive evaluations of the training program and instructors. Replicating previous studies, we identified post-training reductions in perceived organizational and operational stress, global sleep disturbances, anxiety, and burnout, with significant reductions in anxiety and perceived stress observed at 5-month follow-up. We also identified novel evidence for reduced PTSD hyperarousal symptoms that persisted at 5-month follow-up, and reduced re-experiencing PTSD symptoms at 5-month follow-up only. There was no evidence for changes in self-reported physical health symptoms or hs-CRP.CONCLUSIONS. Successful adaptation, delivery, and acceptance of this mindfulness-based intervention demonstrates the generalizability of mindfulness training across law enforcement populations. The replication of improved stress-related outcomes, and novel evidence for reduced PTSD symptoms, indicate important targets to be further investigated in larger, mechanistic, randomized controlled trials of mindfulness training in police officers.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on PTSD, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 5
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Mindfulness Meditation and Improvement in Sleep Quality and Daytime Impairment Among Older Adults With Sleep Disturbances JAMA Internal Medicine February 16, 2015
- A mind you can count on: validating breath counting as a behavioral measure of mindfulness Frontiers in Psychology October 24, 2014
- Mindfulness-based resilience training to reduce health risk, stress reactivity, and aggression among law enforcement officers: A feasibility and preliminary efficacy trial. Psychiatry Research March 23, 2018
- Mindfulness meditation and the immune system: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences January 21, 2016