The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Police Officers’ Stress Reduction: a Systematic Review
Tadas Vadvilavičius, Erika Varnagirytė, G. Jarašiūnaitė-Fedosejeva, L. Gustainienė
Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology January 30, 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s11896-022-09570-2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Police officers |
| Intervention | mindfulness-based intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based interventions reduced police officers' stress and stress-related outcomes including sleep problems, PTSD, negative affect, and burnout. |
Abstract
The profession of a police officer is associated with high levels of stress, which can have harmful consequences for officers’ personal lives, the police organisation, and society. This systematic review aims to synthesise recent literature on the effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention related to stress reduction (MBIs) in a sample of police officers. The search of relevant articles was applied in four databases (SpringerLink, Web of Science, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), and PubMed), using the following inclusion criteria: (1) study involved police officers; (2) study used (quasi)experimental research design; (3) mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention was applied as the main intervention; and (4) study presented pre- and post-intervention measures and quantitative results of stress. The systematic review of eight articles included in the analysis revealed that MBIs were effective in reducing police officers’ stress and other stress-related outcomes (sleep problems, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), negative affect, burnout).
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- The Effects of Loving-Kindness Meditation Guided by Short Video Apps on Policemen's Mindfulness, Public Service Motivation, Conflict Resolution Skills, and Communication Skills. Behavioral Sciences July 4, 2025
- Police Officers’ Experiences of a Mindfulness-based Intervention: a Bottom-up Exploration of Perceived Changes and Mechanisms Using Mixed Methods Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology September 11, 2026
- Feasibility of Mindfulness Training for Police Officers at the Spanish National Police Academy Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology May 14, 2026
- Technology-Enabled Intervention to Enhance Mindfulness, Safety, and Health Promotion Among Corrections Professionals: Protocol for a Prospective Quasi-Experimental Trial. JMIR Research Protocols September 22, 2023
Cites 22
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Home practice in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of participants' mindfulness practice and its association with outcomes Behaviour Research and Therapy May 10, 2017
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Theory and Practice The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry February 1, 2012
and 17 more in the library