Study protocol of a multicenter randomized controlled trial of mindfulness training to reduce burnout and promote quality of life in police officers: the POLICE study.
Marcelo Trombka, Marcelo Demarzo, Daniel Campos Bacas, Sonia Beira Antonio, Karen Cicuto, Vera Salvo, Felipe Cesar Almeida Claudino, Letícia Ribeiro, Michael Christopher, Javier García-campayo, Neusa Sica Rocha
BMC Psychiatry May 25, 2018 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-018-1726-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Clinical protocol (multicenter randomized controlled trial) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 160 |
| Population | Active police officers in Porto Alegre and São Paulo, Brazil |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Health Promotion (MBHP) |
| Duration | Three assessment points: baseline, post-intervention, and six-month follow-up |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Empathy Mental health Burnout, professional Quality of life Police Adult Brazil Female Burnout, psychological Stress |
| Registration | NCT03114605 |
| Key findings | The protocol proposes a multicenter randomized controlled trial to test whether Mindfulness-Based Health Promotion, compared with a waitlist control, improves quality of life and reduces burnout symptoms in 160 police officers, with secondary assessment of perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and possible mechanisms including resilience, mindfulness, decentering, self-compassion, spirituality, and religiosity. The authors note that mindfulness training has shown benefits in other settings but has not been systematically evaluated in policing. |
Abstract
Background: Police officers experience a high degree of chronic stress. Policing ranks among the highest professions in terms of disease and accident rates. Mental health is particularly impacted, evidenced by elevated rates of burnout, anxiety and depression, and poorer quality of life than the general public. Mindfulness training has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, burnout and promote quality of life in a variety of settings, although its efficacy in this context has yet to be systematically evaluated. Therefore, this trial will investigate the efficacy of a mindfulness-based intervention versus a waitlist control in improving quality of life and reducing negative mental health symptoms in police officers.
Methods: This multicenter randomized controlled trial has three assessment points: baseline, post-intervention, and six-month follow-up. Active police officers (n = 160) will be randomized to Mindfulness-Based Health Promotion (MBHP) or waitlist control group at two Brazilian major cities: Porto Alegre and São Paulo. The primary outcomes are burnout symptoms and quality of life. Consistent with the MBHP conceptual model, assessed secondary outcomes include perceived stress, anxiety and depression symptoms, and the potential mechanisms of resilience, mindfulness, decentering, self-compassion, spirituality, and religiosity.
Discussion: Findings from this study will inform and guide future research, practice, and policy regarding police offer health and quality of life in Brazil and globally.
Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03114605 . Retrospectively registered on March 21, 2017.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Web-Based Mindfulness Meditation as an Adjunct to Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Public Safety Personnel: Mixed Methods Feasibility Evaluation Study. JMIR Formative Research January 30, 2024
- Feasibility of Mindfulness Training for Police Officers at the Spanish National Police Academy Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology May 14, 2026
- Mindfulness and compassion-based programs on eating behavior of post-bariatric surgery patients: A two phased clinical trial protocol. MethodsX August 9, 2024
- Brief mindfulness training for Canadian public safety personnel well-being Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being June 30, 2023
- Mindful of authority: A snapshot of the meditation and contemplative practices of some Canadian Commissioned Police Officers Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being June 29, 2023
and 3 more in the library
Cites 9
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- The mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy adherence scale: inter‐rater reliability, adherence to protocol and treatment distinctiveness Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy March 1, 2002
- 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
- ROLE OF RESILIENCE IN MINDFULNESS TRAINING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS. Mindfulness April 19, 2017
- Systematic Review of Mindfulness Practice for Reducing Job Burnout. American Journal of Occupational Therapy March 1, 2016
and 4 more in the library