Publications

PSP report exposures to diverse and frequent potentially psychologically traumatic events and other occupational stressors, exacerbating risks for developing clinically significant mental health challenges. Multiple mental health disorder diagnoses increase risk for death by suicide and may partially explain the higher suicide risk among PSP. The study was designed to estimate suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts among Canadian PSP, and assesses associations with Emotional Resilience Skills Training (ERST) as part of a Federal Framework on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Participants included serving PSP (n=186) from four occupational sectors including firefighters, municipal police, paramedics, and public safety communicators. The results indicate suicide-related challenges for PSP, particularly PSP who self-identify as women and females. The results suggest sector-specific differences in suicide attempts, indicating unique sector-specific challenges among PSP. The results evidenced reductions in suicidal ideation and planning directly after ERST; however, attrition impacted analyses at 1-year follow-up.

Public safety personnel (PSP) are frequently exposed to psychologically traumatic events. The exposures potentiate posttraumatic stress injuries (PTSIs), including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Protocol was designed to mitigate PTSIs using ongoing monitoring and PSP delivered Emotional Resilience Skills Training (ERST) based on the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders. The current study pilot-tested ERST effectiveness among diverse PSP. A 16-month longitudinal design engaged serving PSP (firefighters, municipal police, paramedics, public safety communicators) who completed PSP-delivered ERST. Participants were assessed for symptoms of PTSIs, including but not limited to PTSD, at pre- and post-training, and 1-year follow-up using self-report measures and clinical interviews. Improvements were observed among firefighters, police, paramedics, and communicators, indicating that ongoing mental health monitoring and PSP-delivered ERST, can produce small to large mental health improvements among diverse PSP, or mitigate PSP mental health challenges, with variations influenced by pre-training factors and organizational supports. The current results support using the RCMP Protocol to help broadly improve PSP mental health or at least maintained non-clinical status despite compounding challenges associated with COVID-19.

Risk factors are modifiable individual factors associated with many different mental health challenges for the general population and public safety personnel (PSP). In the current study, individual resilience describes how a person perceives their own ability to cope with difficult situations. Individual resilience is associated with lower levels of mental health challenges. The current study was designed to assess how effective Emotional Resilience Skills Training (ERST) is at reducing risk factors and increasing individual resilience among PSP from different sectors. Risk and resilience were assessed at three time points: just before completing ERST, just after completing ERST, and one year after completing ERST. Results indicated participants at post-training reported lower scores on measures of risk factors and higher scores on a measure of resilience. The improvements were maintained for at least one year after completing ERST. Therefore, the current results support ERST as effective for lowering risk and increasing individual resilience among PSP, which may in turn reduce their risk for developing mental health challenges.

Risk factors are modifiable individual factors associated with many different mental health challenges for the general population and public safety personnel (PSP). In the current study, individual resilience describes how a person perceives their own ability to cope with difficult situations. Individual resilience is associated with lower levels of mental health challenges. The current study was designed to assess how effective Emotional Resilience Skills Training (ERST) is at reducing risk factors and increasing individual resilience among PSP from different sectors. Risk and resilience were assessed at three time points: just before completing ERST, just after completing ERST, and one year after completing ERST. Results indicated participants at post-training reported lower scores on measures of risk factors and higher scores on a measure of resilience. The improvements were maintained for at least one year after completing ERST. Therefore, the current results support ERST as effective for lowering risk and increasing individual resilience among PSP, which may in turn reduce their risk for developing mental health challenges.

This protocol paper describes the PSP PTSI Study (i.e., design, measures, materials, hypotheses, planned analyses, expected implications, and limitations), which was originally designed to evaluate an evidence-informed, proactive system of mental health assessment and training.