Monthly Mental Health Monitoring During the Cadet Training Program

Why was the study done?

Current research suggests that Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Cadet mental health when starting the Cadet training program (CTP) appears comparable to, or better than, the general public. At pre-deployment (i.e., upon completion of the CTP and immediately before active-duty deployment), the same Cadets evidenced improved mental health relative to their pre-training assessments, and better mental health than serving RCMP; however, the mechanisms associated with the mental health improvements are still being evaluated. The self-monitoring tools provided to RCMP Study participants during the CTP were expected to directly and indirectly support participant mental health.

What was done in the study?

The current research draws on data from the larger, 10-year RCMP Study, a part of a Federal Framework on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current study was designed to assess for associations between self-report mental health disorder symptom change scores and the frequency of completing monthly mental health self-monitoring surveys among RCMP Cadets during training (n=355). Multiple linear regression models were conducted to assess relationships between mental health disorder symptom change scores and the frequency of monthly self-monitoring during the CTP, adjusting for sociodemographic variables and pre-training mental health disorder symptom scores.

What did we find out?

The current study results supported the hypothesis that regular mental health self-monitoring would be inversely associated with changes in mental health disorder symptoms during the CTP from pre-training to pre-deployment. Cadets who completed more monthly self-report mental health symptom surveys evidenced greater decreases from pre-training to pre-deployment in their self-reported mental health disorder symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and major depressive disorder, but not alcohol use disorder or panic disorder. The results were consistent with existing evidence that self-monitoring of mental health disorder symptoms can improve mental health disorder symptoms through increased mental health awareness and real-time feedback to RCMP Cadets during training. Scheduled monthly self-monitoring offers a readily accessible, seemingly transdiagnostic, evidence-based tool for helping to improve the mental health of RCMP Cadets, which could be extended to improvements in the mental health of RCMP members and other PSP.