Publications

Despite the higher prevalence of mental health disorders among serving Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) relative to the general population, RCMP Cadets begin training with lower putative risk and greater perceived resilience than young adults in the general population. The current study was designed to assess the effectiveness of the Cadet training program—the paramilitary training RCMP recruits complete to become serving RCMP—in strengthening RCMP Cadets’ mental health by examining putative risk and resilience factors among post-training/pre-deployment Cadets. Participants had significantly lower scores on all putative risk variables with the exception of state anger, and significantly higher scores on perceived resilience, at post-training/pre-deployment compared to pre-training. Participants also had significantly lower scores on all putative risk variables, and significantly higher scores on perceived resilience, compared to scores from young adult control samples. These uncontrolled pilot findings suggest the Cadet training program may be beneficial for RCMP Cadets’ mental health and provide further evidence that the nature of policing, rather than individual differences in risk and resilience, likely explain serving RCMP’s relatively higher prevalence of mental health disorders.

The high number of serving Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) members with mental health disorders have often been incorrectly attributed to inadequate mental health screening of Cadets, or the potentially harmful nature of police training programs. In contrast, current research suggests that serving RCMP members screen positive for mental health disorders as a result of service-related mental health injuries from exposures to potentially psychologically traumatic events. The current study provides estimates of RCMP Cadet mental health at pre-deployment. At pre-deployment, the proportion of Cadets who screened positive for one or more current mental disorders based on self-reported symptoms (7.3%) or the clinical interview (4.1%) was lower than the diagnostic prevalence for the general population (10.1%), with no statistically significant sex or gender differences. Cadets evidenced improved mental health relative to their pre-training assessments, and better mental health than other RCMP members. The mental health disorder symptom improvements directly contrast long-standing notions that mental disorders among serving public safety personnel or military are caused by inherent weaknesses or pre-existing mental health injuries among people who should have been pre-emptively excluded from service. The results further contrast recent suppositions that police training is harmful to Cadets.

The current study was designed to examine the relationship between voluntary participation in daily mental health monitoring among RCMP Cadets in the Cadet training program (CTP) and screening positive for one or more mental health disorders based on self-reported symptoms. Participants were encouraged to complete at least one brief, daily self-report survey per day about their physical and mental wellbeing during their training at the CTP. Researchers analyzed participation frequency by using the 90-9-1 rule, which classifies user participation into three categories: Lurkers (i.e., Limited Contributors; the 90% of actors who do not, or rarely actively participate), Contributors (the 9% who seldom contribute), and Superusers (the 1% who contribute substantially. The current results suggest persons with mental health challenges may be less likely to engage in some forms of proactive mental health training. The current results also provide useful information about participation, adherence, and engagement that can be used to inform evidence-based paradigm shifts in health-related data collection in occupational populations.

Nearly half of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers (43.4%) report experiencing chronic pain; most (91%) RCMP officers who report chronic pain indicate that the pain began after they started serving. The current study was designed to provide estimates of chronic pain prevalence among Cadets and assess sociodemographic differences. Establishing baseline chronic pain estimates among Cadets at the start of the Cadet training program can help determine whether occupational risk factors contribute to the high rates of chronic pain reported by RCMP officers. The current study results indicate that chronic pain prevalence reported by Cadets was lower than published results for RCMP, suggesting that occupational risk factors are probable explanations for frequent reports of chronic pain among RCMP. Older Cadets were more likely to report experiencing chronic pain than younger Cadets, supporting age as another contributing factor for chronic pain. The high prevalence of chronic pain among RCMP may be caused by, or impacted by, several factors, including operational duties, duty equipment, duty vehicles, levels of physical activity, and higher prevalence of mental health disorder symptoms, rather than being singularly associated with routine aging. Further research could inform evidence-based strategies for reducing chronic pain among RCMP, as well as informing proactive mental health supports that could support recruitment and retention and mitigate risks for mental and physical health conditions.

Research efforts to understand risk and resilience profiles for developing posttraumatic stress injuries (PTSI) have included work focused on identifying associations between mental health disorders and specific personality traits. The current study was designed to examine associations between personality and mental health among Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Cadets. Little is known about the associations between mental health disorders and personality among RCMP Cadets starting the Cadet training program (CPT) and how personality traits may be meaningfully and differentially associated with mental health challenges. The results indicated that higher levels of Agreeableness, Extraversion, and to some extent Openness to Experience, were each associated with decreased odds of screening positive for mental disorders, suggesting relationships with resilience. In contrast, high Emotionality was associated with increased odds of screening positive for mental disorders and may help inform resources and supports to reduce mental health risks among Cadets and serving RCMP. Overall, RCMP Cadets already appear to be starting the CTP with personality profiles indicative of mental health resilience. The current results can be used to inform efforts to mitigate PTSI and maintain and bolster such traits to further facilitate mental health resilience among RCMP Cadets, serving RCMP and other PSP.

Cardiac research is currently very limited for patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and for people working in stressful occupations. The current study was designed to review the existing literature on PTSD and cardiac function to provide insights about potential benefits of cardiac monitoring for first responders and other public safety personnel (PSP). Researchers also conducted a case study on the use of cardiac monitoring with a participant in a high-pressure hospital setting to illustrate the effects of potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs) on cardiac function. The literature review results indicated that there was little research on cardiac function and PTSD or related symptoms in the existing scholarship, and that there was much variation in the few relevant studies. The existing literature does suggest that the heart is affected by continuous stress that can potentially lead to PTSD. The case study results serve as a novel “proof-of-concept” that changes to cardiac function can occur during acute occupational stressors. The current study results suggest noninvasive cardiac monitoring can be used to help identify cardiac changes brought about by PPTE exposures. PPTE exposures and other cumulative stressors can lead to chronic mental health challenges, including PTSD and other posttraumatic stress injuries; therefore, early detection of cardiac dysfunction can serve as a potentially proactive mental health measure.

The current study examined variations in cardioautonomic lability among Cadets in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Cadet training program (CTP). Cardioautonomic lability refers to changes in heart and body functions in response to stress or other external stimuli; for example, elevated heart rate. Cadets (n = 157) were provided with wearable technology equipped with Electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart rate monitoring to wear while training. The technology tracked 31 different heart rate variability factors. Participants were also screened for several mental health disorders using self-report measures. The study results indicated participating RCMP Cadets had excellent cardiac health overall and suggested potentially important differences between Cadets who did and did not screen positive for mental health disorders. Cadets who screened positively generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) showed less heart rate variability based on a key factor. The current results provide an important baseline for future cardiac research with Cadets and serving officers. The results may also inform further research into biological indicators of mental health challenges among police officers and heart-related risk factors for disease or death.

Choosing Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) recruits who have personality traits associated with positive job performance and mental resilience is crucial, yet very little is actually known about the personalities of Cadets beginning the Cadet training program. This is the first study to apply a personality scale called the HEXACO Personality Inventory Revised to analyze personality, and to analyze sociodemographic differences among Cadets and compare them to the general population. The results showed differences between the 772 volunteer Cadets and the general population in several areas of personality, and also between men and women Cadets. There also seemed to be differences between Cadets based on factors such as age, education, and province of residence, among others. And there were signs that Cadets were already showing personalities that might be considered ideal for RCMP officers. The HEXACO testing was able to provide additional and more detailed information about key areas of personality, which could provide valuable insights for recruitment and selection processes.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers report frequent exposures to several potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs), which are associated with the development of diverse mental health injuries. Nearly half of all serving RCMP officers screen positively for one or more mental health disorders. The high prevalence of mental health disorder symptoms reported by serving RCMP is coupled with high levels of stigma and low levels of intention to seek mental health services, further exacerbating mental health challenges. Little is known about the levels of mental health knowledge, stigma, and service use intentions in RCMP Cadets starting the Cadet training program (CPT). The current study is designed to 1) obtain baseline levels of mental health knowledge, stigma, and service use intentions of RCMP Cadets; 2) determine the relationship between mental health knowledge, stigma, and service use intentions among RCMP Cadets; 3) examine differences across sociodemographic groups; and 4) compare Cadets to a sample of previously surveyed serving RCMP.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) frequently experience potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs) as a result of service, contributing to the development of mental health injury. In a recent study, approximately half of participating RCMP screened positive for one or more mental health disorders, which is approximately five times that of the general Canadian population. Evidence suggests that physical activity can provide anxiety-reducing, antidepressant, and stress-buffering effects, yet there is currently limited research examining the effects of physical activity on PSP mental health. The current study assesses the relationship between physical activity and mental health disorder symptoms of cadets during the RCMP Cadet training program (CTP). Cadets who burned more active calories per day on average experienced greater decreases in symptoms of anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, and alcohol use disorder. Exercise appears to be an accessible, acceptable, and effective tool for supporting Cadet mental health. Further research is needed on the potential benefit of exercise for supporting the mental health of serving RCMP, including mitigating symptoms of operational stress and PPTE.