Building Resilience in an Urban Police Department. Issue 8 (August 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ramey, Sandra L.; Perkhounkova, Yelena; Hein, Maria; Chung, Sophia; Franke, Warren D.; Anderson, Amanda A.
• Is Part Of: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine. Volume 58:Issue 8(2016)
• Publication Date: 2016-08
• Subjects: Medicine, Industrial -- Periodicals; Environmental health -- Periodicals; Occupational Medicine -- Periodicals; Environmental Medicine -- Periodicals; Environmental health; Medicine, Industrial; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.9803
• DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000791
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1076-2752

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: The aim of this study is to examine a resilience training intervention that impacts autonomic responses to stress and improves cardiovascular risk, psychological, and physiological outcomes in police. Methods: Officers [( n = 38) 22 to 54 years] modified emotional and physical responses to stress using self-regulation. Measurements include psychological and physiological measures [eg, heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure, C-reactive protein)] obtained at three time intervals. Results: Age was significantly ( P < 0.05) associated with changes on several measures of psychological stress (eg, critical incident stress, emotional vitality, and depression). Associations were found between coherence and improved HbA1c ( r = −0.66, P < 0.001) and stress due to organizational pressures ( r = −0.44, P = 0.03). Improvements in sympathetic and parasympathetic contributors of HRV were significant ( P < 0.03). Conclusion: A stress-resilience intervention improves certain responses to job stress with greater benefits for younger participants.