A pilot study on the efficacy of an online mindfulness intervention for Canadian police officers

Abstract

Police officers experience higher levels of mental illness compared to the general population. These traumas are known as operational stress injuries and are the result of operational and organizational stressors. These stressors often result in elevated levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Mindfulness is widely becoming a mainstream method to help individuals cope with these disorders; however, while rapidly growing, the literature on the efficacy of mindfulness programs for police officers is in its infancy. Given the atypical work schedules officers keep, and the COVID-driven demand for remote service delivery, this pilot study examined the efficacy of a modified version of the online mindfulness program called MindFit Cop. Officers in our study completed a series of surveys before and after the 9-week intervention. We found significant results across timepoints for total mindfulness and self-compassion scores, and a significant interaction for time × group for non-reactivity. No significant results were found for group. This pilot study lends further support for the benefits of mindfulness for police officers in improving overall mindfulness and self-compassion.