Concerns about the physical health, mental health, and safety of first responders and law enforcement officers have been increasing for some time. In recent years, the public has become more aware of the overall mental toll borne by law enforcement, and the tragic consequences of poor mental health.[1]
Research suggests that the stress endured by police officers results in “higher rates of heart disease, divorce, sick days taken, alcohol abuse, and major psychological illnesses such as acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety disorders.”[2] Evidence also suggests that the suicide rate estimated for law enforcement professionals is higher than that of the general population for both men and women.[3]
At the same time, the public perception of law enforcement, including officers at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been polarized. Ensuring that officers’ mental health and wellness is continuously protected is integral to the DHS strategic plan’s priority of championing the DHS workforce. The safety and wellness of DHS first responders and law enforcement are critical not only to their personal well-being but also to their ability to do their work.
With approximately 80,000 federal law enforcement officers, intelligence analysts, and other staff in its agencies, DHS is uniquely positioned to take positive steps to change the professional culture to a model that prioritizes safety, health, and wellness. However, there is a dearth of evidence about the effectiveness of law enforcement mental health programs, which affects knowing what works.
The goal of this project was to synthesize evidence from the growing literature on mental health and wellness programs studied with law enforcement and first responder populations to help DHS identify and strengthen programs and policies for the federal workforce. RAND researchers also held interviews with key stakeholders in DHS and assessed programs to determine whether they were ready for evaluation. Findings from these tasks were used to develop a research agenda for future DHS federal law enforcement officer and first responder wellness research efforts.
Research Approach
To synthesize existing evidence and extract findings that would help DHS identify and strengthen programs to prioritize worker safety, health, and wellness, RAND researchers conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature to develop an understanding of the current state of the field. Academic and gray literature sources from 2015 through 2023 were included in the analysis if they focused on (1) studying the actual or perceived effectiveness of a wellness-related program, policy, intervention, or initiative; (2) law enforcement or first responders; and (3) a wellness outcome of relevance (e.g., substance use, morale, stress, trauma, well-being, physical health). Only English-language sources from U.S. or international sources were included, and the research team considered dissertations, theses, and magazine and newspaper sources. Of 3,012 articles screened, 91 met all the criteria for inclusion.
RAND researchers then interviewed 18 subject-matter experts involved in law enforcement wellness programming or research to get input on the research in which the individuals or their agencies were involved and their perspective on the most-pressing topics related to law enforcement wellness. The interviews also inquired about what specific research needs are not being addressed by their agency or by the field. Likewise, the interviews focused on finding programs that were ready for evaluation. For this evaluability assessment, the RAND team conducted follow-up interviews with key staff from five unique DHS wellness-related programs to assess their readiness for an evaluation. The data collected from the literature review and interviews were used to identify research questions, study designs, and research challenges for the research agenda.
Key Findings
After reviewing mental health and wellness programs for law enforcement and first responders in the literature and interviewing key stakeholders in DHS, RAND researchers distilled their findings, which are summarized here. Figure 1 briefly describes the types of Mental Health Wellness Programs Considered
Mindfulness Program
Teaches participants mindfulness skills, such as body/breath awareness and breathing techniques
Scenario-based Stress Response Training
Uses role-playing or visualization to practice alerting or controlling response to stressful events
Psychotherapy
Includes trauma-related psychotherapy and residential/retreat therapeutic programs with multiple components
Group Prevention Skills and Knowledge Training
Provides knowledge of mental health principles or resources, skill for dealing with stress, resilience training, or other coping skills
Physical Fitness and Physical Health Programs
Involves physical activity (including yoga) or teaches strategies for improving health, such as physical activity and <a s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.</p></div>">
