University of Regina study aimed at improving mental health for police, emergency workers around world

Researchers conducting astudy in Saskatchewan believe it could have a ripple effect all over the world.

The University of Regina and the RCMP have teamed up to look at how officers are trained to avoid PTSI,or post traumatic stress injuries. Itwill involve nearly 1,000 RCMP cadets, who will provide datafrom recruitment through the first five years of their career.

Nicholas Carleton, a professor of psychiatry at the U of R,is leading the study and has been working on it since 2015.He said there is growing awareness of the importance ofmental health,but treating officers after they experience trauma is unsustainable and inefficient.

On the other hand, the effectiveness of preventative training programs has not been adequately tested.

"You've got more than 200, nearly 300 different programs that are being offered to various public safety personnel as programs that are designed to protect their mental health, but there is almost none of them, just a handful, that have any research evidence behind them at all," he said.

In June, a new "enhanced" training regimen building on previous techniques was put in place for the cadets involved in the study. The study could run as long as 10 years andis longitudinal in structure, meaning cadets entered into it on their first day at the RCMP's training Depot in Regina and will remain participants through the first five years of their career once they become active duty officers. That will allow for continualassessment of the training's efficacy as they experience traumatic events on the job.

"Folks like you and I are going to be exposed to fewer than five [traumatic events]in our lifetime," said Carleton."Maybe not even any in our lifetime. But it certainly wouldn't be uncommon for any of these folks to be exposed to hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of these in their lifetimes."

Carleton saidit's possible the results could one day be used to protect police officers, firefighters, paramedicsand other public safety personnel all over the world.

Data from the study's early days has already been collected and is currently being peer reviewed before it can be published.

Carleton said it is, to his knowledge, the largest study of police officers ever undertaken.

A new mindset for the Mounties

Recruitment was completed for the study's full complement of 960 new cadets in June.

Cpl. Sean O'Keefe, a 15-year veteran, is one of the more senior RCMP members facilitating the training to new cadets. While the study is just starting to gear up, he saidit has already had a positive impact on new cadets and the organization as a whole.

He saida larger cultural shift and the service's involvementinthe study havehelped address stigmas about mental health that prevented important conversations.

"Now we're seeing a lot more prevalenceof discussion around what is mental health, how do we maintain mental health, how do we improve it. And it's a very welcome atmosphere to be in," said O'Keefe.

As a training facilitator, he drew a parallel to recruits and officers being expected to take care of their physical body and being educated on ways to make that happen. He said maintaining healthyminds will keep officers working longer and more effectively in their communities, and may make them more emotionally aware and better-equipped when responding to calls that are more mental health-related than criminal in nature.

He said he would have welcomed such a mindset when he began his career in Manitoba in 2007.

"The type of training that the cadets are receiving here now is truly beneficial and something that I know I could've benefited from before I went out into those communities," O'Keefe said.