Stressful life events and posttraumatic growth among police officers: A cross-sectional study

Emotional and relational protective factors during pregnancy and psychological well-being and personal growth after childbirth

BACKGROUND

Studies in the perinatal literature tend to focus on potential negative outcomes, but little attention has been paid to the protective factors that may be associated with better psychological well-being or positive mental changes, such as personal growth.

OBJECTIVE

Drawing on the Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotions, the study employed a prospective design and a sequential mediation model to examine the mechanism by which protective factors during pregnancy (dispositional gratitude, perceived relationship quality with the partner, perceived maternal-foetal bonding) may be associated, in sequence, with higher psychological well-being and personal growth after childbirth among first-time mothers.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 515 women who were recruited through social media and completed questionnaires in two phases: Time 1, during the second half of their pregnancy; and Time 2, around 12 weeks after the birth of their first baby.

RESULTS

Results show that gratitude was associated with higher perceived relationship quality during pregnancy, which was associated with higher maternal-foetal bonding, which in turn was associated with higher psychological well-being and personal growth after childbirth. The indirect effects were significant.

CONCLUSION

The study expands knowledge of positive outcomes in the transition to motherhood, and demonstrates that positive emotions, such as gratitude, may be the first link in the chain of factors predicting better outcomes from pregnancy to childbirth.

Injustice and Embitterment: Crucial Stressors in Psychosomatic Patients

OBJECTIVE

"Disorders specifically associated with stress" are receiving increasing attention in clinical practice, research, and modern classification systems of mental disorders. This includes not only reactions to "extremely threatening or horrific events" as it is characteristic for "post-traumatic stress disorders" but also a variety of day-to-day experiences. Examples are experiences of injustice, humiliation, or breach of trust which can have dire psychological consequences such as feelings of embitterment, a strong and crippling emotion. This study investigated the frequency of feelings of injustice and concomitant embitterment across different areas of daily life of psychosomatic patients.

METHODS

In an observational archival study, 200 inpatients of a department of behavioral medicine filled in the "Differential Life Burden Scale, DLB-Scale" and the "Post-Traumatic Embitterment Scale, PTED-Scale" which asks for experiences of injustice and embitterment.

RESULTS

More than half of all patients (58.5%) reported about very or extremely unjust and unfair life events and 51.5% additionally about feelings of embitterment. This was primarily associated with complaints about problems in the family and the workplace and was accompanied by an impairment of well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate that experiences of injustice and embitterment are frequently seen in psychosomatic inpatients and should get special attention.

Factors associated with posttraumatic growth: gratitude, PTSD and distress; one year into the COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon

Almost one year since the COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, mental distress remains elevated with high prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet studies suggest these challenging circumstances might be conducive of post-traumatic growth (PTG). This study aims to investigate the factors associated with growth after the original trauma. A sample of 252 Lebanese adults filled an online survey to determine levels of PTG, PTSD and gratitude using validated self-rating scales. Participants also subjectively evaluated the sources of their distress such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beirut port explosion and/or their deteriorating financials. The PTGi-SF evaluated dimensions of growth while the IES-R_22 measured the degree of distress post-trauma. The GQ-6 was used to measure the proneness to experience gratitude daily. Results indicated 41% of participants scored above the cutoff for PTSD symptomatology. Yet, PTSD was positively correlated, alongside gratitude and accumulated subjective distress, with higher levels of PTG. A forward linear regression taking PTG scores as the dependent variable further showed that more gratitude (Beta = 0.57), a higher impact of events (Beta = 0.16), and knowing anyone who died from COVID-19 (Beta = 3.93) were significantly associated with more growth. The study highlights elevated levels of PTSD symptoms in a context of a global pandemic worsened by financial and socio-political instabilities. It mostly identifies personal factors, including high initial symptomatology post-trauma and gratitude, related to the capacity for growth in spite of these accumulating hardships. As such, it advocates the need to investigate and bolster silver linings amidst unprecedented traumas.

Sub-groups (profiles) of individuals experiencing post-traumatic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective

Some people experience post-traumatic growth (PTG), entailing positive changes such as a greater appreciation of life following traumatic events. We examined PTG in the context of the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, notably working from home and social distancing. We aimed to assess whether distinct sub-groups (profiles) of individuals experiencing PTG could be identified by how they appraised and coped with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method

For this cross-sectional study, we used convenience sampling. In total, 951 participants from the general population completed an online questionnaire with items focusing on primary and secondary appraisal, positive reappraisal, rumination, and coping flexibility. For the latent profile analysis, we selected a sample of 392 individuals who had experienced moderate degrees of pandemic-related PTG, reporting at least two of the 10 positive changes in the PTG Inventory-Short Form.

Results

We identified two distinct profiles among people experiencing PTG. The first was characterised by low levels of primary appraisal and stressfulness and higher levels of secondary appraisal (e.g., resilient group), increased coping flexibility and greater use of positive reappraisal. The second was characterised by higher levels of stressfulness and primary appraisal (e.g., stressed group) and greater use of rumination.

Conclusion

The two sub-groups evidently appraised and coped with the COVID-19 pandemic differently. Therefore, future research should account for these different profiles of people experiencing PTG.

Risk and protective factors for posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth in parents of children with intellectual and developmental disorders

Background

Parents of children with intellectual and developmental disorders often experience potentially traumatic events while caring for their children. Heightened posttraumatic stress (PTS) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) have been found in this population.

Objective

We aimed to explore risk and protective factors for their PTS and PTG.

Method

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 385 parents (average age M = 43.14 years, SD = 7.40; 95.3% mothers).

Results

Parenting trauma showed an adverse effect on developing PTS (beta = 0.25, p < .01) and a positive role in promoting PTG (beta = 0.16, p < .01). Social support was protective in its correlation with lower levels of PTS (beta = -0.12, p < .01) and higher levels of PTG (beta = 0.22, p < .01). Barriers to care were associated with increased PTS (beta = 0.23, p < .01), but unrelated to PTG (beta = .01, p = .855). Negative parenting showed a significant, but small, correlation with more severe PTS (beta = 0.11, p < .05), and was unrelated to PTG (beta = -0.09, p = .065).

Conclusions

Our study increases the understanding of posttraumatic reactions in parents, predominantly mothers, of children with IDD and identified parenting-related trauma, social support, and barriers to mental health care as predictive factors of the reactions. More research is needed to confirm and validate the effects of the discussed factors. Although causation can not be inferred, prompt and adequate screening and therapeutic resources should be provided to those mothers who were exposed to multiple stressful caregiving events and had limited healthcare access and less support from their spouses, peers, and caregiving partners.

HIGHLIGHTS

Parents of a child with Intellectual and Developmental Disorders with parenting trauma had higher posttraumatic stress (PTS) and posttraumatic growth (PTG).Social support was related to lower PTS and higher PTG.Barriers to care were related to higher PTS but unrelated to PTG.

Deep-Breathing Biofeedback Trainability in a Virtual-Reality Action Game: A Single-Case Design Study With Police Trainers

It is widely recognized that police performance may be hindered by psychophysiological state changes during acute stress. To address the need for awareness and control of these physiological changes, police academies in many countries have implemented Heart-Rate Variability (HRV) biofeedback training. Despite these trainings now being widely delivered in classroom setups, they typically lack the arousing action context needed for successful transfer to the operational field, where officers must apply learned skills, particularly when stress levels rise. The study presented here aimed to address this gap by training physiological control skills in an arousing decision-making context. We developed a Virtual-Reality (VR) breathing-based biofeedback training in which police officers perform deep and slow diaphragmatic breathing in an engaging game-like action context. This VR game consisted of a selective shoot/don’t shoot game designed to assess response inhibition, an impaired capacity in high arousal situations. Biofeedback was provided based on adherence to a slow breathing pace: the slower and deeper the breathing, the less constrained peripheral vision became, facilitating accurate responses to the in-game demands. A total of nine male police trainers completed 10 sessions over a 4-week period as part of a single-case experimental ABAB study-design (i.e., alternating sessions with and without biofeedback). Results showed that eight out of nine participants showed improved breathing control in action, with a positive effect on breathing-induced low frequency HRV, while also improving their in-game behavioral performance. Critically, the breathing-based skill learning transferred to subsequent sessions in which biofeedback was not presented. Importantly, all participants remained highly engaged throughout the training. Altogether, our study showed that our VR environment can be used to train breathing regulation in an arousing and active decision-making context.

Family support and posttraumatic growth among tourism workers during the COVID-19 shutdown: The role of positive stress mindset

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a severe hit on the health of workers in the tourism industry. It is crucial to understand how to help the workforce in this service industry become resilient and adaptive through this crisis. The primary objective of this research is to examine how family support nurtures tourism workers' posttraumatic growth (PTG), an adaptation form in the resilience process. The valid data were collected from 384 tourism workers who were on unpaid leave or layoff during the COVID-19 crisis. The results demonstrated the positive relationship between family support and tourism workers' PTG, for which positive stress mindset was identified as a mediation mechanism. Deliberate and intrusive ruminative thinking styles moderated the effect of family support on positive stress mindset. Theoretical and practical implications of the mechanisms through which family support promotes tourism workers' PTG are discussed.

Protect the protectors: a qualitative study on OSH in conjunction with unwanted side effects for the work performance of frontline police officers

Objectives. Occupational safety and health (OSH) measures for frontline police officers are developing rapidly in many western societies. Various organizations, such as police forces and unions, view this development as necessary in the face of increasing numbers of assaults, knife crime, rampages and terrorist attacks. Also, current research seems to promote a progressive aggregation of OSH focusing on frontline officers on the beat. This article aims to explore possible side effects of the current development, based on a recent qualitative small-scale research project with the participation of 12 highly experienced frontline police constables in Hampshire, England, all having around 24 years of service. Methods. As a clearly explorative study, semi-structured interviews were deployed. While using inductive theorizing and understanding the participating police constables as humans at work, the identification and collection of inner context components such as the participants' perceptions, motivations, emotions, beliefs, values or attitudes have been intentionally put at front. Conclusions. Particularly, emphasizing individual risk assessment and risk perception, current research has identified that an organizational over-reliance on standardized risk management processes might trigger police officers' risk averseness, overall leading to a habitual over-worrying about things and bringing safety culture and occupational cop culture into disagreement.

Dispositional gratitude and mental health in the U.S. veteran population: Results from the National Health and Resilience Veterans Study

Dispositional gratitude may be linked to positive mental health outcomes, yet population-based data on this association are lacking. Military veterans are an ideal population in which to examine this question given high rates of psychiatric morbidities and efforts to promote psychological resilience in this population. Data were analyzed from a nationally representative sample of 3151 U.S. veterans. Veterans were separated into three groups based on an assessment of level of dispositional gratitude: high gratitude (weighted 79.8%), moderate gratitude (9.6%), and low gratitude (10.5%). Multivariable analyses examined the associations between level of dispositional gratitude, and measures of mental health and psychosocial variables. A "dose-response" association was observed between levels of dispositional gratitude and odds of psychiatric morbidities. Higher dispositional gratitude was associated with decreased risk for lifetime history of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), social phobia, nicotine dependence, and suicide attempts, and decreased risk for current PTSD, MDD, generalized anxiety disorder, and suicidal ideation (odds ratio range = 0.16-0.65). Higher dispositional gratitude was additionally associated with resilience-promoting characteristics such as optimism, curiosity, purpose in life, perceived social support, and religiosity/spirituality (Cohen's d range = 0.11-0.73). Dispositional gratitude is prevalent in U.S. veterans, is negatively associated with psychiatric morbidities, and may help promote psychosocial factors linked to resilience in this population. Stratification of veterans with low, moderate, and high dispositional gratitude may help identify those who are at increased risk for psychiatric illness and in need of additional support.

Policing in pandemics: A systematic review and best practices for police response to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a range of unforeseen and unprecedented challenges for police departments worldwide. In light of these challenges, the goal of this review is to understand the potential short- and long-term effects of disasters and public health emergencies on policing organisations and officers. A total of 72 studies were eligible for inclusion, based on their focus on policing and police work during and in the aftermath of natural disasters and public health emergencies. Through an extensive review, we compile and analyse the most common issues and best practices identified in the literature, and discuss 'what works' in the context of policing such emergencies. The literature reveals four categories of issues predominantly raised in this context, namely police-community relations, the mental health and wellbeing of officers, intra-organisational challenges, as well as inter-agency collaboration and cooperation. Based on our review and analysis, we offer a list of recommendations relevant for policing the current COVID-19 outbreak. The findings of this review have immediate implications for policing during COVID-19 but also cover long-term effects, providing valuable recommendations for after the crises has passed.

Warr;or21: A 21-Day Program to Enhance First Responder Resilience and Mental Health

First responders face multiple stressors on a daily basis. They have experienced higher rates of anxiety disorders, depression, burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicide (Asmundson and Stapleton, 2008), alcohol and substance abuse (Ballenger et al., 2010), and deficient sleep hygiene (Pearsall, 2012) compared to the general population. Existing resilience research can be utilized and adapted to help first responders cope in a positive manner as a form of prevention and also as part of their recovery. New resiliency programs continue to emerge and this paper details one – warr;or21. The warr;or21 program is explained and based on an evaluation of the program’s preliminary data, the results are promising with how the program can assist first responders (and the general public) increase their resiliency and mental health.

Querulant delusion and post-traumatic embitterment disorder

Injustice, breach of trust, and humiliation are social stressors which can result in embitterment, known to everybody and which has been described in the Bible (Cain and Abel) or by Aristotle in the Nicomachean Ethics. It has been discussed by several authors since the early days of psychiatric classification. In the textbook 'Psychiatry' by E. Kraepelin a full chapter is devoted to 'querulant delusion', named a reactive psychosis, which can be discriminated from endogenous psychosis or personality disorders. Core symptoms are embitterment, negativism, helplessness, self blame, unspecific somatic symptoms, phobic avoidance of persons or situations related to the event, intrusions, phantasies of revenge and aggression. Another name is 'Posttraumatic Embitterment Disorder' according to the leading emotion. This severe mental disorder has by and large been ignored over the years by health professionals. In ICD-11 the term embitterment is mentioned for the first time in the category '6B43 adjustment disorder'. Embitterment can be measured with the 'Bern Embitterment Inventory (BVI)' and the 'Post-Traumatic Embitterment Self-rating Scale (PTED scale)'. Treatment must take into account the special features of embitterment including often aggressive rejection of help. A promising treatment approach is, to refer to wisdom psychology and transfer this in 'wisdom psychotherapy'.

Making and Receiving Offers of Help on Social Media Following Disaster Predict Posttraumatic Growth but not Posttraumatic Stress

Objectives:

Social media provides an opportunity to engage in social contact and to give and receive help by means of online social networks. Social support following trauma exposure, even in a virtual community, may reduce feelings of helplessness and isolation, and, therefore, reduce posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS), and increase posttraumatic growth (PTG). The current study aimed to assess whether giving and/or receiving offers of help by means of social media following large community fires predicted PTS and/or PTG.

Methods:

A convenience sample of 212 adults living in communities that were affected by large-scale community fires in Israel (November 2016) completed questionnaires on giving and receiving offers of help by means of social media within 1 mo of the fire (W1), and the PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and PTG questionnaire (PTGI-SF), 4 mo after the fire (W2).

Results:

Regression analyses showed that, after controlling for age, gender, and distance from fire, offering help by means of social media predicted higher PTG (β = 0.22; t = 3.18; P < 0.01), as did receiving offers of help by means of social media (β = 0.18; t = 2.64; P < 0.01). There were no significant associations between giving and/or receiving offers of help and PTS.

Conclusions:

Connecting people to social media networks may help in promoting posttraumatic growth, although might not impact on posttraumatic symptoms. This is one of the first studies to highlight empirically the advantages of social media in the aftermath of trauma exposure.

Gratitude Moderates the Mediating Effect of Deliberate Rumination on the Relationship Between Intrusive Rumination and Post-traumatic Growth

PURPOSE

This study examines the moderating effect of gratitude on the mediating effect of deliberate rumination on the relationship between intrusive rumination and post-traumatic growth (PTG).

METHODS

We used self-report questionnaires to collect data from 450 18-68-year-old participants (Mage = 39.73, SD = 13.73) residing in major cities and regions across South Korea. Data that were collected from 411 participants were subjected to analysis. Version 25 of SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) and PROCESS macro were used to analyze mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation effects.

RESULTS

Deliberate rumination mediated the relationship between intrusive rumination and PTG. Gratitude moderated the effect of deliberate rumination on PTG. Finally, gratitude moderated the mediating effect of deliberate rumination on the relationship between intrusive rumination and PTG.

CONCLUSION

Deliberate rumination and gratitude facilitate PTG for traumatized adults. In particular, gratitude reinforces the effect of deliberate rumination on PTG.