How Does Time Spent Working in Custody Influence Health and Fitness Characteristics of Law Enforcement Officers?
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Lockie RG
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8431568 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:Compare arterial stiffness among law enforcement officers (LEOs) versus general population normative values and identify predictors of arterial stiffness in LEOs. Seventy male LEOs (age: 24-54 years) completed body composition, blood pressures, physical activity level, and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) measurements. T-tests and regression analyses were utilized to compare LEO data to normative data and predict cfPWV, respectively. Compared to similar age strata within the general population, cfPWV was lower among LEO's under 30-years (mean difference = -0.6 m·s-1), but higher among LEOs 50-55-years (mean difference = 1.1 m·s-1). Utilizing regression, age, relative body fat, and diastolic blood pressure explained the greatest variance in LEO's cfPWV (adj. R2 = 0.56, p < 0.001). This investigation demonstrated that arterial stiffness may progress more rapidly in LEOs and LEOs' relative body fat and blood pressure may primarily affect arterial stiffness and risk of CVD.
| S-EPMC8508055 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Law enforcement officers frequently encounter people with health conditions. We sought to estimate the rates, diagnoses, and characteristics of emergency department (ED) visits among patients transported directly by law enforcement. We analyzed statewide North Carolina Emergency Department data for adults, aged 18+ years, from 2009 to 2016. We estimated transport rates using census data; categorized primary ED diagnoses into 13 major and 8 substituent categories; compared county transport rates by rurality; and examined patient characteristics. There were 136,240 patients transported by law enforcement; annual rates increased from 186.9 (per 100,000 adult residents) in 2009 to 279.2 in 2016. Among visits, 67.7% were among men, the median age was 37 years, and 20.4% resulted in a hospital admission. Most common primary diagnoses were Mental Health Diagnoses (43.1%)-including Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders (7.6%), Mood Disorders (9.7%), and Alcohol and Substance Use (10.7%)-followed by Injury and Poisoning (12.4%) and Circulatory conditions (4.1%). Involuntary commitments constituted 22% of all visits. The median transport rate in rural counties, 291.1, was 2 times that of large metro counties, 145.1. The visit rate increased by nearly 50% during the study period, with the highest rates in rural counties. Many transports were for Mental Illness and involuntary commitments. The relatively common occurrence of law enforcement transports suggests the need for greater research to understand factors influencing law enforcement transport decisions, the impact of these transports on patient health and safety, and the repercussions on patient care of a growing officer presence in EDs.
| S-EPMC7806121 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundLaw enforcement officers (LEOs) are exposed to chronic stress throughout the course of their shift, which increases the risk of adverse events. Although there have been studies targeting LEO safety through enhanced training or expanded equipment provisions, there has been little attempt to leverage personal technology in the field to provide real-time notification of LEO stress. This study tests the acceptability of implementing of a brief, smart watch intervention to alleviate stress among LEOs.MethodsWe assigned smart watches to 22 patrol LEOs across two police departments: one suburban department and one large, urban department. At baseline, we measured participants' resting heart rates (RHR), activated their watches, and educated them on brief wellness interventions in the field. LEOs were instructed to wear the watch during the entirety of their shift for 30 calendar days. When LEO's heart rate or stress continuum reached the predetermined threshold for more than 10 min, the watch notified LEOs, in real time, of two stress reduction interventions: [1] a 1-min, guided breathing exercise; and [2] A Calm app, which provided a mix of guided meditations and mindfulness exercises for LEOs needing a longer decompression period. After the study period, participants were invited for semi-structured interviews to elucidate intervention components. Qualitative data were analyzed using an immersion-crystallization approach.ResultsLEOs reported three particularly useful intervention components: 1) a vibration notification when hearts rates remained high, although receipt of a notification was highly variable; 2) visualization of their heart rate and stress continuum in real time; and, 3) breathing exercises. The most frequently reported type of call for service when the watch vibrated was when a weapon was involved or when a LEO was in pursuit of a murder suspect/hostage. LEOs also recollected that their watch vibrated while reading dispatch notes or while on their way to work.ConclusionsA smart watch can deliver access to brief wellness interventions in the field in a manner that is both feasible and acceptable to LEOs.
| S-EPMC8740346 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Law enforcement officers (LEOs) are at increased risk for sleep disorders relative to the general population. Common LEO occupational stressors, including critical incidents and shift work, predict sleep disturbance, which in turn negatively impacts health, performance, and community safety. The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-Sleep Disturbance 4-item (PROMIS SD4) was developed to assess self-reported sleep quality, satisfaction, and difficulties falling asleep. Previous studies suggest PROMIS-SD short-forms (4-, 6-, and 8-item) have good psychometric properties; however, evaluation of this easily-administered measure in high-stress, frontline populations is limited. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the PROMIS-SD4 in a sample of LEOs (N = 111). A confirmatory factor analysis suggests that the original one-factor solution, with a correlated error-term, provides an excellent fit to the data, SBχ2(2) = 1.62, p = .23, CFI = .99, RMSEA = .12, SRMR = .01. The PROMIS SD4 demonstrated good reliability (α = .85) and evidence of convergent validity correlations in the expected direction with domains of psychological distress, positive health outcomes, reactivity, and body experience (all p's < .05). Results suggest that the PROMIS-SD4 is a valid and reliable measure of sleep disturbance among LEOs.
| S-EPMC9373046 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Exposure to critical incidents and hence potentially traumatic events is endemic in law enforcement. The study of law enforcement officers' experience of moral injury and their exposure to potentially morally injurious incidents, and research on moral injury's relationship with different forms of traumatization (e.g. compassion fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder) are in their infancy. The present study aims to build on prior research and explores the role of moral injury in predicting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its clusters thereof. To this end, a sample of law enforcement officers (N = 370) from the National Police of Finland was recruited to participate in the current study. Results showed that moral injury significantly predicted PTSD as well as its diagnostic clusters (i.e., avoidance, hyperarousal, re-experiencing). The aforementioned role of moral injury to significantly predict PTSD and its clusters were unequivocal even when compassion fatigue was incorporated into the path model. Clinical, research, and law enforcement practice implications are discussed.
| S-EPMC7064734 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundRates of fatal overdose (OD) from synthetic opioids rose nearly 60 % from 2016 to 2018. 911 Good Samaritan Laws (GSLs) are an evidenced-based strategy for preventing OD fatality. This study describes patrol officers' knowledge of their state's GSL, experience with OD response, and their perspectives on strategies to prevent and respond to opioid OD.MethodsAn electronic survey assessed officers' knowledge of state GSLs and experiences responding to OD. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical linear modeling were generated to examine differences in knowledge, preparedness, and endorsement of OD response efforts by experience with OD response.Results2,829 officers responded to the survey. Among those who had responded to an OD call in the past six months (n = 1,946), 37 % reported administering naloxone on scene and 36 % reported making an arrest. Most (91 %) correctly reported whether their state had a GSL in effect. Only 26 % correctly reported whether that law provides limited immunity from arrest. Fifteen percent of officers who had responded to an OD work in departments that do not carry naloxone. Compared with officers who had not responded to any OD calls, those who reported responding OD calls at least monthly and at least weekly, were significantly less likely to endorse OD response efforts.ConclusionOfficers who respond to OD calls are generally receiving training and naloxone supplies to respond, but knowledge gaps and additional training needs persist. Additional training and strategies to relieve compassion fatigue among those who have more experience with OD response efforts may be indicated.
| S-EPMC7475730 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesTo test the magnitude of the relationship between self-reported stressor exposure and perceived stress in police officers using a novel measure of daily work events, and whether dispositional mindfulness and resilience moderate this relationship.MethodsA total of 114 law enforcement officers from a mid-sized Midwestern US city completed daily logs of job stressors and associated perceived stress, as well as additional self-report measures of perceived stress, trait mindfulness and resilience, and demographics and work information. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to cluster job stressors into a smaller number of components in a data-driven manner. Linear mixed-effects models were used to test the relationship between stressor exposure and perceived stress for each component, and the moderation of this relationship by trait mindfulness and resilience.ResultsThe PCA categorized stressor exposure into three components: (1) acute or traumatic line-of-duty stressors, (2) routine daily stressors, and (3) interpersonal stressors. Results of mixed models showed robust positive relationships between self-reported stressor exposure and corresponding perceived stress across all 3 components. Dispositional mindfulness (but not resilience) moderated the association between stressor exposure and perceived stress for routine stressors, such that individuals with higher dispositional mindfulness showed a relatively attenuated relationship between exposure to routine daily stressors and resulting perceived stress.ConclusionsPolice officers high in dispositional mindfulness may experience daily routine stressors as less stressful, which can reduce the accumulation of general stress in the long term and which could help buffer against negative health outcomes associated with perceived stress.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03488875.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12671-021-01707-4.
| S-EPMC8339391 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo assess the association between risk of sudden cardiac death and stressful law enforcement duties compared with routine/non-emergency duties.DesignCase distribution study (case series with survey information on referent exposures).SettingUnited States law enforcement.ParticipantsSummaries of deaths of over 4500 US police officers provided by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the Officer Down Memorial Page from 1984 to 2010.Main outcome measuresObserved and expected sudden cardiac death counts and relative risks for sudden cardiac death events during specific strenuous duties versus routine/non-emergency activities. Independent estimates of the proportion of time that police officers spend across various law enforcement duties obtained from surveys of police chiefs and front line officers. Impact of varying exposure assessments, covariates, and missing cases in sensitivity and stability analyses.Results441 sudden cardiac deaths were observed during the study period. Sudden cardiac death was associated with restraints/altercations (25%, n=108), physical training (20%, n=88), pursuits of suspects (12%, n=53), medical/rescue operations (8%, n=34), routine duties (23%, n=101), and other activities (11%, n=57). Compared with routine/non-emergency activities, the risk of sudden cardiac death was 34-69 times higher during restraints/altercations, 32-51 times higher during pursuits, 20-23 times higher during physical training, and 6-9 times higher during medical/rescue operations. Results were robust to all sensitivity and stability analyses.ConclusionsStressful law enforcement duties are associated with a risk of sudden cardiac death that is markedly higher than the risk during routine/non-emergency duties. Restraints/altercations and pursuits are associated with the greatest risk. Our findings have public health implications and suggest that primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention efforts are needed among law enforcement officers.
| S-EPMC4240529 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Police discretion has large potential consequences for public trust and safety; however, little is known about the extent of this discretion. I show that arrests critically depend on which officer responds to a 911 call; 1 standard deviation increase in officer arrest propensity raises arrest likelihood by 40%. High arrest officers are more likely to be white and have less experience. I find mixed evidence that arrest propensity is related to arrest quality. High arrest officers use force more often and make more low-level arrests, while they also have a higher share of low-level arrests that result in conviction.
| S-EPMC11323075 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Objectives: In the present study, we investigated the relative impact of improvements in mindfulness, self-compassion, and psychological flexibility in predicting decreased burnout and alcohol use in a sample of law enforcement officers (LEOs) participating in a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI). Design: This study is a secondary analysis of pre/post data collected as part of a larger randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based resilience training (MBRT). Subjects: This secondary analysis comprises pre/post data from 28 LEOs recruited from a metropolitan area and its outlying regions in the Pacific Northwest. Intervention: MBRT is a MBI tailored specifically to the culture and needs of LEOs and other first responders. Outcome measures: All included data were obtained through self-report measures. Mindfulness was assessed by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Short Form, self-compassion was assessed by the Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form, psychological flexibility was assessed by the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, alcohol use was measured by the PROMIS® (v1.0) Alcohol Use-Short Form, and burnout was assessed by the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory. Results: In the first regression, only increases in mindfulness significantly predicted decreased postintervention problematic alcohol use. In the second regression, only increases in self-compassion significantly predicted decreased postintervention burnout. Conclusions: This study builds upon a growing body of literature on the relative impact of mindfulness, self-compassion, and psychological flexibility in predicting outcomes among high-stress cohorts. Results suggest that different components of MBIs may be emphasized to achieve unique benefits. The Clinical Trial Registration number for the parent study is NCT02521454.
| S-EPMC7757569 | biostudies-literature