Trajectories of Mental Health Status Among Police Recruits in Sweden

Mental Health Status of New Police Trainees before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aimed to investigate the mental health of new police trainees during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Korea. Two groups of police trainees were surveyed considering the distribution of gender, age, and education level: those who joined the school before COVID-19 and those who joined during the outbreak. Mental health indicators, including insomnia, depression, and anxiety, were compared between the two groups. The prevalence of insomnia, depression, and anxiety significantly varied in the group that joined during COVID-19 compared with the group that joined before. Specifically, insomnia showed a significant change in women, with a higher rate of 2.6%. Although the prevalence of depression was initially low, it increased from 0.4% to 1.3% during the pandemic. Anxiety rates also showed notable differences, particularly among women, with a higher rate of 4.7%. The highest differences in prevalence were observed in the low-income group, with a rate of 7.7% for anxiety. The findings highlight the vulnerability of police officers to psychosocial effects during disasters such as pandemics. Disaster preparedness programs or education can be integrated into new police officer training institutions to help manage mental health changes and promote overall well-being.

Mental Disorders and Mental Health Promotion in Police Officers

The number of police officers suffering from mental illnesses is becoming a significant public health concern. Police officers are more likely to experience mental health problems than the general population. The use of effective mental health promotion programs can assist in reducing police officers' psychological problems. In this paper author reviews existing literature on mental disorders and mental health promotion among police officers. This review emphasizes the importance of mental health promotion and programs in improving police officers' well-being and decreasing mental disorders. The prevalence of mental disorders, risk factors, and negative consequences are explained. Furthermore, examples of programs or interventions to promote mental health, and recommendations for further study are presented. Therefore, this review could be useful in developing intervention program to support police officers' health.