NOVEMBER 5, 2021 — A recent study conducted at UTSA has resulted in the development of a first-of-its-kind inventory to measure the use of psychological skills among law enforcement personnel.
The research was led by William Land and Jianming Guan, associate professors in the UTSA Department of Kinesiology, in collaboration with Brandi Burque, staff psychologist in the Bexar County Sheriff’s office.
According to a recent report by U.S. News & World Report, policing is ranked among the 25 most stressful jobs. Compared to workplace stress found in other occupations, police officers and first responders face traumatic and life-threatening situations at frequencies far greater than the normal population.
The goal of the study was to gauge the extent to which officers utilize psychological skills and strategies to manage stress, which is critical to determining the success and impact of mental resiliency programs—training for helping police officers successfully cope and perform under highly adverse conditions.
The findings supported the underlying assumption that the use of mental skills can lead to improved psychological outcomes and greater job satisfaction.
“This research has been invaluable to law enforcement performance and wellness training,” Burque said. “(With) the collaboration and the insights gained, we have been able to develop and modify training to enhance officer's performance on the job and at home, thus increasing job and life satisfaction and overall resilience.”
Results also showed significant demographic differences in the use of psychological strategies—with younger officers, those with less time on the force and lower ranks more likely to use their mental skills. This finding reflects the impact that mental resiliency training newly introduced during police academy can have on an officer’s psychological skill set.
Drawing from the core mental strategies taught as part of the innovative Performance, Recovery, and Optimization program (PRO), a resiliency curriculum Burque developed, the researchers assessed the use of seven central mental skills: attention management, winning mindset, combat breathing, muscle control, mental practice, physical recharge and self-talk.
“These strategies have long been used by elite athletes to handle the demands of high-pressure situations,” Land explained. “Importantly, the efficacy of these strategies are now being realized for use in other domains of human performance, such as with law enforcement and the military.”
In consultation with expert law enforcement personnel and PRO instructors, Land developed an initial 35-item inventory. The researchers administered the survey to 1,059 law enforcement officers from 2018 to 2019.
Land emphasized that the Psychological Skills Inventory for Law Enforcement (PSI-LE) questionnaire fosters the use of needs assessments by police departments to assess officers’ strengths and weaknesses in their use of mental skills.
The questionnaire can help facilitate the design and implementation of psychological resiliency programs aimed at improving mental wellbeing and performance in officers. Furthermore, evidence of the benefits of this training can be crucial for preserving programmatic and budgetary support, establishing program acceptance, and generating new theoretical insight into officer wellbeing.
The study also revealed that individuals who utilize more PRO mental skills are more likely to display positive emotions and feelings of happiness and fewer signs of distress associated with anxiety and depression.
“Given the negative impact of trauma and critical incident stress on the mental and physical wellbeing of law enforcement officers, providing evidence-based support for mental resiliency programs can have important and meaningful benefits to officers’ job performance and overall quality of life. Such outcomes are not only important for officers, but also the communities they serve,” Land concluded.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Learn to use the simple but powerful features of EndNote®, a citation management tool. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to setup an EndNote library, save references and PDFs, and automatically create and edit a bibliography.
Virtual EventLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventOur GSAW Research Symposium begins with lunch and a Poster Presentation Competition. Faculty, staff, and graduate students are welcome to attend and review the exceptional research from UTSA's best and brightest.
Student Union Ballrooms 1 & 2, Main CampusHear from UTSA doctoral candidate in environmental science, Andre Felton, as he discusses best practices to discuss scholarly research in non-academic settings. Our 2023 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) winners will also share their winning presentations.
Student Union Ballrooms 1 & 2, Main CampusJoin this fun event if you want resume and interview resources, a job or internship, a snow cone from Kona Ice and to socialize.
Sombrilla PlazaIn partnership with San Antonio Metro Health, join us for a special lecture series during Public Health week! An esteemed panel will discuss the job market’s impact on public health departments in Texas municipalities.
Retama Auditorium (SU 2.02.02,) Main CampusThe Task Force for the Shaping the Future of Artificial Intelligence, Cyber, Computing, and Data Science at UTSA initiative will hold a virtual Campus Forum to discuss their findings in Phase I (data gathering). UTSA faculty, staff and students will have an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas before the Task Force moves into Phase II.
Virtual EventThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.