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Cited by 158Mental Health Treatment and AccessPosttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchOccupational Health and Performance

Prevalence of Mental Illness and Mental Health Care Use Among Police Officers

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Jetelina, Katelyn K., Molsberry, Rebecca J., Gonzalez, Jennifer Reingle, Beauchamp, Alaina M., Hall, Trina·2020·JAMA Network Open
DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.19658PMC PMC7542299
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Abstract

Importance: Limited literature has characterized patterns of mental illnesses and barriers in seeking mental health care among police officers. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of mental illness (diagnosis) and symptoms of mental illness, evaluate the characteristics of officers interested in seeking mental health care, and characterize perceptions of mental health care use. Design, Setting, and Participants: This survey study was conducted among officers at a large police department in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Focus group sessions were conducted from April 1, 2019, to November 30, 2019, and the survey was conducted from January 1 to February 27, 2020. A total of 446 sworn, employed patrol officers who were present during the recruitment briefing were eligible to participate in surveys and focus groups. Main Outcomes and Measures: Officers reported lifetime or current diagnosis of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as current mental health symptoms (using validated screeners of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and suicidal ideation or self-harm) and mental health care use in the past 12 months. Focus group data were collected to contextualize mental health care use. Logistic regression analyses were used for quantitative data, and focus groups were iteratively coded by 4 coders using inductive and deductive thematic identification. Results: Of the 446 officers invited to participate, 434 (97%) completed the survey (mean [SD] age, 37 [10] years; 354 [82%] male; 217 White [50%]). Of these officers, 19 (17%) had sought mental health care services in the past 12 months. A total of 54 officers (12%) reported a lifetime mental health diagnosis, and 114 (26%) had positive screening results for current mental illness symptoms. Among officers with positive screening results, the odds of interest in using mental health services was significantly higher for officers with suicidal ideation or self-harm than for those who did not (adjusted odds ratio, 7.66; 95% CI, 1.70-34.48). Five focus groups were conducted with 18 officers and found 4 primary barriers in accessing mental health services: (1) inability to identify when they are experiencing a mental illness, (2) concerns about confidentiality, (3) belief that psychologists cannot relate to their occupation, and (4) stigma that officers who seek mental health services are not fit for duty. Conclusions and Relevance: The study found that although few officers were seeking treatment, they were interested in seeking help, particularly those with suicidal ideation or self-harm. Additional interventions appear to be needed to systematically identify and refer officers to health care services while mitigating their concerns, such as fear of confidentiality breach.

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  • Police officers refuse to seek mental health support.

    “Nevertheless, they refuse to seek mental health support (Jetelina et al., 2020).”

    From Impact of Mindfulness Training on Spanish Police Officers’ Mental and Emotional Health: a Non-Randomized Pilot Study (2022) · cites this paper as Jetelina et al., 2020

    The Discussion reports low use of mental health services and identifies reasons some officers did not seek them. But it also reports that 17% of officers screening positive for mental illness symptoms sought services, and the Conclusions say some officers were interested in help. The blanket statement that police officers refuse support overstates the finding. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Jetelina, K. K., Molsberry, R. J., Gonzalez, J. R., Beauchamp, A. M., & Hall, T.
Affiliations
  • The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (US)
  • Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, Dallas, Texas
  • Psychological Services, Dallas Police Department, Dallas, Texas
Corresponding author
Jetelina, Katelyn K.
ORCID
Venue
JAMA Network Open
Publisher
American Medical Association (AMA)
Published
2020-10-07
Volume
3
Issue
10
Pages
e2019658
ISSN
2574-3805 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.19658
PMC
PMC7542299
OpenAlex
W3091847159
Cited by
158
References
5
Citations by year
2026: 26 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 2
FWCI
16.94
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • JAMA Network Open (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (K01-OH011532)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Performance
Keywords
mental illness, police officers, mental health service utilization, barriers to mental health care, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation, self-harm, stigma, confidentiality concerns, occupational stress, mental health screening, mental health workforce shortage
MeSH terms
Occupational Stress, Adult, Anxiety Disorders, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Mental Health Services, Middle Aged, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Texas, Prevalence, Occupational Health, Police, Young Adult

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