Effectiveness of an online group intervention that shields police officers against the psychosocial impact of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a health and socio-economic crisis with massive and profound consequences on police organizations across the globe. During the pandemic police officers continue to perform their duties on the frontline, facing unprecedented and stressful challenges, including an array of new emergency-related tasks, adherence to new policing protocols, high risk of exposure through daily interactions with the public and concerns of exposing family members. In this context, police officers are at high risk for developing various psychological problems, such as psychological distress, anxiety and depression. Therefore, the development and implementation of mental health strategies in police organizations is an urgent need. The current study presents the implementation and evaluation of the effectiveness of an online group intervention for police officers during the pandemic. The purpose of the intervention was to ameliorate the negative psychological symptoms related to police work during the pandemic and to enhance police officers’ personal strengths and resilience. Participants were 95 Greek police officers, assigned to the intervention (n = 49) and the control (n = 45) group. All participants completed an online questionnaire at four time-points. The results indicated a significant increase in the intervention group’s empathy, resilience, and positive emotions, as well as a significant decrease in fear of the coronavirus, negative emotions, loneliness, depressive symptoms and anxiety compared to the control group. Changes remained significant in the long-term. The intervention assisted police officers in developing their personal strengths in a difficult period, indicating that personal growth can be triggered even in adverse situations. The current study suggests that online group interventions are feasible, efficient and effective at supporting and empowering police officers in adverse conditions where face-to-face mental health services are inaccessible.