Enhancing Emotion-Regulation Skills in Police Officers: Results of a Pilot Controlled Study

• Published in: Behavior therapy Vol. 41; no. 3; pp. 329 - 339
• Main Authors: Berking, Matthias, Meier, Caroline, Wupperman, Peggilee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2010; Elsevier; Academic Press
• Subjects: Adult; Affect; Behavior modification; Behavior therapy. Cognitive therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Community based; Emotional Intelligence; Emotional regulation; Emotions; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Mental health; Middle Aged; Negative emotions; Pilot Projects; Police; Police officers; Preventive programmes; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Skill development; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors; Treatments; Switzerland; Europe; Social environment; Human; Affect affectivity; Cognitive therapy; Treatment efficiency; Mental health; Policeman; Emotion emotionality; Skill; Treatment; Follow up study; Self regulation; Behavior therapy; Public health
• ISSN: 0005-7894; 1878-1888; 1878-1888
• DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2009.08.001

Police officers are routinely exposed to situations that elicit intense negative emotions; thus, officers have a particularly strong need for effective methods of regulating such emotions. The main purpose of this study was to investigate whether a manualized emotion-regulation training (Integrative Training of Emotional Competencies; iTEC; Berking, 2010a) can improve the emotion-regulation skills of police officers. First, self-reports of 9 emotion-regulation skills were assessed in a sample of officers ( N = 31) and compared to those of a matched community-based control group. Then, the effects of the training on the emotion-regulation skills of officers were evaluated in a time-staggered design with a waitlist control condition. Results indicate that, compared to controls, officers have difficulties in accepting and tolerating negative emotions, supporting themselves in distressing situations, and confronting emotionally challenging situations. The training significantly enhanced successful skill application, especially some skills with which officers reported difficulty applying. These findings suggest that a focus on emotion-regulation skills may be an important component for programs aimed at preventing mental-health problems in police officers.