From stigma to support: Understanding police officer mental health needs and implementation considerations for proactive wellness interventions

Abstract

Police officers experience disproportionately high levels of psychological stress due to repeated exposure to potentially traumatic events, organizational pressures, and persistent mental health stigma. This sequential mixed-methods study examined police officers’ mental health status, help-seeking behaviours, and organizational factors influencing the implementation of proactive wellness interventions in British Columbia, Canada. Phase I consisted of a cross-sectional survey of 179 sworn police officers using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21. Approximately one-quarter of respondents reported moderate to extremely severe psychological distress, with higher distress associated with lower physical activity, increased self-medication, and greater use of mental health services. Phase II comprised four semi-structured focus groups with 29 police officers, contextualizing the quantitative findings by exploring officers’ experiences with mental health, barriers to help-seeking, and factors influencing engagement with proactive wellness initiatives. Reflexive thematic analysis identified three interconnected themes: stigma, resource pitfalls, and leadership buy-in. Participants described persistent stigma, limited access to timely mental health resources, and the critical role of leadership in fostering psychologically safe workplaces. Officers also emphasized the importance of accessible, flexible, and evidence-informed interventions that fit the realities of policing. Together, these findings highlight the need for preventative mental health strategies that address both operational and organizational contributors to psychological distress. While technology-enabled approaches, including virtual reality, were viewed as promising for improving accessibility, successful implementation will depend on organizational culture, leadership support, and equitable access to evidence-based mental health resources.