SAFETYLIT WEEKLY UPDATE

We compile citations and summaries of about 400 new articles every week.
RSS Feed

HELP: Tutorials | FAQ
CONTACT US: Contact info

Search Results

Journal Article

Citation

Weaver CM, Joseph D, Dongon SN, Fairweather A, Ruzek JI. Psychol. Serv. 2013; 10(1): 66-72.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Educational Publishing Foundation)

DOI

10.1037/a0029651

PMID

23088401

Abstract

When crisis situations involving veterans occur, responding police officers find themselves playing an important role in the spectrum of health and mental health services for those veterans. Crisis response training can help officers respond in a manner that increases safety and optimizes outcomes for all people involved. Yet, current crisis response police training models are only accessible to select officers. Nor do they emphasize the unique challenges and strengths that impact veterans who experience acute symptoms of mental illness. In the current study, we report the results from the first generation of training, collaboratively designed to enhance officers' (a) knowledge of relevant topics, including posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, (b) attitudes about veterans, and (c) and skills helpful in identifying and deescalating veterans and referring them to treatment. Officers completed in-class evaluations (N = 314), and a subsample (n = 53) completed 3-month follow-up evaluations. Pre- versus posttest comparisons indicated significant improvements in total score, and individually in knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Consistent with previous literature, the specific in-class gains were not retained on follow-up. However, responding officers widely endorsed use of de-escalation techniques during, and a positive impact of the training on, their interactions with veterans in the 3 months following the training. Implications for future training and policy are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).


Language: en

NEW SEARCH


All SafetyLit records are available for automatic download to Zotero & Mendeley
Print