Description:
Background: Police officers are at high risk for mental and physical health problems andsuicidal ideation. The specific risk factors are numerous and concern stressful missionsand administrative aspects of the police profession. So far, the police get only little trainingon specific missions as well as on coping with stress and suicidal ideation in the policeprofession. In this study we test the efficacy of the online training COPS (Coping withSuicide) for police officers.Methods: A total of 142 police officers fromGermany and Switzerland participated in thestudy; complete data (baseline and post) are available from 102 participants. The trainingconsisted of three modules covering the topics of delivering death notifications, dealingwith individuals with suicidal ideation and dealing with one’s own distress and suicidalideation in the police profession. The primary outcomes are perceived knowledge andself-rated competence regarding the contents of the program, actual knowledge as wellas symptoms of depression and anxiety (PHQ-9), and attitudes toward suicide (ATTS).The data are collected at baseline and after completing the training.Results: We found a significant increase in knowledge as well as in perceivedcompetence after completing the training. Mental health and attitudes toward suicide didnot change significantly. Years on the job had no moderating effect on the effectivenessof the training.Discussion: The results suggest that a short e-learning program significantly improvesknowledge and self-rated competence in delivering death notifications, in suicideprevention and stress management. It can be easily integrated into the daily routineof police-officers, and participants could participate at their own pace and from anylocation. One limitation of this study is the lack of a control-group. Further advantagesand limitations of this study are discussed.