Trauma and stress can impact any of us, regardless of age, gender or income. More than half of all Australians are estimated to have experienced at least one stressor in the last 12 months, with 75% of all Australians estimated as having experienced a traumatic event in their lifetime¹.
The development of mental health problems and repeated trauma exposure is especially significant among police officers, as a direct result of working irregular hours in dangerous environments and highly scrutinised roles². The prevalence of mental health problems in police officers has been reported to be more than double that of all first responders combined³. In a study of a US metro police department⁴, over half of all police officers surveyed reported active mental health or substance abuse problems. However, only 47% of those officers reported accessing support services, with the majority seeking non-department support, citing privacy concerns and negative career repercussions.
In another study⁵, PTSD symptoms were reported by 1 in 5 police officers, with symptoms of complex PTSD (symptoms similar to PTSD, however, more extreme and enduring than those of PTSD) present in a greater proportion of these officers as a direct result of the cumulative effects of exposure to multiple traumatic experiences. As first responders to disasters and emergencies, police officers are at further risk of developing acute stress disorder, anxiety, depression and substance abuse disorders⁶.
Lockdown laws during the COVID-19 health emergency were introduced across Australia in 2020, with mandates on social distancing, face masks and lockdowns regularly fluctuating over two years. Responsibility to enforce these restrictions fell largely on police officers, over and above the already understaffed regular policing duties⁷. Lack of clear communication around policies was consistently cited as a significant stressor among law enforcement⁸, further impacted by deteriorating community perceptions of police as lockdown mandates continued⁹.
As essential workers, police faced further anxiety around becoming “super-spreaders” and transmitting the virus to family members, especially exacerbated by the initially unknown nature of the novel virus¹⁰. Expectedly, police officers who did contract the virus and were negatively affected by symptoms reported greater difficulty sleeping, increased substance use and more time off work¹¹. Repeated exposure to stressors by police officers were observed to increase risk of insomnia, reduced concentration and increased fatigue, all compounding to increase risks faced on the job¹².
With 90% of Australians owning mobile phones¹³, mobile well-being apps have gained momentum as health promotion tools, largely due to their accessibility and scalability potential1¹⁴. Mobile apps can reduce barriers to entry for mental health support by offering a confidential, clinically acceptable, cost-effective and readily available alternative to in-person therapy¹⁵. Serving as a 24/7 portable support tool, wellbeing apps have been found to reduce the severity of PTSD symptoms¹⁶ improve emotional regulation and increase stress coping skills¹⁷, with no significant difference in treatment effectiveness when compared to outpatient therapy services¹⁸.
With the influx of well-being apps on the market, it is important to consider the significance of tailored, user-centred solutions. General well-being apps have been cited as inadequate in meeting the specific needs of police officers, often only covering a specific element of overall well-being, in addition to not being designed for irregular routines and shift workers¹⁹. Guidelines on lifestyle habits, sleep, and financial management were all features police officers reported as most valuable from a multifunctional well-being app, specifically developed to meet their shift patterns²⁰. As such, providing holistic health guidelines within a co-designed wellbeing app has greater potential to influence positive behaviour change among police officers than stress management tools alone.