Peers supporting reintegration after occupational stress injuries: A qualitative analysis of a workplace reintegration facilitator training program developed by municipal police for public safety personnel
| Author | Chelsea Jones,Suzette Bremault-Phillips,Ashley D Pike,Katherine Bright,Lorraine Smith-MacDonald |
| Published date | 01 March 2022 |
| Date | 01 March 2022 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X211030896 |
| Subject Matter | Special Issue Articles |
Special Issue: Are we OK? The State of Wellbeing in Policing
The Police Journal:
Theory, Practice and Principles
2022, Vol. 95(1) 152–169
© The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/0032258X211030896
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Peers supporting reintegration
after occupational stress
injuries: A qualitative analysis
of a workplace reintegration
facilitator training program
developed by municipal police
for public safety personnel
Chelsea Jones, Katherine Bright, Lorraine Smith-MacDonald,
Ashley D Pike and Suzette Bremault-Phillips
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Abstract
Public safety personnel (PSP) are at increased risk of developing operational stress injuries. Peer-
led reintegration programs (RPs) for PSP, evidence-based research is lacking. This study ex-
plored the experiences of PSP participating in a Reintegration Program Facilitator Training
(RPFT) program. Participant (n= 57) responses were collected from surveys, satisfaction and
knowledge questionnaires, and a World Cafe. Four themes emerged: (1) traits of an ideal RF; (2)
holistic/complementary workplace reintegration approach; (3) necessary features of the re-
integration program; and (4) culture-specific considerations. While RPs hold promise, it is
essential that evidence-based research be used to guide RPFT and RP spread and sustainability.
Keywords
Reintegration, public safety personnel, operational stress injuries, trauma, peer supp ort
Corresponding author:
Chelsea Jones, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, 1-94 Corbett Hall, 8205 - 114 Street,
Edmonton T6G 2G4, Canada.
Email: cweiman@ualberta.ca
Introduction
Occupational stress injuries in police and public safety personnel
The demands and stressful nature of police work, unpredictability of the calls to which
officers respond, and exposure to traumatic events in the line of duty that can include
death, violence, and threats to their own lives, can contribute to the development of
operational stress injuries (OSIs) (Carleton et al., 2019). OSIs include a broad range of
conditions including mental disorders and conditions that interfere with daily
functioning in social, work, or family activities (Canadian Institute for Public Safety
Research and Treatment, 2019). Police officers also experience increased risk of
psychological challenges, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depres-
sion, anxiety, and anger, which can lead to other challenges such as substance abuse,
relationship difficulties, and workplace absenteeism (Beshai and Carleton, 2016). A
2018 study found that 36.7% of surveyed Canadian police of ficers screened positive
for a mental health condition—primarily PTSD (Carleton et al., 2018). Such injuries
can leave officers unable to return to work in their required capacity or at all (Beshai
and Carleton, 2016). Even with extensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation, only a
minority of public safety personnel (PSP; police officers, firefighters, dispatchers,
emergency medical workers, corrections officers, etc.) return to pre-accident work
levels, and PSPs may be more likely than non-PSP workers to require ongoing wage
replacement benefits (Gross et al., 2021).
Despite awareness that OSIs among police officers is a widespread issue, research and
services for officers and their families are lacking. Studies related to return-to-work
initiatives for police officers and other PSP remain scarce (Beshai and Carleton, 2016). In
Canada, a key recommendation of the landmark “Blue Paper”report (Beshai and
Carleton, 2016) was to: "Participate in research studies and ongoing evaluations ex-
amining the effectiveness of peer support or crisis-focused psychological intervention
programs with appropriate sample sizes, empirically supported outcome measures, and
using methodologically rigorous designs, such as randomized controlled trials and
longitudinal studies. First Responder organizations should seek to have such research
conducted with independent, established researchers who have been appropriately vetted
by, and are currently explicitly supported by, established and accredited research or-
ganizations" (p. 8). Peer-support programs are recognized as a key component of an
overall work reintegration strategy for PSP organizations; however, higher quality re-
integration program effectiveness studies that incorporate stronger study designs, rigour,
validity, and reliability are needed to determine long-term effectiveness (Beshai and
Carleton, 2016).
Peer-support programs: Current evidence
Peer support is a benevolent relationship that is based on a shared lived experience, such
as similar employment and/or exposure to traumatic events. A peer supporter may provide
emotional, spiritual, and/or social support (Sunderland and Mishkin, 2013). Peers with
Jones et al. 153
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