Changes in Facets of Mindfulness Predict Stress and Anger Outcomes for Police Officers

Policing is widely considered to be one of the most stressful occupations, wherein organizational and operational stressors put law enforcement officers’ (LEO) physical and mental health at risk. This stress is often experienced within a context of excessive anger, which decreases officer well-being and has the potential to negatively impact public well-being as well. Police officers are often left to manage stress and anger in a cultural context that does not support help-seeking behavior and that encourages maladaptive coping mechanisms. The current study examined whether increases in facets of mindfulness accounted for reductions in these outcomes. Results demonstrated that discrete facets of mindfulness accounted for significant differential variance in the reduction of organizational stress, operational stress, and anger. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.