- Daniel W Grupe: Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Mental Health problems among police employees are exacerbated by negative attitudes and beliefs around Mental Health help-seeking that are perpetuated by police culture. We collected anonymous survey data from 259 civilian and commissioned police employees in a mid-sized, Midwestern U.S. city to test hypothesized relationships among help-seeking stigma, help-seeking attitudes, and intended help-seeking behavior. Results demonstrated that mental help-seeking stigma was negatively associated with help-seeking attitudes, and in turn with reduced Mental Health help-seeking intentions. Structural equation modeling provided support for a model linking help-seeking stigma, help-seeking attitudes, and intentions to seek help. This path model was moderated by psychological distress and previous participation in mindfulness training, which had opposing effects on help-seeking stigma and (indirectly) on intended help-seeking. Results provide insight into policies, practices, and interventions that police agencies may enact to combat stigma, positively influence Mental Health help-seeking, and improve the Mental Health and well-being of police employees and the broader community.