The impact of growth focused psychoeducation on posttraumatic growth in police officers

This study investigated whether stress related growth (SRG) could be primed in traumatised police officers, and explored the predictors of SRG in police officers using the predictors documented in non-police populations. Fifty-nine officers completed self-report questionnaires and randomly received either no priming, verbal or verbal plus written SRG priming. Twelve weeks later SRG was measured. Results indicated higher SRG following verbal plus written priming, F (2, 56) = 12.61, p < .001, with no significant difference between verbal and no priming, p = .101. Contrary to expectations, none of the factors typically predictive of SRG contributed to the SRG reported by these police officers. This study demonstrates a brief, low cost intervention can prime SRG in police officers and highlights the importance of police specific studies.