Mobile Resilience for DoD First Responders

Civilian first responders face routine exposure to events and crises that challenge their emotional, physical and mental resilience. Health risks are significant for these professions with high rates of heart disease, obesity, depression, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Law enforcement officers (LEOs) over the age of 40 have a higher risk of a coronary event compared to the national average, and their average life expectancy is 21 years less than the U.S. average. LEOs experience higher rates of depression (12.0% vs. 6.8%) and PTSD (15-18% vs. 7-8%) than the general U.S. population. Suicidal ideation and attempts are significantly higher for LEOs, with protective service workers having a suicide rate 3.5 times higher than national norms. While job experiences of military police, firefighters, and emergency medical staff can vary widely from their civilian counterparts, there is no reason to believe military first responders can escape the negative health risks of their profession (including a PTSD incident rate of 11-20% for veterans as a whole). With these concerns, there is an increasing focus on finding ways to prevent and mitigate the impact of stress and trauma on first responders through resilience-building initiatives. However, stigma around acknowledging and seeking help for such concerns is as serious an obstacle in civilian first responder communities as it is in the military. One strategy TIAG has explored to off-set this issue is through the use of technology. Recommendations from a 2019 report by the Police Executive Research Forum on reducing suicide recommended agencies offer “confidential, easy-to-access tools (including online tools) for officers to assess their well-being and obtain referrals for assistance”. Online and mobile technologies can be accessed privately and confidentially and can help reduce stigma attached to using behavioral health and resilience-based resources. In studies with U.S. military members, up to a third of soldiers who would otherwise not seek help endorsed a willingness to use technology to access mental health resources. Mobile technology has the potential to put self-help resources in users’ “back pocket” – readily available, easily accessible and private.  The mResilience training and mRes mobile application developed by TIAG provides reliable, confidential, and secure access to evidence-based tools with the goal of promoting individual psychological resilience. For instance, when an individual needs support, the peer-support and resources modules allow them to confidentially access assistance to help address their concerns without fear of negative personal or job impacts. While building resilience skills and habits is the goal of the mResilience program, a wide range of secondary outcomes has been associated with increased resilience such as improvements in well-being, greater job satisfaction, lowered subjective stress levels and lower absenteeism.