Addressing police discrimination regarding mental distress using a service user-led and interpersonal contact/education based ‘e-Learning’

ABSTRACT

In recent years, the New Zealand Police have seen a significant increase in mental health related calls. In accord with best practice anti-discrimination interventions, three service user-led and interpersonal contact/education-based e-Learning modules were developed and delivered to police staff to counter discrimination and effect behaviour change. A formative evaluation of the e-Learning was undertaken using semi-structured interviews with 24 police staff who had completed the e-Learning modules within the previous 6–12 months. A number of themes emerged from the data that suggest the e-Learning could be used to develop enhanced intrapersonal attitudes and behaviours in relation to people experiencing mental distress, and to encourage increases in the well-being of police themselves. However, the data also suggested a number of barriers to implementing the e-Learning in order to effect changes in facilitating a police response. These barriers include widespread issues of limited resourcing and difficulties with inter-agency working.

KEYWORDS:

• Stigma
• discrimination
• mental distress
• police
• behaviour change
• New Zealand

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the participants involved in this research project. We would also like to thank Virginia MacEwan, Inspector Suzanne Douglas, Joanne Duncan and Senior Sergeant Matthew Morris.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Related material

This paper is the result of a full re-analysis of qualitative data originally used to inform a non-peer reviewed summary report for the funding body (Health Promotion Agency, NZ).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was undertaken with funding from the Health Promotion Agency of New Zealand [OPS0302].

Notes on contributors

Steven Davey

Steven Davey has a background in the public and charitable sectors (UK central government research; social support for learning disabilities and autism) with more recent research work on the connections between mental illness, stigma and social exclusion. His current research (for PhD) relates to emotion regulation and suicide prevention.

Sarah Gordon

Sarah Gordon leads the World of Difference programmes at the Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago Wellington. With funding from the Health Promotion Agency of New Zealand as part of the Like Minds, Like Mine campaign, she has been involved in developing education and research programmes led and delivered by experts with personal experience of mental distress. These programmes focused on changing attitudes and behaviours of police and healthcare providers, to end discrimination and promote recovery, inclusion and respect for the human rights of people who experience mental distress.

Rachel Tester

Rachel Tester currently works in two departments at the University of Otago Wellington: Primary Health Care & General Practice where she is a member of the Applied Research on Communication in Healthcare group, and Psychological Medicine where she is a member of the new service user research group World of Difference. She has been involved in several research projects with a mental health and addictions focus, and is passionate about the power of story and personal narratives to help raise awareness about the social, cultural and political drivers of mental distress, and improve health outcomes for those who experience it.