Revista internacional de salud mental de emergencia y resiliencia humana

Abstracto

A Biological Approach to Building Resilience and Wellness Capacity among Public Safety Personnel Exposed to Post-traumatic Stress Injurie

Judith P. Andersen, Joseph Arpaia, Harri Gustafsberg

To review core biological processes that underlie psychophysiological dysfunction following trauma that have not been adequately addressed in prior resilience intervention research and propose a novel way to improve intervention outcomes. Methods: The authors present a theoretical and methodological approach to building resilience among PSP tested and refined across six, grant-funded, multi-method studies with over 300 police participants measuring objective psychophysiological and behavioral data. Results: Modifying cardiorespiratory function through autonomic modulation training utilizing heart rate variability biofeedback techniques has been identified as one evidence-based method of improving wellness and performance outcomes among PSP. Conclusions: Policy implications include directing research efforts and funding support for biologically based resilience interventions among PSP.