The relationship between spirituality and mental health among police trainees

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between spirituality, including religious spirituality (i.e. supernatural beliefs) and secular spirituality (i.e. social beliefs), and mental health among police trainees.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants in this study were police trainees of a police academy. An online survey was conducted to measure spirituality and mental health among these police trainees. The association between spirituality and mental health was analyzed using hierarchical linear regression and hierarchical logistic regression with demographic variables (i.e. gender and age) controlled for.

Findings

The results revealed that the police trainees with stronger secular spirituality tended to have better general mental health. Higher levels of secular spirituality were significantly associated with lower levels of mental illness risk and suicidal ideation. By contrast, religious spirituality was not significantly related to police trainees' mental health.

Originality/value

The present study is the first to empirically investigate the relationship between spirituality and mental health among police trainees. The findings may be enlightening for future research on the mental health of police officers and trainees, and provide novel perspectives and pragmatic implications for the development of spirituality-based prevention strategies and intervention programs for enhancing the mental health and well-being of the police.

Citation

He, M., Lu, J., Chen, J.H. and Tong, K.K. (2023), "The relationship between spirituality and mental health among police trainees", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 46 No. 3, pp. 490-502. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-09-2022-0125