Abstract
Public safety personnel (PSP), including Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), have previously reported substantial suicide-related difficulties. The challenges raised concerns from the National Police Federation (NPF), policymakers, and lawmakers about better protection of RCMP mental health. The current study used self-report survey data to provide updated estimates of past-year and lifetime suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts among RCMP. Data were also collected for past and current screens for mental health disorders. The current RCMP sample reported statistically significant higher percentages of lifetime and past-year suicidal ideation and planning than previous RCMP and PSP samples. There were numerous statistically significant associations reported between lifetime and past-year suicidal ideation and behaviours, and past and current mental health disorder symptoms.
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Data Availability
The datasets presented in this article are not readily available due to the sensitive nature of the content and to protect the anonymity of participants. Requests to access the datasets should be directed to katie.andrews@uregina.ca.
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Acknowledgements
The current study was made possible by the National Police Federation and a diverse team from CIPSRT including Donna King, Nicholas Jones, and Juliana Khoury. Our sincere thanks go to the National Police Federation for being so dedicated to their members’ mental health and for promoting the survey among their membership through internal channels. We are also grateful to everyone else who helped support participation. Special thanks to Sarah Nolan, Karen Cook, Stephanie Naday, Anthony Friio, Ana Santarem, and Jeromy Kixmoller-Gosley for their efforts in collaboratively designing the survey with the research team. We also extend a heartfelt thank-you to all Royal Canadian Mounted Police members who participated. By adding your voice, you are hel** make a difference in the mental health of yourselves, your colleagues, your families, and all public safety personnel in Canada and beyond.
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This study was funded by the National Police Federation (Canada).
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Nisbet, J., Andrews, K.L., Jamshidi, L. et al. Suicidal Ideation, Planning, and Attempts among Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). J Police Crim Psych (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-024-09685-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-024-09685-8