Relationship between Mindfulness Trait and Mental and Physical Health in Croatian Police Officers

Researches consistently show that the mindfulness trait is associated with better mental and physical health. This study aimed to examine the association of mindfulness trait with stress (general and police), burnout, anxiety, depression, mental and physical health among police officers in Croatia. The survey was conducted on N = 116 police officers from 3 different police stations (Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Zadar). The following questionnaires were used: BDI - II (Beck Depression Inventory), STAI (StateTrait Anxiety Inventory), CORE-OM (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measure), MBI (Maslach Burnout Inventory), BAI (Beck Anxiety Inventory), ISP (Work Stress Intensity Questionnaire), MAAS (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale), and PHQ (Physical Health Questionnaire). Police stress was measured with questions constructed for the research. The results showed that there was a significant correlation between the mindfulness trait and almost all the examined variables and that the police officers with lower scores on the mindfulness trait had poorer mental and physical health. They were more depressed, anxious, emotionally exhausted, had more depersonalization symptoms and experienced more stress. Although there are numerous researches regarding mindfulness, both as a trait and as a treatment, fewer have been conducted and published regarding the police population, so this is one of the rarer studies.