Supporting Statement Part B _MPD_StressReduction_COPS_2012CKWXK002

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

Part B: Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods

1. Respondent Universe and Sampling methods:

The respondent universe for individuals completing the stress-management questionnaire instruments is the roster of sworn police officers on the date of recruitment onset who meet the condition of being between 21 and 65 years of age (universe size is approximately 1,900). Recruitment of the 20 study participant will be on a completely voluntary basis (non-random), although an attempt will be made to recruit participants that vary by age, gender, and rank.

2. Procedures for the Collection of Information

Sandra Ramey, Ph.D., with the University of Iowa, School of Nursing, will be engaged on a contractual basis as primary research investigator for this pilot research project. She and her university support staff will serve as contractors to MPD .Dr. Ramey will teach the sample of MPD sworn person on techniques to self-regulate their emotional and physiological responses to job stressors. Police personnel will be asked to complete questionnaires at the beginning and the end of the stress regulation training, as well as at a designated follow-up point. Scantron™ forms will be used be used to expedite completion of forms.

3. Methods to Maximize Response Rates and Deal with Issues of Non-Response

The questionnaire instruments will be integrated as part of the training process and the importance of their completion will be stressed as part of the recruitment process. Candidates’ acknowledgment and willingness to complete the survey instruments will be considered in the participant selection process and incorporated as part of informed consent. Candidates will also be informed of the potential health benefits associated with full-participation in the training protocol.

4. Tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken

The instrument scores of police respondents/trainees will be compared across time (at the pre-, post- and follow-up time periods) and to a comparison group. The study design will be that of wait-list controlled experimental design. The timing of the training in stress reduction will be staggered so that the group of 10 officers who will receive the second iteration of training can serve as a comparison group for the 10 officers receiving the first iteration of training. The advantage of the wait-list approach is that both “treatment” and “comparison groups” benefit potentially from treatment intervention. Assignment to the two study groups will be conducted match groups on participant age, gender and rank to the extent possible.

Statistical analysis will assess the levels of self-reported stress and behavioral activities at the pre-, post-, and follow-up periods. These will be compared to the control group at the first iteration of training using standard parametric tests (e.g., t-test or matched-pair t-test).

5. Individuals consulted on statistical aspects of the design and organization/persons collecting and analyzing the data.

Sandra Ramey, Ph.D. has completed similar research protocols on self-regulated stress reduction methods with both law enforcement and military personnel. This study will be a replication and extension of her previous work. A principal investigator, she is chiefly responsible for study design and analysis. However, she will have access to professional colleagues and will apprise and consult with the management and administration of MPD throughout the course of the training, research, and analysis phases of this study. She has previously worked with management personnel responsible for health and wellness issues within the MPD. She also commits to remain responsive to the concerns and input the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Policing Services (COPS) Program Manager.

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