Anklan, Jennifer

Chapman, Chloe

Dawes, James

Orr, Rob Marc

Schram, Ben

English

Law enforcement officers (LEOs) are required to perform in high stress situations where they must protect civilians and fellow officers. Due to the impact stress may have on performance, the aim of this review was to critically appraise the available literature on stress and performance in tactical personnel and to synthesize the findings. A systematic search of four selected databases known to report studies in this population and field of research, was conducted. Pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to determine which studies qualified for this review. The ten included studies were critically appraised and information relevant to the research topic was extracted and tabulated. The mean critical appraisal score of all articles was 50% and ranged from 21% being of ‘poor’ quality to 64% being of ‘good’ quality. The Cohen’s kappa analysis showed an agreement rating of 43% (휿=0.429). Eight of the ten studies reported a change in performance between the non-stressful and stressful scenarios while the other two studies reported an increase in dissociative symptoms which led to a change in performance. This critical review concluded that performance in tactical populations can be influenced by stress and LEOs should be made aware of the impact occupational stresses have on their performance as well as the physiological changes their body undergoes in the line of duty

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Bond UniversityResearch RepositoryThe Physiological Impact of Stress on Performance in Tactical Populations: A Critical ReviewAnklan, Jennifer; Chapman, Chloe; Orr, Rob Marc; Schram, Ben; Dawes, JamesPublished: 07/04/2018Document Version:Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of recordLink to publication in Bond University research repository.Recommended citation(APA):Anklan, J., Chapman, C., Orr, R. M., Schram, B., & Dawes, J. (2018). The Physiological Impact of Stress onPerformance in Tactical Populations: A Critical Review. Poster session presented at 2018 Rocky MountainAmerican College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, Colorado Springs, United States.General rightsCopyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright ownersand it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.For more information, or if you believe that this document breaches copyright, please contact the Bond University research repositorycoordinator.Download date: 10 May 2019References(1) Myers, J. E., & Bechtel, A. (2004). Stress, wellness, and mattering among cadets at West Point: Factors affecting a fit and healthy force. Military Medicine, 169(6), 475-482. doi:10.7205/MILMED.169.6.475(2) Yerkes, R. M., & Dodson, J. D. (1908). The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit‐formation. Journal of comparative neurology, 18(5), 459-482. (3) Collins, P. A., & Gibbs, A. C. C. (2003). Stress in police officers: a study of the origins, prevalence and severity of stress related symptoms within a county police force. Occupational Medicine, 53(4), 256-264. doi:10.1093/occmed/kqg061(4) Anderson, G. S., Litzenberger, R., & Plecas, D. (2002). Physical evidence of police officer stress. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies &amp; Management, 25(2), 399-420. doi:10.1108/13639510210429437(5) Downs, S. H., & Black, N. (1998). The feasibility of creating a checklist for the assessment of the methodological quality both of randomised and non-randomised studies of health care interventions. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 52(6), 377. doi:10.1136/jech.52.6.377(6) Kennelly, J. (2011). Methodological approach to assessing the evidence Reducing Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Reproductive and Perinatal Outcomes (pp. 7-19): Springer.Conclusion• This research shows that performance in tactical populations can be influenced by stress. • Tactical personnel should be aware of the impact occupational stresses have on their performance as well as the physiological changes their body undergoes in the line of duty.• Due to the limited amount of evidence and variability of outcome measures used in the included studies, future studies should use identical outcome measures to increase the level of evidence and ability to draw conclusions. Introduction• Excess stress has been shown to have a negative effect on task performance, cognitive ability, and physical health in cadets (1).• Stress has previously been correlated with performance where peak performance occurs with an optimal amount of stress (2).• Police work is inherently stressful due to personal risk exposure, confrontation of violence and involvement in traumatic incidents (3). Potential threats to law enforcement officers (LEOs), such as grasping holstered sidearms, being called in for back up to critical incidents, and being involved in physical altercations, have all been shown to increase their heart rates dramatically (4).• The aim of this review was to critically appraise the available literature on stress and performance in tactical personnel and to synthesize the study findings. Method• Search terms were generated from known literature and a rapid search review. Once confirmed these terms were entered into four selected databases (Embase, ProQuest, CINAHL, and Medline (OVID)). • Search terms included specific tactical populations, a stressful training scenario, and a measure of performance to the stressful scenario (see search term table for specifics).• Articles were critically appraised to determine the methodological quality by two authors (J.A. C.C.) using a modified Downs and Black Checklist (5).• The level of agreement was measured through Cohen’s kappa coefficient being calculated by a third author (R.O.) and presented as a percentage to determine the Critical Appraisal Score (CAS) and quality of the studies according to Kennelly’s grading system (6). Results• Figure 1 provides an overview of the review and screening process of all articles. • Following analysis of the articles, the mean CAS was 50%, ranging from 21%* being of ‘poor’ quality to 64%* being ‘good’ quality according to Kennelly’s grading system (6). (Figure 2)• Kappa coefficient was a 43% level of agreement (k=0.429).• Of the ten included studies*, four were from the US, two from Canada, one from Norway, one from Australia, one from England, one from France.• The largest sample size was 335 active duty military members from the USA, all being male and the smallest was a sample size of 13 from the French Training Institute to Submarine Safety in France. • Outcome measures included (but were not limited to) blood pressure, heart rate, cortisol levels, drug calculation scores, gunshot accuracy and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).• Eight of the ten studies reported a change in performance between the non-stressful and stressful scenarios while the other two studies reported an increase in dissociative symptoms which led to a change in performance.*Additional list of references available upon requestThe Physiological Impact of Stress on Performance in Tactical Populations: A Critical Review Jennifer Anklan1, Chloe Chapman1, Robin Orr1,2, Ben Schram1,2, Jay Dawes31Bond Institute of Health & Sport, Bond University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia 42262Tactical Research Unit, Bond University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia 42263University of Colorado – Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, USA 80918Contact: rorr@bond.edu.auRecords identified through database searching(n = 1,951)Embase: n = 161ProQuest: n = 1,576CINAH: n = 66Medline (OVID): n = 148IncludedRecords after duplicates removed(n = 1,054)Records screened(n = 1,054)Records excluded(n = 1,024)Full-text articles assessed for eligibility(n = 30)Full-text articles excluded, with reasons(n = 20)Use of a supplement (example: caffeine): (n = 4)Dissertations or Theses: (n = 4)Resilience Training: (n = 7)Unable to access full article: (n = 5)Studies included in qualitative synthesis(n = 10)Figure 1 PRISMA Flow Chart showing an overview of the review and screening process of all articlesEligibilityScreeningIdentificationFigure 2 Critical Appraisal Score determining the quality of the included studies2018 RMACSM Annual MeetingApril 6-7, 2018

The Physiological Impact of Stress on Performance in Tactical Populations: A Critical Review

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The Physiological Impact of Stress on Performance in Tactical Populations: A Critical Review

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