The Impact of Training on Law Enforcement Recruits' Attitudes toward Persons with Mental Illness

Incidences of police interaction with persons with mental illness are common. Officers may exhibit a negative attitude toward such persons, and lack of adequate training is a major reason for officers' negative attitudes. Current research has concentrated on attitudes towards persons with mental illness among veteran police officers, students, and the general public. However, there is an important gap in the current literature regarding the examination of the attitudes of police recruits. Based on cognitive dissonance theory, the purpose of this quantitative study was to measure if training on mental health improves police recruits' attitudes toward persons with mental illness. An experimental design was employed to assess 64 police academy recruits' changes in attitudes using the Mental Health Attitude Survey for Police before and after training. At the time of pretesting, half of the recruits were randomly assigned to prepare written positive comments about persons with mental illness to create dissonance given initial negative attitudes. The remaining recruits prepared neutral written comments. A paired sample t test demonstrated significant improvement in recruits' attitudes towards persons with mental illness in the overall sample after training. The cognitive dissonance manipulation did not result in significant change. Findings from the study contribute to the limited research in this area. The study has implications for positive social change such that positive attitudes may result in police responding more efficiently in situations involving persons with mental illness, thereby reducing incidences of aggression and violence. The findings may also provide officers with greater understanding of assessment and intervention techniques to work with persons with mental illness. Cost effective benefits could include less strain on the criminal justice and mental health systems.