The Association between Mindfulness Ability and Burnout, Sleep Quality, and Perceived Stress Level among Police Officers in the Israeli Police Department

The term "mindfulness" refers to the intentional focus on the present moment without judgment. This concept involves the continuous development of awareness and attention to one’s current experience, while adopting an open and accepting attitude. Literature shows that mindfulness-based interventions have been extensively examined across various populations and have demonstrated positive effects on physiological indicators and clinical symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic stress.

Policing is a profession responsible for law enforcement, maintaining public order, and ensuring internal security. Police officers are part of the first responder system, and thus, in their daily duties, they are called to chaotic scenes requiring decision-making and action. The role of policing in Israel, and particularly in the Jerusalem District, is even more complex, encompassing military aspects alongside police duties. Consequently, officers in this district are exposed to daily security threats. Exposure to traumatic events, especially those involving life-threatening situations, impacts both the mental and physical health of police officers. The nature of their work entails a high level of stress, placing them at increased risk for developing health symptoms—both physical and mental—compared to the general population.

This study examined the contribution of mindfulness capability to reducing job burnout and improving sleep quality, as well as the role of stress as a mediating variable in these changes among police officers in the Jerusalem District. These officers are responsible for maintaining order and are regularly exposed to stress and complex challenges. The uniqueness of this study lies in its examination of the contribution of inherent mindfulness capabilities, independent of any intervention or training, alongside identifying stress as a mechanism through which mindfulness operates, thus informing future interventions accordingly.

This quantitative study included 61 patrol officers from the Jerusalem District, comprising 49 men and 12 women, aged 22-55 With the Everage age being 35.16. Data were collected via self-administered background questionnaires, burnout scales, sleep quality assessments, and perceived stress questionnaires. The surveys were conducted in person and completed voluntarily by the officers. It should be noted that this study is part of a broader research initiative that includes a mindfulness-based intervention and examines additional indicators over different time points within this population. However, the current study focused on examining correlations at a single point in time—prior to the intervention. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS (version 27) and the Process extension (version 4.2).

The study's findings indicate that mindfulness is negatively associated with job burnout, sleep disturbances, and stress levels: higher mindfulness levels correspond with lower stress, job burnout, and sleep disturbances. Among the mindfulness questionnaire components, particularly strong correlations were observed with the overall score and the "description" component. Additionally, a positive relationship was found between stress and both job burnout and sleep disturbances: higher stress levels correlate with increased job burnout and sleep disturbances. Finally, a significant positive relationship was identified between job burnout and sleep disturbances. Regarding mediation, it was found that perceived stress fully mediates the relationship between mindfulness level and job burnout. Likewise, perceived stress fully mediates the relationship between mindfulness level and sleep disturbances.

The findings highlight the need to cultivate mindfulness skills, even among the existing abilities of police officers in the Jerusalem District in order to enhance their personal well-being in their roles and potentially serve as a resilience factor against adverse health and mental health outcomes. The study also suggests that mindfulness techniques should be tailored to optimally meet the needs of diverse populations in various contexts. Given that this is a relatively easy intervention to implement, a systematic evaluation of its effectiveness holds considerable potential for significantly reducing burnout and stress and improving sleep quality among patrol officers in the Jerusalem District.