Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) frequently encounter potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs) which include direct (e.g., happened to me) or indirect (e.g., part of my job) exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence, and subsequently demonstrate an increased risk of developing posttraumatic stress injuries (PTSIs). Although PTSIs include mental health disorders, physical impairments such as the development of chronic pain and cardiovascular conditions are also implicated. The current study was designed to assess for changes in cardiac function among RCMP within their first three years of field service. Participants (n=96) were mostly male (71.6%), men (71.6%), White (85.6%), with a mean age of 30.22±6.22 years. The current results evidenced deteriorations in cardiac function; diastolic cardiac function began to deteriorate as early as the second year of field service, with changes in systolic function occurring concurrently, or within the following year, suggesting that deteriorating cardiac function may constitute a PTSI. Incorporating bestpractice cardiac rehabilitation exercise prescription guidelines tailored to the maintenance or improvement of diastolic function into existing occupational health and wellness programs may support a mechanistic role in reducing the risk of major adverse cardiac events among RCMP officers and other high-risk occupational populations.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) cadets complete the Cadet Training Program with lower putative risk and greater self-perceived resilience than young adults in the general population, implicating occupational stressors as possible risk factors for mental health disorders in RCMP officers. The current study assessed for changes in putative risk and resilience factors among RCMP officers after their first year of service (i.e. from pre-deployment to 1-year follow-up). Participants (n = 181; 72.8% men) completed self-report measures of several putative risk variables (i.e. anxiety sensitivity, fear of negative evaluation, illness and injury sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty, pain anxiety, state anger) and self-perceived resilience at 1-year follow-up. Participants' scores were compared to their respective pre-deployment scores and to young adult control samples. At 1-year follow-up, RCMP officers scored statistically significantly (ps < .05) higher on global anxiety sensitivity, the cognitive and social domains of anxiety sensitivity, illness sensitivity, and state anger (ds = 0.16-0.35) than they did as cadets at pre-deployment; however, scores on all putative risk variables remained statistically significantly lower (ps < .01; ds = 0.25-1.25), and self-perceived resilience remained statistically significantly higher (p < .01; d = 0.82), compared to young adult general population norms. Women and female participants scored statistically significantly lower than men and male participants, respectively, on self-perceived resilience (ds = 0.63 and 0.57; ps < .05). Neither gender nor sex moderated changes in putative risk and resilience scores from pre-deployment to 1-year follow-up. The current results suggest that occupational stressors may influence individual putative risk and resilience factors, which in turn impact RCMP officers' risk of developing mental health challenges.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) changed the cadet admission requirements in February 2022. The current study was designed to assess whether changes to admissions were associated with differences in putative risk and resilience factors (i.e., relatively modifiable individual difference variables) for mental health challenges among cadets. RCMP cadets recruited before (STC; n = 772; 72.2

Police recruit training signifies a major shift in social roles that may change personality. While personality measurement is often used for police recruitment and selection processes, less is known about changes in personality following police recruit training. The current study examines changes in personality profiles of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) cadets after completing the RCMP Cadet Training Program and compares to the general population. Participants were RCMP cadets (n = 449) from the larger RCMP Longitudinal PTSD Study who completed the RCMP Cadet Training Program and self-reported personality using the HEXACO-100 personality inventory at pre-training and pre-deployment. The current results indicated small, but statistically significant, differences on several HEXACO personality factors and facets among RCMP cadets completing the RCMP Cadet Training Program when compared to pre-training measures. However, despite small changes in personality, RCMP cadets completing training retained personality profiles different from the general population. The current results appear to contradict suggestions that the RCMP Cadet Training Program negatively impacts cadets' personality and suggests instead that cadets completing the training display personalities suitable for contemporary policing. The current results provide insights into the impact police training may have on cadet personalities and personality development associated with life events.

OBJECTIVES:Public safety personnel (PSP) are frequently exposed to psychologically traumatic events. The exposures potentiate posttraumatic stress injuries (PTSIs), including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Protocol was designed to mitigate PTSIs using ongoing monitoring and PSP-delivered Emotional Resilience Skills Training (ERST) based on the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders. The current study pilot-tested ERST effectiveness among diverse PSP. METHODS:A 16-month longitudinal design engaged serving PSP (n = 119; 34 % female; firefighters, municipal police, paramedics, public safety communicators) who completed PSP-delivered ERST. Participants were assessed for symptoms of PTSIs, including but not limited to PTSD, at pre- and post-training, and 1-year follow-up using self-report measures and clinical interviews. RESULTS:There were reductions in self-report and clinical diagnostic interview positive screens for PTSD and other PTSI from pre- to post-training (ps < 0.05), with mental health sustained or improved at 1-year follow-up. Improvements were observed among firefighters (Cohen's d = 0.40 to 0.71), police (Cohen's d = 0.28 to 0.38), paramedics (Cohen's d = 0.20 to 0.56), and communicators (Cohen's d = 0.05 to 0.14). CONCLUSION:Ongoing monitoring and PSP-delivered ERST, can produce small to large mental health improvements among diverse PSP, or mitigate PSP mental health challenges, with variations influenced by pre-training factors and organizational supports. ERST replication and extension research appears warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION:Hypotheses Registration: aspredicted.org, #90136. Registered 7 March 2022 - Prospectively registered. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05530642.

The current study was designed to assess for associations between self-report mental health disorder symptom change scores and the frequency of monthly mental health self-monitoring surveys, amongst Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) cadets during training (i.e., starting the Cadet Training Program [CTP] to pre-deployment). Participants were RCMP cadets (n = 355). Multiple linear regression models were conducted to assess relationships between mental health disorder symptom change scores and the frequency of monthly self-monitoring during the CTP, adjusting for sociodemographic variables and pre-training mental health disorder symptom scores. The frequency of monthly self-monitoring was statistically significantly inversely associated with changes in mental health disorder symptoms during the CTP (R2 = .13 to .47), meaning more frequent monthly self-report monitoring was related to decreases in symptoms. Regular mental health self-monitoring may help to directly mitigate mental health challenges among RCMP through increased self-awareness, and by facilitating proactive self-care and earlier access to evidence-based care. Trial registration: Pre-registration with aspredicted.org for the RCMP Study and associated hypotheses occurred on 7 November 2019 with the name, “Risk and resiliency factors in the RCMP: A prospective investigation” (#30654).

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) frequently report symptoms consistent with positive screens for one or more mental health disorders (65%), but RCMP cadets evidence a much lower prevalence (7.3%) prior to deployment. The differences in mental health between cadets and experienced RCMP implicates mental health challenges to be related to service experiences; however, less is known about how mental health changes during the first year of service. The current study examines changes in mental health during the first year of service. At 1-year follow-up, participants (n = 181; 72.8% male) reported higher symptom severity (ds = .09 to .53, all ps < .05) and positive screens (Zs = .05 to 3.32, all ps < .001) for posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, and social anxiety disorder than at pre-deployment. The current results substantiate RCMP mental health challenges begin to develop as early as the first year of service, underscoring the need for continuous evidence-based supports and assessments.

BACKGROUND:Public safety personnel (PSP) experience occupational stressors and potentially psychologically traumatic events, which increase the odds of screening positive for mental health disorders, and the risk of suicide. This study estimates suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts among Canadian PSP, and assesses associations with Emotional Resilience Skills Training (ERST). METHOD:The current study uses a longitudinal prospective sequential experimental cohort design that engages participants for approximately 16 months. Participants (n = 186, 60.5% men) were administered the structured Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview at three time points relative to the ERST: pre-training, post-training, and 1-year follow-up. RESULTS:At pre-training, PSP reported past-month suicidal ideation (n = 24; 12.9%), planning (n = 7; 3.8%), and no attempts. At post-training, PSP reported past-month suicidal ideation (n = 12; 10.1%), suicidal planning (n < 5), and no attempts (n = 0). At the 1-year follow-up, PSP reported past-month suicidal ideation (n = 7; 12.5%), and no planning (n = 0) or attempts (n = 0). CONCLUSIONS:The results indicate suicide-related challenges for PSP, particularly PSP who self-identify as women and females. The results suggest sector-specific differences in suicide attempts, indicating unique sector-specific challenges among PSP. The results evidenced reductions in suicidal ideation and planning directly after ERST; however, attrition impacted analyses at 1-year follow-up. Additional sector-specific mixed-methods research would help inform suicide mitigation strategies. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05530642. Hypotheses Registration: aspredicted.org, #90136. Registered 7 March 2022-Prospectively registered.

Virtual Reality (VR) has expanded beyond the entertainment field and has become a valuable tool across different verticals, including healthcare, education, and professional training, just to name a few. Despite these advancements, widespread usage of VR systems is still limited, mostly due to motion sickness symptoms, such as dizziness, nausea, and headaches, which are collectively termed “cybersickness”. In this paper, we explore the use of electroencephalography (EEG) as a tool for real-time characterization of cybersickness. In particular, we aim to answer three research questions: (1) what neural patterns are indicative of cybersickness levels, (2) do EEG amplitude modulation features convey more important and explainable patterns, and (3) what role does EEG pre-processing play in overall cybersickness characterization. Experimental results show that minimal pre-processing retains artifacts that may be useful for cybersickness detection (e.g., head and eye movements), while more advanced methods enable the extraction of more interpretable neural patterns that may help the research community gain additional insights on the neural underpinnings of cybersickness. Our experiments show that the proposed amplitude modulation features comprise roughly 60% of the top-selected features for EEG-based cybersickness detection.

In this study, our aims were to (a) examine the associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs; i.e., childhood maltreatment, household challenges, and peer victimization) and resilience, adjusting for sociodemographic variables, and (b) test the moderating effect of emotional regulation on the association between childhood maltreatment ACEs and resilience in Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) cadets. Study data were from the RCMP Study. Participants were Cadets (N = 597, 75.0% men) who underwent a full assessment before the Cadet Training Program (CTP). Logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between ACEs and resilience while adjusting for sociodemographic variables and to test the moderating effect of emotional regulation; adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. Several childhood maltreatment ACEs were associated with decreased resilience among cadets after adjustment for sociodemographic covariates: physical abuse, aOR = 0.26, 95% CI [0.10, 0.68]; emotional abuse, aOR = 0.28, 95% CI [0.10, 0.79]; neglect, aOR = 0.22, 95% CI [0.09, 0.55]; exposure to intimate partner violence, aOR = 0.18, 95% CI [0.04, 0.73]; and peer victimization, aOR = 0.30, 95% CI [0.12, 0.76]. The interaction between exposure to any childhood maltreatment ACE and emotional suppression, as assessed using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, was significantly associated with low resilience scores, aOR = 0.94, 95% CI [0.89, 0.99]. The current results underscore the critical importance of mitigating the adverse impact of childhood maltreatment ACEs on resilience processes among cadets before the CTP.

Personnel selection and agent readiness are critical priorities for defense organizations, particularly in ensuring staff are adequately prepared for high-stakes environments such as public safety and military operations. Readiness assessments evaluate cognitive abilities, mental resilience, physical fitness, decision-making skills, and the ability to manage stress and workload. Traditional methods rely on performance indices from psychometric tests and physical evaluations. However, research suggests that incorporating behavioral and neurophysiological data, like cerebral blood flow oxygenation, enhances predictive capabilities for agent readiness. Methods such as the Revised Multi-Attribute Task Battery (MATB-II) have been developed to assess human decision-making and complex problem-solving capabilities, which are skills often considered when assessing readiness. The SHAD (Sensing Humans for Augmented Debrief) system is a training-support interface developed for such a multimodal approach that integrates wearable technology with psychometric profiling. SHAD captures neurophysiological signals-such as heart rate variability, brain oxygenation, and respiratory data-alongside psychometric assessments to predict and evaluate agents' mental and physical states in real time. The experimental design used MATB-II as a task to induce stress and workload in 41 participants from two public safety organizations. A machine learning model enabled readiness predictions, offering insights for personnel selection, mission preparation, and adaptive training. The model was trained on both psychometric data and neurophysiological data collected during the MATB-II task. This solution could significantly enhance public safety and defense missions by optimizing agent performance.

Public safety personnel (PSP) work experiences necessitate diverse and frequent exposures to potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs) and other occupational stressors, which may explain the higher prevalence of mental health disorders and suicidal ideation among PSP relative to the general population. Consequently, PSP require emotional coping skills and evidence-informed mental health training to navigate arduous situations. The Emotional Resilience Skills Training (ERST) is a pilot 13-week mental health training program led by a peer and based on the robustly evidenced Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Mental Disorders. The study assessed whether PSP: perceived the ERST as improving their mental health or their management of stressors; applied the associated knowledge and skills; and would recommend ESRT to other PSP. Data were collected using a self-report survey and focus groups. A total of 197 PSP (58% male) completed a self-report survey and 72 PSP (33% female) participated in a sector-specific focus group to assess the ERST. The results indicate that PSP perceived ERST as helpful when applied. Almost all participants would recommend the training to other PSP. PSP expressed the ongoing need for mental health skills and knowledge, but also identified mental health training gaps during early-career training and stages.

Designing training programs such that students are fully prepared for real-world scenarios can be challenging, particularly when preparing individuals for safety-critical roles that necessitate performing under conditions of high stress and mental workload. A possible avenue for improving training programs is to adapt them according to the stress and mental workload experienced by trainees during each training scenario. However, self-assessments can disrupt the training process and may not always be accurate. To address this, the project proposes a continuous neurophysiological monitoring system that tracks each trainee's stress and mental workload, allowing instructors to view their development during training scenarios. The deployment of the system was piloted with four participants at the same time as they performed several conditions of the Revised Multi-Attribute Task Battery. Stress was induced by increasing the number of events, adding unpleasant sounds, and informing participants their tasks will be graded by the experimenters, while increased workload was induced by asking participants to perform more subtasks at the same time. After each task, participants provided subjective measures of stress and mental workload. Throughout the experiment, cardiorespiratory and brain activity were collected via a near-infrared spectroscopy headband, a smartshirt, and a smartwatch. These signals were processed in real time by the Sensor Hub system, running previously developed models of stress and mental workload for all four participants. The pilot data demonstrate the feasibility of instructors monitoring multiple students simultaneously using wearable sensors and real-time signal processing, with the potential to better prepare individuals for high stress and workload roles.

Assessment of cerebral oxygenation during repeated squat stands following an acute sport-related concussion (SRC) has the potential to identify physiological changes following SRC. All varsity university athletes completed a pre-season assessment and 53 were followed up within 5-days of suffering an SRC. Of the 53 participants, 29 had continuous beat-to-beat blood pressure (BP; sampled at 200 hz) collected by finger photoplethysmography, and 53 had right prefrontal cortex oxygenation collected by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS; sampled at 10 hz). Participants completed a 5-min repeated squat (10 s) stand (10 s) manoeuvre (0.05 hz). Wavelet transformation was applied to the signals, separating them into smooth muscle cell (0.05 to 0.145 hz), respiratory (0.145 to 0.6 hz) and cardiac (0.6 to 2 hz) frequency intervals, with the 5-min squat stand manoeuvre compared from pre-season to post-concussion. A significant amplitude increase (p < 0.05) in oxyhaemoglobin, total haemoglobin and haemoglobin difference following SRC was found at the cardiac interval. During the squat stand dynamic cerebral autoregulation challenge, this exploratory study found an elevated contribution from the heart to the oxygenation response at the right prefrontal cortex, suggestive of a cardiac compensatory response during concussion. Future research with cerebral blood flow alongside NIRS can provide greater insight to dynamic cerebral autoregulation.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) report frequent exposures to diverse potentially psychological traumatic events (PPTEs) that can lead to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health disorders. Personality traits may partially inform the substantial mental health challenges reported by serving RCMP. The current study examines associations between HEXACO personality factor and facet-level dimensions and mental health disorders of RCMP cadets starting the Cadet Training Program (CTP). RCMP cadets ( n = 772) starting the CTP self-reported sociodemographics, personality, and mental health disorder symptoms. Emotionality was associated with MDD, GAD, and SAD (AORs ranged from 6.23 to 10.22). Extraversion and Agreeableness were inversely associated with MDD, GAD, and SAD (AORs ranged from 0.0159 to 0.43), whereas Openness to Experience was inversely associated with SAD (AOR = 0.36). Several facet-level personality dimensions were associated with mental health disorders. Inconsistent differences were observed between men and women for relationships between personality factors, facets, and positive screenings for mental disorders. The relationship patterns allude to possible risk and resilience factors associated with personality factors and facets. Early training, interventions, and resources tailored to cadet personality factors and facets might reduce risk and bolster mental health resilience.

BackgroundNearly half of active duty Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers report experiencing current chronic pain (43%; i.e. pain lasting longer than 3 months). Most RCMP officers who report chronic pain indicate that the pain started after working as RCMP officers (91%). Baseline data on chronic pain prevalence among RCMP cadets has not been available.AimsThe current study was designed to provide cross-sectional estimates of chronic pain prevalence among RCMP cadets starting the Cadet Training Program and to assess for sociodemographic differences among participants.MethodsThe RCMP Study uses a longitudinal prospective sequential experimental cohort design to create a clustered randomized trial that engages individual participants for 5.5 years. The current article provides cross-sectional associations between chronic pain prevalence and sociodemographic characteristics. Participants were RCMP cadets starting the Cadet Training Program (n = 770). Location, intensity (on a 0-10 scale and days per week experienced), and duration (number of months) of chronic pain were reported. Differences across sociodemographic characteristics were examined.ResultsFew RCMP cadets reported experiencing chronic pain (10%); lower back pain was rated as the most severe in terms of intensity and duration and second most frequently reported in number of days experienced per week. Prevalence of chronic pain was lower among RCMP cadets than among RCMP officers.ConclusionsChronic pain prevalence among active duty RCMP officers may result from or be moderated by operational duties, as well as routine aging. Future researchers could examine ways to mitigate chronic pain development during RCMP officer careers. Contexte: Pr & egrave;s de la moiti & eacute; des agents de la Gendarmerie royale du Canada (GRC) en service actif d & eacute;clarent souffrir de douleur chronique (43 %; c'est-& agrave;-dire une douleur qui dure plus de trois mois). La plupart des agents de la GRC qui d & eacute;clarent souffrir de douleur chronique indiquent que la douleur a commenc & eacute; apr & egrave;s avoir travaill & eacute; comme agents de la GRC (91 %). Il n'existe pas de donn & eacute;es de r & eacute;f & eacute;rence sur la pr & eacute;valence de la douleur chronique chez les cadets de la GRC.Objectifs: La pr & eacute;sente & eacute;tude a & eacute;t & eacute; con & ccedil;ue pour fournir des estimations transversales de la pr & eacute;valence de la douleur chronique chez les cadets de la GRC qui commencent le Programme de formation des cadets et & eacute;valuer les diff & eacute;rences sociod & eacute;mographiques entre les participants.M & eacute;thodes: L'& eacute;tude sur la GRC utilise un devis de cohorte exp & eacute;rimental s & eacute;quentiel prospectif longitudinal pour cr & eacute;er un essai randomis & eacute; en grappes impliquant des participants individuels pendant 5,5 ans. Le pr & eacute;sent article pr & eacute;sente des associations transversales entre la pr & eacute;valence de la douleur chronique et les caract & eacute;ristiques sociod & eacute;mographiques. Les participants & eacute;taient des cadets de la GRC qui commen & ccedil;aient le Programme de formation des cadets (n = 770). Le lieu, l'intensit & eacute; (sur une & eacute;chelle de 0 & agrave; 10 et selon le nombre de jours par semaine o & ugrave; la douleur & eacute;tait ressentie), de m & ecirc;me que la dur & eacute;e (nombre de mois) pendant laquelle la douleur chronique & eacute;tait ressentie, ont & eacute;t & eacute; d & eacute;clar & eacute;s.R & eacute;sultats: Peu de cadets de la GRC ont d & eacute;clar & eacute; souffrir de douleur chronique (10 %); la douleur lombaire a & eacute;t & eacute; & eacute;valu & eacute;e comme la plus s & eacute;v & egrave;re en termes d'intensit & eacute; et de dur & eacute;e, et la deuxi & egrave;me la plus fr & eacute;quemment rapport & eacute;e en nombre de jours par semaine. La pr & eacute;valence de la douleur chronique & eacute;tait plus faible chez les cadets de la GRC que chez les agents de la GRC.Conclusions: La pr & eacute;valence de la douleur chronique chez les agents de la GRC en service actif peut r & eacute;sulter des t & acirc;ches op & eacute;rationnelles ou & ecirc;tre mod & eacute;r & eacute;e par celles-ci, ainsi que par le vieillissement normal. Les futurs chercheurs pourraient examiner les moyens d'att & eacute;nuer le d & eacute;veloppement de la douleur chronique au cours de la carri & egrave;re des agents de la GRC.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) cadets experience high volumes of potentially psychologically traumatic events, suggesting a need of normal cardiac cycle interval data on the cadets for comparison. We characterize the cardiac cycle of incoming RCMP cadets starting the 26-week training program. The cadets collected their cardiac data using the LLA Recordis™ device. Male RCMP cadets had higher (p < 0.05) myocardial and diastolic performance indices, aortic valve open to aortic twist time, and isovolumic relaxation time than female RCMP cadets. Monitoring the cardiac cycle intervals in RCMP cadets can provide insights into changes in their heart function from their occupational demands.

Mental health disorders are particularly prevalent among public safety personnel (PSP). Emotional Resilience Skills Training (ERST) is a cognitive behavioural training program for PSP based on the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (i.e. Unified Protocol). The current study was designed to assess whether ERST is associated with reduced putative risk factors for mental disorders and increased individual resilience. The PSP-PTSI Study used a longitudinal prospective sequential experimental cohort design that engaged each participant for approximately 16 months. PSP from diverse sectors (i.e. firefighters, municipal police, paramedics, public safety communicators) completed self-report measures of several putative risk variables (i.e. anxiety sensitivity, fear of negative evaluation, pain anxiety, illness and injury sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty, state anger) and resilience at three time points: pre-training (n = 191), post-training (n = 103), and 1-year follow-up (n = 41). Participant scores were statistically compared across time points. Participants reported statistically significantly lower scores on all putative risk variables except pain anxiety, and statistically significantly higher resilience from pre- to post-training. Changes were sustained at 1-year follow-up. The results indicate that ERST is associated with reductions in several putative risk variables and improvement in resilience among PSP.

Sport-related concussion (SRC) is known to disrupt neurohemodynamic activity, cardiac function, and blood pressure (BP) autoregulation. This study aims to observe changes in cerebrovascular and cardiovascular responses during controlled respiration after sustaining an SRC. University varsity athletes (n = 81) completed a preseason physiological assessment and were followed up within 5 days of sustaining an SRC. During preseason and follow-up assessments, participants' continuous beat-to-beat BP was collected by finger photoplethysmography, and right prefrontal cortex oxygenation was collected using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Participants completed 5 min of seated rest and 5 min of a 6-breaths per minute controlled breathing protocol (5 s inhale and 5 s exhale; 0.10 Hz). Wavelet transformation was applied to the NIRS and BP signals, separating them into respiratory (0.10-0.6 Hz) and cardiac (0.6-2 Hz) frequency intervals. Of the 81 participants, 74 had a usable BP signal, 43 had usable NIRS signals, and 28 had both usable BP and NIRS signals. Wavelet amplitudes were calculated and coherence between NIRS and BP on the 28 participants were assessed. There was a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in oxygenated hemoglobin amplitude from 0.062 to 0.054 Hz and hemoglobin difference amplitude from 0.059 to 0.051 Hz, both at the respiratory (0.10-0.6 Hz) frequency interval, from preseason to acute SRC, respectively. Therefore, during controlled respiration, there was a reduction in intensity at the respiratory band, suggesting a protective, reduced respiratory contribution to cerebral hemodynamic activity following acute SRC. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study investigated cerebral hemodynamic activity following sport-related concussion. Prefrontal cortex oxygenation was assessed by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during a controlled breathing protocol. Wavelet transformation of the NIRS signals showed significant decreases in HbO2 and HbD amplitude at the respiratory frequency interval (0.10-0.6 HZ) from preseason baseline to acute concussion. These results suggest a decreased respiratory contribution to cerebral hemodynamic activity following acute concussion.

Serving Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) evidence prevalent mental health disorders, likely due to diverse occupational stressors including potentially psychologically traumatic events. RCMP cadet mental health when starting the Cadet Training Program (CTP) appears comparable to, or better, than the general public. The CTP is expected to improve mental health, but the mental health of cadets who complete the CTP immediately prior to active-duty deployment remained unknown. The current paper provides estimates of RCMP cadet mental health at pre-deployment. Participants were RCMP cadets who completed a survey assessing self-reported mental health disorder symptoms (n = 449, 73.9