Peer-reviewed Publications
The role of an organizational ombud (formerly ombudsman) is increasingly recognized as a significant contributor to fostering a healthy workplace environment. This specialized service offers an impartial, confidential, informal, and independent resource for employees and executives, addressing their concerns, mediating conflicts, and promoting fair treatment within the organization. While the role of an ombud may vary from one organization to another, this article sheds light on the findings of our ombud’s office and its contribution to the health of an organization. The ombud consultation evaluation survey serves as a valuable tool for organizations to simultaneously safeguard the health of their employees and the health of their business. The ombud confidential services serve as a cornerstone of organizational health, contributing to enhanced employee satisfaction, improved conflict resolution, ethical compliance, increased productivity, and reduced legal risks.
*Peer-reviewed
Katy Kamkar and Mario Baril (2024)
The full impact of psychology will only be realized if we increase our willingness and commitment to sharing evidence-based information and key messages with the general public. In the current article, as part of being given the Canadian Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Contributions to Public or Community Service, I reflect on various ways to share key information and how to engage with the public and the media in keeping with the theme of “giving psychology away”. Reasons for taking on this role are outlined including the opportunity to draw attention to key themes and to provide advice that is in the best interests of the general public and the profession. The personal and societal benefits of engaging in these activities are considered as part of a discussion of why these activities matter. In addition, guidelines are proposed for members of our field who are dedicated to making a difference and willing to take on the role of sharing information with the general public. It is concluded that the quality and visibility of the field of psychology in Canada and elsewhere stand to benefit through sustained efforts to the dissemination of evidence-based information and knowledge built through varied experiences.
*Peer-reviewed
Katy Kamkar (2023)
Wellness and resilience have been at the epicenter of attention amongst many law enforcement researchers, clinicians, and professionals in recent years. Both resilience and wellness aim to provide law enforcement officers with knowledge and effective tools that can be employed during both professional and personal challenges. The current manuscript presents wellness within a context of prevalent conditions and/or situations (i.e., what is called “Good” during the “Bad” and “Ugly”) that law enforcement officers experience as part of their duties as well as in their personal lives. The authors aim to raise awareness of police wellness that needs to be viewed within the context of police work and not in a vacuum. Considering that, tangible actions and recommendations are also discussed.
*Peer-reviewed
Konstantinos Papazoglou, Katy Kamkar, and Jeff Thompson
(2021)
It has been a sincere honour and true pleasure to be on the program committee, as well as session convener, for the International Law Enforcement and Public Health (LEPH) conference held in October 2019 in Edinburgh, Scotland. During the recent conference, I was fortunate to work with eight esteemed colleagues from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, sharing international perspectives on Police Mental Health and Well-Being. Police Organizations everywhere, it seems, are increasingly working on reducing stigma and addressing common mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder as part of mental health education, prevention, early identification, and intervention. To this date, workplace interventions continue to be primarily reactive rather than preventive. One of the many pathways to build and optimize prevention involves interventions at both individual and organizational levels—creating a healthy positive organi-zational culture and improving workplace mental health promotion by reducing workplace risk factors and identifying and building individual as well organizational strengths and protective factors. Together with these colleagues, all of whom contrib-uted to the preparation and delivery of our panel session in Edinburgh, we are pleased to share some highlights from the important dialogue that resulted. The following segments each provide guidance on building awareness of police men-tal health; both organizational and individual level factors; ways to reduce stigma (personal stigma, self-stigma, and workplace stigma); optimizing interventions; and taking holistic approaches to care. I begin this paper, as I did during our session, by offering some of my own thoughts about a proactive approach to health at organizational and individual levels, as well as a discussion on psychological health and safety implementation strategies to help reduce risk factors and promote individual and organizational resiliency. My co-authors then each share their own perspectives.
*Peer-reviewed
Katy Kamkar, Grant Edwards, Ian Hesketh, Dale McFee, Konstantinos Papazoglou, Paul Pedersen, Katrina Sanders,Tom Stamatakis, Jeff Thompson (2020)
Exposure to critical incidents and hence potentially traumatic events is endemic in law enforcement. The study of law enforcement officers’ experience of moral injury and their exposure to potentially morally injurious incidents, and research on moral injury’s relationship with different forms of traumatization (e.g. compassion fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder) are in their infancy. The present study aims to build on prior research and explores the role of moral injury in predicting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its clusters thereof. To this end, a sample of law enforcement officers (N = 370) from the National Police of Finland was recruited to participate in the current study. Results showed that moral injury significantly predicted PTSD as well as its diagnostic clusters (i.e., avoidance, hyperarousal, re-experiencing). The aforementioned role of moral injury to significantly predict PTSD and its clusters were unequivocal even when compassion fatigue was incorporated into the path model. Clinical, research, and law enforcement practice implications are discussed.
*Peer-reviewed
Victoria Briones Chiongbian
(2020)
Moral distress is a condition affecting police officers who, because of insurmountable circumstances (e.g., not being able to protect a civilian from a violent criminal) or bad judgement (e.g., crossfire between officers), believe that they did not do enough or did not do the “right thing.” Moral injury occurs when police officers perpetrate, fail to prevent, or bear witness to deaths or severe acts of violence that transgress deeply held moral beliefs (e.g., fatally shooting an allegedly armed criminal who is later proved to be unarmed). Considering the multidimensional nature of police work, several authors have maintained that it is imperative to understand the complex nature of police moral suffering (i.e., moral distress and moral injury). This review highlights the importance of assessing and recognizing moral injuries and/or distress among police officers. The data indicates that counsellors should build relevant, empirically validated interventions into their counselling treatment plans. Moreover, researchers have suggested that counsellors employ practice-based and evidence-based techniques with officers who experience moral suffering. Ultimately, recommendations for future research are provided, considering that research in this area is in its infancy.
*Peer-reviewed
Konstantinos Papazoglou, Daniel M. Blumberg, Katy Kamkar, Alexandra McIntyre-Smith, Mari Koskelainen (2020)
The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced unprecedented challenges for police services, amplifying occupational stressors and health risks among frontline officers. This paper explores the unique impacts of COVID-19 on Canadian police forces, emphasizing heightened risks, including exposure to the virus during duty, potential transmission to families, and the strain of operational adjustments. It discusses the escalating mental health concerns, such as operational stress injuries (OSI), and outlines strategies for self-care and resilience among police officers. Despite the challenges, community support and organizational initiatives play crucial roles in sustaining morale and mental well-being amidst the pandemic.
*Peer-reviewed
Shahin Mehdizadeh, Katy Kamkar (2020)
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted daily life, causing emotional and psychological challenges. Safety measures like physical distancing and quarantine have led to grief over lost normalcy, social interactions, and loved ones, along with anxiety, fear, sadness, and anger. Isolation increases loneliness and fear of contracting or transmitting the virus. The lack of physical closeness hinders emotional healing, risking prolonged grief and mental health issues. Front-line workers face moral distress and compassion fatigue, leading to burnout. Everyday activities now demand extra safety precautions, heightening cognitive and emotional strain. To cope, it is essential to normalize emotions, maintain virtual social connections, and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Strategies include psychological flexibility, grounding techniques, positive thinking, and self-compassion. Setting realistic goals and adapting to new normals can help manage stress. Seeking professional help is crucial for persistent distress or difficulty managing daily tasks. This holistic approach supports mental health and well-being during the pandemic.
*Peer-reviewed
Katy Kamkar (2020)
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychological health condition that jeopardizes the wellbeing, holistic health and functioning of police officers following exposure to traumatic, stressful, and life- threatening experiences. While resiliency is expected of officers, the recurrent encounter to traumatic incidents eventually influences the expression of symptoms that collectively constitutes PTSD. In addition to exploring the definition of PTSD and how it affects officers, this paper intends to inform police officers suffering from PTSD of the availability of effective treatments (e.g., prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive processing therapy) and to explain major parts of PTSD treatment to ensure officers are able to understand the processes involved in the treatment. This article hopes to clear up any skepticism about the efficacy of PTSD treatment and help officers become more informed about PTSD treatment.
*Peer-reviewed
Konstantinos Papazoglou, Katy Kamkar, Prashant Aukhojee (2019)
This study examined the association of attachment style with mother and father with depressive symptoms among early adolescent boys and girls (N= 140), and whether this association was mediated by attributional styles and/or self-esteem. As expected, adolescents more anxiously attached to both mother and father reported the most depressive symptoms. Anxious attachment to mother was associated with depressive symptoms for girls only and this association was fully mediated by both maladaptive attributions for negative events and by self-esteem. These findings indicate the importance of negative attributions and self-esteem as pathways through which girls' anxious attachment to mother might lead to depressive symptoms.
*Peer-reviewed
Katy Kamkar, Anna-Beth Doyle, Dorothy Markiewicz (2012)
Reassurance seeking has long been hypothesized to be a key factor in the maintenance of anxiety within contemporary cognitive-behavioral approaches to the conceptualization and treatment of anxiety disorders. However, empirical studies have lagged due to the absence of a reliable and valid measure of reassurance seeking. The present study sought to develop and examine the psychometric properties of a theoretically derived measure of reassurance seeking in treatment-seeking participants with DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) social phobia (n = 116), generalized anxiety disorder (n = 75), panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (n = 50), and obsessive compulsive disorder (n = 42). Participants (N = 283) completed the Reassurance Seeking Scale (RSS), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory-II. An exploratory factor analysis resulted in a coherent three factor solution reflecting the need to seek excessive reassurance regarding: (1) uncertainty about decisions, (2) attachment and the security of relationships, and (3) perceived general threat and anxiety. The RSS was found to possess good internal consistency and was moderately correlated with measures of anxiety, stress, and depression. The psychometric properties of the RSS appear promising for the promotion of programmatic research on reassurance seeking and its treatment in the anxiety disorders.
*Peer-reviewed
Neil A. Rector, Katy Kamkar, Stephanie E. Cassin, Lindsay E. Ayearst, Judith M. Laposa (2011)
A voluminous clinical and epidemiological extant literature showing a link between anxiety disorders and increased suicidality has remained controversial due to the observation that the presence of psychiatric comorbidities usurps this association when examined directly. However, recent population–based, prospective research has provided strong support for elevated suicide risk in individuals with anxiety disorders independent of other psychiatric conditions. This article considers the psychological mechanisms that may, in part, account for the association between anxiety disorders and suicide. In addition to examining the role of nonspecific psychological vulnerabilities such as hopelessness and self–criticism, we explore the contributions of an anxiety–specific cognitive factor, looming vulnerability. Cognitive appraisals and images of a maladaptive looming cognitive style involve perceptions of rapidly mounting, escalating, and unmanageable threat and adversity that may serve to facilitate hopelessness and urges to “escape” psychic pain through suicide. A clinical anxiety case is presented to illustrate the upward spiral of looming illusions and hopelessness in a suicide attempt.
*Peer-reviewed
Neil A. Rector, Katy Kamkar, John H. Riskind (2008)
The role of adolescents family relationships as moderators of the negative associations between early steady dating and adjustment was investigated. Two hundred forty-four adolescents, 13 to 14 years old, reported on family and peer relationships (attachment security to mother and father marital conflict, parenting style, friend nominations) and adjustment. As predicted, negative associations between early steady dating and adjustment were moderated by family factors and gender For girls in families high in marital conflict, steady dating was associated with lower self-esteem, and in authoritarian families, with more symptoms of depression. Girls securely attached to their mother and not dating steadily had higher grades. These findings suggest that success in prior relationships contributes to adolescents' abilities to cope with later developmental challenges. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)
*Peer-reviewed
Anna-Beth Doyle, Mara Brendgen, Dorothy Markiewicz, Katy Kamkar (2003)
